CIMG Raises Concern Over Proliferation of Award Schemes

By Claude Nyarko Adams

The Chartered Institute of Marketing Ghana (CIMG) has expressed concerns about the proliferation of awards schemes in the country, arguing that "the eventual outcomes of some awards leave much to be desired".

According to the institute, the proliferation and low outcomes of some awards have impacted negatively on the effectiveness of awards schemes in promoting best practices and honouring excellence.

Vice President of CIMG, Daniel Kasser-Tee, said, although the institute was not opposed to the proliferation of awards, it was concerned about its effectiveness and the value they bestow on winners as awards were an instrument for re-shaping and improving organisational performance.

He was speaking at the launch of this year's CIMG annual national marketing performance awards in Accra on Wednesday on the theme, 'Celebrating 30 years of promoting marketing excellence: Synergies for the future.'

"We can all attest to some recent happenings which nearly raffled feathers. It is for this reason that the CIMG continues to call for sanity among organisers and individuals involved in these awards. The public requires of awards organising bodies to show them high levels of professionalism, independence, credibility, sound judgement, among others, and we cannot afford to disappoint them," he stated.

The institute, Mr Kasser-Tee said, was ready to use its experience in the organisation of awards to provide the necessary support and guidelines to others in order to make standards in Ghana quality-depended and credible.

He stated that "we set our standards and keep improving them, we call on others that they can come for support we are ready to give guidelines to also organise their awards, we are not rivals at all, ours is marketing performance awards and nothing more".

On its part, the CIMG would continue to explore ways of improving standards for the CIMG awards in the years ahead and play advocacy roles to improve various awards schemes through peer review mechanisms, he added.

Due to their increasing relevance in Ghana's socioeconomic growth, Mr Kasser-Tee said, Real Estate Company of the Year, Private Health Facility of the Year as well as Postal and Courier Service Company of the Year have been introduced to the awards.

He said the awards would cover six major competitive areas including Hall of Fame, personalities, marketing communications organisations, business organisations, products and not-for-profit organisations.

The non-competitive awards, he said, would include the CIMG President's Special awards which would be awarded to noticeable female and male achievers in any field that contributes to the country's progress.

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