The Marketers Association of Zimbabwe (MAZ) is set to host the 2024 edition of the Exceptional Marketing Awards (EMAs) on 13 September at the Cresta Lodge and Sango Conference Centre in Harare.
According to the 2024 EMAs information pack, the EMAs recognise organisations and individuals who have successfully initiated marketing efforts to build reputable brands and companies. The overarching goal of EMA is to honour organisations, marketers, sales executives, brand managers, public relations practitioners, and other professionals in the marketing industry who have exhibited exceptional marketing prowess and, at the same time, demonstrated professionalism at the highest level.
Two weeks ago the MAZ invited stakeholders to submit entries in 27 awards categories. The call for entries closed on 15 August. The nomination process marks the beginning of a process run by four groups of people.
The award drivers
The first group is made up of the adjudication committee. This year’s awards adjudicators 10-member team is being led by renowned marketer and former MAZ President and trustee, Dr Ruth Ncube (pictured). The roles of the adjudication committee include overseeing the EMAs research process, making changes and recommendations, giving strategic input into the process and ensuring independence and transparency.
The second driver of the awards process is the research partner. Topline Research Solutions (TRS) is this year’s research partner for the awards. Events such as awards require resources to organise and hold them. This is where other key players in the process – sponsors – come in. Some of the sponsors that have already come on board include Dairibord Zimbabwe, Econet Wireless, Nemchem, Capitalk 100.4 FM, ZiFM Stereo, Premier Corporate Gifts, Showcase It, Proton Bakery, the Nyaradzo Group and ZTN Prime, The Financial Gazette and 3KTV among others. At the time of publishing, sponsorship opportunities for the event were still open.
The last team which oversees the EMAs process and the award ceremony is a select group of MAZ staff, who are charged with organising the process and event in conjunction with the adjudication team and the research partner.
The EMAs process
The annual EMAs awards ceremony is a culmination of several stages and processes. The first stage involves establishing the criteria for choosing nominees in each category. The adjudication team determines and states the specific criteria to be used for the selection process
The second stage involves the call for the submission of entries, which is open to all individuals and organisations, regardless of the industry or sector they operate in. MAZ encourages contestants to enter the award categories which are most relevant to their work and achievements. Since last year, at this stage MAZ issues a Call for Entries Booklet. This awards information pack spells out the awards categories as well as the criteria and scoring metrics for each category. The document also provides advice on how contestants can improve the chances of their entries succeeding.
The third stage of the EMAs process is the evaluation of the submitted entries. In this stage, the adjudication committee thoroughly evaluates all submitted entries. They allocate scores to the submitted materials based on how well they meet the pre-established criteria for each award category. This rigorous and meticulous evaluation process ensures a fair and comprehensive assessment of the submissions.
The evaluation stage is followed by the adjudication of the results. During this stage the adjudication panel conducts further analysis, taking into account the organisation and individual achievements during the year under review. The Panel makes a critical analysis to ensure that organisations and individuals are not just awarded because they are popular or well-known, but are recognised because of their impact or notable achievements during the marketing year running from 1 August 2023 to 31 July 2024.
It’s awards night!
The final stage of the EMAs process is the annual awards night where winners are announced and handed their awards amid pomp, fanfare and ceremony. The dress code for this year’s edition of the event is ethnic glam, with a touch of Zimbabwean colours