Dr Daniel Kasser Tee, the National President, CIMG, says the covid-19 pandemic is a wake-up call for institutions to constantly subject themselves to scrutiny and identify their strengths and weaknesses in readiness for shocks and prepare to take advantage of opportunities.

Dr Tee said as Marketers, they were of the strongest conviction that COVID-19, just as intermittent threats emanating from any macro environmental factor, had over the past one year taught them how to build strong corporate institutions that were resilient and capable of withstanding shocks.

"We are forever ready to help corporate brands find new ways to run their business operations, post the external shocks," he said.

He was speaking at the launch of the 32nd Chartered Institute of Marketing, Ghana (CIMG) Annual National Marketing Performance Awards in Accra.

He said the CIMG, notwithstanding the continuous presence of COVID-19, was looking ahead by drawing the attention of Ghana and all business entities, particularly those involved in cross-border trade, to the many opportunities to be exploited on the back of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).

Dr Tee said the CIMG awards had been accepted as Ghana's most prestigious and the longest standing local awards, since its inception in 1990.

He noted that within the period, the CIMG awards had contributed in building product and corporate brands, as well as personality brands, projecting some of these onto the international arena, where some of them compete favourably with globally known brands.

"No wonder, the awards has gained prominence among corporate institutions who will proudly display their wins as a mark of excellence in marketing and business performance," he said.

"Our teams of evaluators, who are usually selected from industry and academia, cutting across different professions, fields of study and practice, have also been seen as very credible and independent, over the years."

Dr Tee said based on these awards, they had seen many businesses reformulate their corporate strategies and drastically changed their business operating models enabling them to be marketing-oriented by meeting the key requirements of market focus, integrated marketing, long term profitability and customer orientation.

He said CIMG, under the Chartered Institute of marketing, Ghana Act 2020, (Act 1021), was mandated to, among others, set standards for the practice of marketing, set the agenda for the practice of marketing and champion the role and value of marketing as a critical tool for business development.

He said in view of this new mandate, the CIMG was committed to investing time and other resources into ensuring innovations and continuous improvements in the awards scheme.

He said such improvements would focus on awards categories, the processes, the systems, the approaches and the selection methods, in order to ensure relevance always.

"We cannot narrate the success story of the CIMG awards without reference to the benevolence of our donors, the support we receive in diverse ways from sponsors and the solid commitment of the team of assessors," he said.

Mrs Agnes Essah, Vice President, CIMG and Chairman of CIMG Awards Planning/Selection Committee, said the CIMG was very proud of the various landmark achievements, which had contributed immensely towards improvements in organizational and professional performances, and especially so, for practicing marketers.

"Being mindful of the achievements, the Institute has resolved to keep the stakes as high and as relevant as possible so that the standards by which we assess individual and corporate performances is not compromised," she said.

"We are committed to keeping the awards process simple, transparent and fair. It is this level of commitment that has guided us, as a responsive institution, to constantly introduce new and progressive ideas, all aimed at adding value to our processes as well as new award categories."