The Chartered Institute of Marketing Ghana (CIMG) has officially launched the 30th edition of its annual Marketing Performance Awards (MPAs). This year’s awards, which coincides with the CIMG’s 30 years of existence would be held under the theme, “Celebrating 30 Years of Promoting Marketing Excellence: Synergies for the Future.” The aim of the awards is to contribute immensely towards improvements in organizational and professional performances for practising marketers. Briefing on the awards for 2018 performance, National Vice President and Chairman of Awards Planning and Selection Committee, Daniel Kasser Tee said, “Themes that are relevant and resonate with current trends and how activities of corporate organizations could be fashioned in such a manner to bring about immense benefits to themselves and the larger Ghanaian economy are usually considered; hence, the theme for the awards.” The awards, as usual, covers six major competitive areas such as Hall of Fame; Personalities; Media/Marketing Communications Organisations; Business Organisations; Products; and Not-for-Profit Organisations. New categories   Last year, the CIMG introduced some new categories as a result of some changes regarding classifications within the financial services sector.  These included Finance House of the Year, Savings and Loans Company of the Year and Micro-Finance Company of the Year. Similarly, CIMG introduced the Telecom Company of the Year (Allied and Support Services) last year to cater for a large number of essential support services companies operating in that sector. This year, the institute has introduced three more awards due to the relevance of those sectors. These include Real Estate Company of the Year, Private Health Facility of the Year and Postal and Courier Service Company of the Year. With regards to the Hall of Fame category, CIMG says companies which perform creditably for a period of 10 years will subsequently be elevated to the Hall of Fame Elite category. Mr Kasser Tee said, “We shall continue to make such reviews and changes to ensure relevance and also bring life and excitement to the CIMG awards since this is the surest way to keeping our awards relevant at all times.” Other awards schemes The CIMG has raised concerns about the proliferation of other awards schemes and the challenges they pose.  According to the Institute, even though it does not seek to condemn any particular awards organisers, the eventual outcomes of some of such awards leave much to be desired. “As one of the awards organizing bodies with an unparalleled track record spanning 3 decades, we are not opposed to the proliferation of awards. However, we are interested in their effectiveness and the value they bestow on winners since awards remain a vital instrument for re-shaping and improving organizational performance,” Kasser Tee said. In response to JoyBusiness on how the issue can be addressed, he said his outfit can only impress on the general public to be mindful of the credibility of awards schemes that have surfaced in recent times. On his part, National President of the CIMG, Kojo Mattah has assured that the awards event will constantly resonate with the future management of business borne out of the change associated with digitization. “Best practices within the entire professional and corporate landscape are constantly revolutionizing and or disrupting business and the effect of this is an ever-increasing need for more and more change to match it,” he said. The CIMG has pledged continuous collaboration, learning from its past experiences and building the necessary synergies capable of taking the awards scheme to the next levels.