The Marketing Achievement Awards (MAAs), which took place on 31 March, featured live musical stylings from DJ Ready D and was hosted by MC Napsta, who brilliantly drove the evening’s theme of ‘Abo Genius’ as he announced the extraordinary men and women who are never out of touch with culture and are constantly seeking new and innovative ways to connect with consumers and move brands forward.
Each year, the calibre of marketers and brands who have best exemplified the art and science of marketing increases. This is a strong testament to the vision behind the MAAs platform to propel constant improvements within the discipline, set a high benchmark for the industry, raise the bar for local marketers, and bring the art and science of marketing to life.
12 such winners were selected from across the categories as a result of a rigorous judging process. This year’s judging panel included 60 industry experts and professionals to ensure a wide range of even and unbiased feedback. These judges followed a methodologically-sound adjudication process to review 180 entries, spending several hours in lengthy debates and intense deliberations to ensure that the selections were fair and robust. Moreover, the judging process was overseen by the Marketing Awards Council who have been unwavering in their commitment to make certain that the Awards are an honest and true reflection of the integrity of the MAAs.
Mohale Ralebitso, Chairperson of the Marketing Awards Council, said, ‘While it was certainly an arduous task for our esteemed judges to sift through the entries for each category and select the winners from an impressive list of finalists, there is no doubt in my mind that this has been a rewarding time, enabling us as a Council to become more acutely aware of the tremendous talent that we have growing right here in our own country.’
None of this would be possible, however, without the support of key partners and sponsors from among the country’s biggest, dynamic, and most well-loved brands. These sponsors have provided invaluable insights and financial support, including The Marketing Association of South Africa, SABC, Nando’s, Provantage Media Group (PMG), Accenture Interactive, Google, ABSA Group, Brand South Africa, Kantar, Unilever and The Blue Train together with media and monitoring partners BizCommunity, Modern Marketing and Newsclip.
Surajh Surjoo was the lucky audience winner who was selected for the spot prize of two tickets aboard The Blue Train.
2020/2021 MAA Winners are:
Leadership Awards:
– Rising Star of the Year: Serisha Pillay, Discovery Limited.
– Marketing Person of the Year: Bernice Samuels, MTN Group.
– Marketing Organisation of the Year: Nando’s.
To view the full list of winners and finalists for each category, please visit:
https://marketingawards.co.za/winners2021
