Real estate developer, Dr James Ato Orleans-Lindsay, has been adjudged the Marketing Man of the Year.
The Executive Chairman, JL Holdings, who is also the President of the Ghana Real Estate Developers Association (GREDA), shared the top spot with the Chief Executive Officer of the Standard Chartered Bank, Mansa Nettey, who was adjudged the Marketing Woman of the Year.
Standard Chartered Bank’s Head of Corporate Affairs, Brand & Marketing, Asiedua Addae, came tops as the Marketing Practitioner of the Year, while the Head, Business Development, University of Media, Arts and Communication (UniMAC), Benedicta Nyame, was adjudged the Marketing Student of the Year.
The list was unveiled at the 36th Chartered Institute of Marketing Ghana’s National Marketing Performance Awards which honoured outstanding individuals and organisations that excelled in marketing, innovation, and social impact in the preceding year.
Rethink strategies
The Chief of Staff, Julius Debrah, challenged marketing practitioners in the country to rethink strategies and champion innovation to help position Ghana as a leader in Africa's economic renaissance.
In a speech read on his behalf by Presidential Staffer Nana Yaa Jantuah at the 36th CIMG National Marketing Performance Awards in Accra, he explained that marketers played a critical role in the country’s economic future through the use of storytelling to shape how the world perceived Ghana, position industries for global competitiveness, while driving economic transformation agenda.
As a result, Mr Debrah said the reset agenda imitated by the government which was aimed to reorient the economy towards industrialisation, job creation, and export-led growth required the marketers to be innovative in their strategies to promoting Ghana's strengths to both local and international audiences.
“From our thriving agricultural sector to our emerging fintech ecosystem, from our rich cultural heritage to our stable democratic governance, every aspect of Brand Ghana requires strategic marketing to unlock its full potential.
“Your profession stands at the forefront of our national development agenda.
Through your expertise, we are not merely selling products and services; we are marketing a vision of Ghana as a preferred investment destination, a hub for innovation, a beacon of democracy, and a gateway to the African market,” the Chief of staff said.
Awards
The annual awards was to, among other things, create awareness of the relevance of marketing for the success of businesses, promote higher professional marketing standards and excellence among practitioners, and to also recognise organisations for showing resilience for the year under review.
It was also to celebrate marketers and serve as a testament to their resilience, adaptability, and unwavering dedication to the profession.
The 36th edition was on the theme "Repositioning brand Ghana: Marketing for economic growth and transformation",
The Chief of Staff lauded the marketers for their contribution to the national vision of creating a prosperous and self-reliant Ghana.
He said the government remained committed to creating an enabling environment for the marketing profession to thrive.
Inclusion
The President of CIMG, Michael Abbiw, called for a national policy that mandated the inclusion of professional marketing expertise in all marketing-related public sector appointments.
Describing marketing as the fundamental link required to achieve Ghana’s economic aspirations, the CIMG president argued that such a move, would drive a marketing orientation into governance that supports national economic goals.
“Marketing is, therefore, the bridge that will carry Ghana from the potential to prosperity and from local to international markets.
“We implore you to establish a policy requiring the mandatory inclusion of professional marketers on all relevant state and public sector boards,” he said
Mr Abbiw also called on the Chief of Staff to facilitate incentives for public sector organisations that invested in professional marketing certification for their staff, adding that institutionalising that would accelerate the elevation of marketing standards nationwide.
He also announced that CIMG would start a league table, recognising organisations that support their staff's membership and professional development in marketing.
Other awards
For the Hall of Fame Awards, eight companies had their names registered, with two new entrants.
The list included Melcom Ghana, Vanguard Assurance, SIC Life, Japan Motors and Ecobank Ghana PLC.
The rest are GOIL PLC, MTN Ghana, and TotalEnergies Ghana, with the new entrants being the Labadi Beach Hotel and Enterprise Trustees.
Awards were also presented for television and radio programmes as well as advertisements on them.
TV3’s Ghana’s Most Beautiful won the TV Programme of the year, while Asempa FM of the Multimedia Group’s Ekosiisen won the Radio Programme of the year.
For the business awards, Enterprise Life won the Insurance company of the year (Life), Star Assurance won it for the General insurance category, Labadi Beach Hotel retained its title as the Hospitality Facility of the year (Hotel), while Adansi Travels won the Hospitality Facility (Allied & Support Services) category.
Other winners are the JL Properties (real Estate); New Crystal Health Services Ltd (Private Health Facility); Enterprise Trustees (Corporate Pensions Trust); Multimedia Ghana Ltd (Media Organisation); GCB Bank PLC, Bank of the year; Amenfiman Rural Bank Ltd, Rural Bank, and Advans Savings & Loans, Savings & Loans Company of the year, as well as Maroon Capital Microfinance Ltd, Microfinance Company.
Others are MTN Ghana (Telecom Company), Dynamic Data Solutions Ltd (Internet Service Provider); Ecobank Ghana PLC (Overall Marketing-Oriented Organisation); Procus Ghana Ltd (Manufacturing Company), with Motor Firm of the year going to Toyota Ghana
BuzStopBoys won the CIMG President’s Special Award.
