They will include the 2002 Marketing Person of the Year, who will join a long list of distinguished marketers who have been recognised by the IMM for their excellence in marketing - including Mark Lamberti of Massmart, Sean Summers of Pick n Pay, and Brand Pretorius of McCarthy Holdings.
Setting a high standard in making the winning choices were this year's judges: Roger Sinclair (MD, BrandMetrics), Nomahlubi Simamane (MD, Zanusi Brand Solutions), Mark Lamberti (Executive Chairman, Massmart), Gale Hirst (Director, Strategic Process Engineering, Standard Bank of South Africa), and Geoff Bick (Senior Lecturer Marketing, Wits Business School).
Their choices were made from a distinguished list of companies, including heavyweights such as Absa, BMW, Kulula.com, PG Glass and Vodacom, to name just a few of the entrants.
The categories are:
Mark Jakins, Group Sales & Marketing Director of the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC), which is sponsoring the Awards, said: "As the pulse of Africa's creative spirit, the South African Broadcasting Corporation is proud to be a sponsor of the Tusk Awards. In particular, we are delighted at the introduction of several new categories this year, which we believe will give recognition to the many facets of marketing at which the marketer must be proficient. It is therefore only fitting that we recognise and celebrate innovation and excellence in marketing with these Awards."
The Awards have been renamed as the Tusk Awards in celebration of the tusk of an elephant - an animal revered in Africa for its strength, leadership and wisdom. Commented John Arnesen, Acting Executive Director of the IMM: "The success of any enterprise, especially in tough economic times, relies heavily on the strength and wisdom of its marketing effort. It is thus appropriate that the elephant, symbolised by its tusk, represents the Institute of Marketing Management's annual awards."
