Standard Bank Malawi is the biggest winner of this year’s Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM)-Malawi Group’s Annual Marketing Excellence Awards, while FD Communications Ltd retained their “Advertising Agency” of the Year accolade for the second consecutive year.
During the awards presentation on December 8, 2017 at the Bingu International Conference Centre (BICC) in Lilongwe, Standard Bank produced “Marketer of the Year” in Thoko Unyolo, its Head of Marketing, and went on to scoop three top awards linked to marketing communications of its inaugural “Be More” Race sponsorship.
Be More Race won as “Marketing Campaign” of Year and “PR Project” of Year while overall, Standard Bank was adjudged as “Most Improved Brand” of Year.
For work done on the Standard Bank account, Malawi’s FD Communications Ltd emerged as “Advertising Agency” of the year, the second consecutive year for the agency to win the award. The agency also produced “Graphic Artist” of the Year in Simon Banda II for his work on “Be More” race and others to the brand. FD Communications’ Jones Chikowi also won as “Brand Photographer” of Year, for the second consecutive year. The agency also contributed to “Commercial of the Year-Radio” and “Commercial of the Year-Television” awards categories won by Malawi’s integrated mobile telecoms and ICT operator, Telekom Networks Malawi (TNM) Plc.
Unyolo’s award as “Marketer of Year” is the top-most award in the CIM Malawi Excellence Awards. She becomes the first woman to scoop the accolade in the five-year history of the CIM Malawi Chapter Marketing Excellence Awards.
Every year, among key criteria the judges are looking for work and leadership by a marketer behind “Marketing Campaign” of Year, which in this case also won as “PR Project” of the Year. Similarly “Advertising Agency” of Year award is linked to the agency’s work and contributions towards “Marketing Campaign” of Year.
Said CIM Malawi Chapter President Michael Khomani; “Thoko is one of the most consummate marketers we have in Malawi, a dedicated, result-driven warrior of the profession”.
Khomani also commended FD Communications for defending its Ad Agency award, and producing the youngest graphic designer in 23-year old Simon. “He has a great future ahead of him,” he said of Simon.
FD Communications Director of PR and New Media Frank Phiri thanked the company’s clients for supporting the agency’s work in the year, and said pledged to continue working on improving service delivery.
“We would like to thank our clients, three of them listed on the Malawi Stock Exchange (MSE), for their faith in our work and trusting us to deliver communications that stirred desires and belief in consumers and the public at large. As a media agency, we promise to continue challenging and exerting ourselves. Exploring areas for further improvement and responding to client feedback in pursuit of excellence, is a continuous quest at FD Communications.
We’ll remain indebted and humbled by the support from our clients, the media supply chain and other strategic partners locally and internationally,” he said.
The judging panel was led by Professor Dan Kuwali, an eminent legal scholar and Colonel of the Malawi Defense Forces, and Mr Mercus Chigoga, a veteran Malawi marketer with vast experience gained from the FMCGs, banking and telecoms industries at international level.
