By Charles Muchoki | Africa Guardian
On Friday, September 27th, Evolve Africa revealed the fourth edition of the Uganda Marketing Excellence Awards (UMEAs) 2024. This year’s awards, themed “Promoting Sustainable Marketing,” aim to inspire marketers to develop campaigns that drive business success while positively impacting society and the environment. By recognizing excellence in sustainable marketing, Evolve Africa hopes to encourage responsible business practices and support Uganda’s sustainable future.
Evolve Africa Co-Founder, Shafique Ssemakula, emphasized that the UMEAs cover every facet of marketing, communications, and digital—spanning ideation, creation, and execution. “The UMEAs will highlight how brands, marketers, and their agency partners have utilized both digital and traditional media to create impactful campaigns executed between November 2023 and October 2024,” Ssemakula stated.
Participation is open and free for any organization that has launched a marketing campaign with the potential to win an award. Entries can be submitted through the official website, www.umeawards.org.
A five-member Marketing Council, comprised of renowned industry professionals, has been appointed to oversee the nomination and winner selection process for the UMEAs 2024. The council, selected based on leadership, contributions to the profession, experience, and academic qualifications, will play a critical role in ensuring the awards’ credibility and transparency. Public votes will account for 40% of the final decision in six of the 12 award categories, with the council holding a 60% stake in the final results.
John Paul Okwi, Chairman of the Evolve Marketing Council, praised the awards as a reflection of marketing’s power to drive both business growth and positive societal change. “These awards honor campaigns that not only showcase creativity and effectiveness but also demonstrate a deep commitment to environmental responsibility and ethical business practices.”
The Uganda Marketing Excellence Awards 2024 will recognize organizations and individuals across multiple marketing disciplines, including brand strategy, digital marketing, public relations, customer experience, and sustainable marketing. Entries will be judged by a panel of industry experts, based on creativity, effectiveness, and alignment with the theme.
Nomination criteria will focus on five key aspects: the challenge or problem addressed, originality of the idea, strategy implementation, integration across different platforms, and return on investment.
Caroline Ampaire, Head of Media and Digital at UBL, reiterated her company’s commitment to sustainability in all marketing efforts. “We continuously integrate eco-friendly practices in packaging and production to meet the needs of both consumers and the planet,” she said.
The submission deadline for entries is October 31st, 2024, with winners to be announced at a gala on Friday, December 13th, 2024, at the Kampala Serena Hotel.
2024 UMEAs Categories:
- Advertising Campaign of the Year
- Best Use of Partnership Marketing
- Best Use of Digital Marketing
- PR Campaign of the Year
- Best Innovation (New Product/Service)
- Experiential Marketing Campaign of the Year
- Best Not-for-Profit/Social Good Campaign
- Best ESG Campaign
- Rising Agency of the Year
- Agency of the Year
- Marketing Campaign of the Year
- UMEAs Marketing Pioneer Award
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