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Kampala Serena Hotel hosted the fourth annual Uganda Marketing Excellence Awards (UMEAS) on Friday December 13th 2024. Organized by Evolve Group Africa, the red carpet, black-tie event, dubbed “The Marketers’ Biggest Night,” celebrated the best in the marketing industry under the theme “Promoting Sustainable Marketing.”
The UMEAS, owned by Evolve Africa, highlights excellence across various facets of the marketing profession, including sustainability, branding, advertising, digital strategies, and public relations. Shafique Ssemakula, co-founder of Evolve Africa, emphasised that this year’s awards focused on how brands, marketers, and their agency partners utilised both traditional and digital media channels to create impactful and sustainable campaigns.
A Transparent Selection Process
The winners were chosen through a rigorous process overseen by a distinguished six-member Marketing Council, comprising industry experts renowned for their leadership, experience, and contributions to the profession. The council managed the nomination process and made the final decisions, ensuring fairness and credibility.
Public voting conducted transparently on the UMEAS website, contributed 40% of the decision-making process for six of the twelve award categories. The Marketing Council held the remaining 60% stake, providing a balanced and comprehensive evaluation. Final decisions were based on criteria such as strategic alignment, execution, creativity, problem-solving abilities, and return on investment.
Honoring Excellence
The jury consisted of Dr. Benedict Mugerwa, Ngulumi Immaculate Nabatte, John Paul Okwi, Rogers Anguzu, Barbara Arimi, and Jackie Namara Rukare. Council Chair John Paul Okwi highlighted that this year’s selections rewarded campaigns and projects that demonstrated innovative resource use and sustainable impact.
The UMEAS secretariat will release a detailed report on the evaluation methodology, which will help stakeholders understand the performance metrics.
The Night’s Highlights
Johnnie Walker Uganda enhanced the evening with festive cocktails and whisky from their extensive collection, creating a celebratory atmosphere.
Daniel Ogong received the prestigious UMEAS Marketing Pioneer Award, recognising his remarkable contributions to the field. Uganda Breweries Ltd (UBL) emerged as the night’s biggest winner, securing multiple accolades, including PR Campaign of the Year for its Uganda Waragi Lemon & Ginger Limited Edition launch and Best Use of Experiential Marketing for the Tusker Lite Mt. Rwenzori Marathon 2024.
I&M Bank also shone brightly, winning Advertising Campaign of the Year for their “I&M @50” campaign.
Full List of UMEAS 2024 Winners
- Advertising Campaign of the Year: “I&M @50” by I&M Bank
- Best Use of Partnership Marketing: “Heads Up Campaign” by Vivo Energy Uganda
- Best Use of Digital Marketing: “Zero Flex Account” by Post Bank Uganda
- PR Campaign of the Year: Uganda Waragi Lemon & Ginger Limited Edition launch by UBL
- Best Innovation: Cente WhatsApp Banking by Centenary Bank
- Best Use of Experiential Marketing: Tusker Lite MT. Rwenzori Marathon 2024 by UBL
- Best Not-for-Profit/Social Good Campaign: Rotary Cancer Run 2024
- Best ESG Campaign: “Growing Women/Greening Tourism” by Treescape Planet Organization
- Rising Agency of the Year: Capital One Group
- Rising Agency of the Year (1st Runner-Up): Pivot Media & Marketing
- Agency of the Year: Zeus the Agency
- Agency of the Year (1st Runner-Up): Fireworks Advertising
- Marketing Campaign of the Year: Uganda Waragi Lemon & Ginger Limited Edition launch by UBL
- UMEAS Marketing Pioneer Award: Daniel Ogong
Sponsors and Partners
Sponsors, including Uganda Breweries Ltd, Centenary Bank, Crown Beverages Ltd, Equity Bank, NSSF, Roke Telkom, Wango App, Kadanke Brand House, Radiocity 97FM, Matooke Republic, and Vision Group, made the UMEAS 2024 possible.
The Uganda Marketing Excellence Awards continue to set the standard for recognizing and celebrating outstanding marketing achievements while fostering sustainable practices across the industry.