South Africa’s top marketers announced at Marketing Achievement Awards

Doug Place, chief marketing officer for Nando’s Africa, Middle East and South Asia, won the Marketer of the Year Award at the 2024 Marketing Achievement Awards (MAAs), announced on Tuesday evening. Nastasje Cerbone, marketing activation manager at Pernod Ricard, won the Rising Star of the Year Award while Discovery won the Marketing Organisation of the Year Award for the second consecutive year.

Rated as the ultimate recognition for South African marketing, the MAAs are the only awards programme to recognise and celebrate the entire marketing value chain, celebrating the role that great marketing plays in fuelling business growth, driving economic prosperity and shaping South Africa’s cultural landscape.

In addition to the three leadership awards, the winners across 14 award categories were also announced.

Ivan Moroke, CEO of Kantar South Africa, and chair of the MAAs, says all the winners and finalists this year lived up to the challenge of solving what he calls “challenging opportunities”.

“These marketers illustrate what effective marketing is all about: solving challenges and unlocking opportunities that drive business results and the growth that our economy needs to flourish,” he explains. “During the judging of this year’s MAAs, I was struck yet again by what brilliant marketers we have in this country. As part of Kantar — a global organisation — I am exposed to marketing best practice from all around the world. In my opinion, all of the 2024 winners and finalists can stand tall on a global stage. There is no question that marketing as a discipline punches way above its weight in South Africa.”

The MAAs are an opportunity for entrants to prove — with empirical evidence — the positive impact of marketing and brand building as critical commercial tools for growth and change.

One of the most sought-after accolades is the Marketer of the Year Award. The award recognises an outstanding South African marketer who has delivered innovative marketing, affected business results, and used their influence to drive the industry forward.   

Themba Nobanda, CEO of Brand Spear and chair of the marketer of the year selection committee, says this year’s marketer of the year deservedly took this title, as an individual who exemplifies the art and science of marketing. “Doug Place proved that he is one of the standout marketing leaders of our society today, demonstrating authenticity and professionalism while having an in-depth knowledge of business dynamics,” says Nobanda. The committee was particularly impressed with Place’s understanding and achievement of balance in marketing initiatives, taking into consideration socioeconomic factors and competitor activity. 

Marketers like Place serve as inspiration for up-and-coming marketers, the likes of which are celebrated through the MAAs’ Rising Star of the Year Award, which honours young marketers who have demonstrated the potential to become outstanding industry leaders through impactful, analytical and creative marketing efforts.

Immaculata Segooa, head of integrated marketing communication at Discovery Ltd, was chair of this year’s rising star judging panel, and says the judges were very impressed with the 2024 winner, Nastasje Cerbone, who showcased the skills of a balanced marketer by using both analytical and creative marketing elements to win over consumers and achieve business results. “Her broad experience, strategic acumen and leadership skills shone through in both the nominations by her colleagues, as well as in the Inverroche Amber Gin case study that she presented to the judging committee,” says Segooa.

The judges were impressed by her collaborative approach and ability to galvanise internal and external support to drive results and how she adeptly balances long-term vision with short-term challenges — demonstrating proficiency in strategic planning, communication, budget management, problem-solving and innovative execution.

“This and her commitment to empowerment and self-development distinguish her as a next-gen marketer, highly deserving of this year’s Rising Star of the Year Award,” says Segooa.

The Marketing Organisation of the Year celebrates organisations that have harnessed strategic marketing to deliver sustained business growth. Enzo Scarcella, chief consumer officer at the MTN Group and the adjudication panel chair, says Discovery was a clear winner. “What differentiated the company and set them apart from many other organisations is the concept of living shared value, which shines through in their work. They consistently demonstrate that when a disciplined marketing approach is applied to a robust business strategy, with an array of excellently executed marketing activities, this translates to solid business results.”

Entries to the 14 award categories were judged by more than 50 industry experts against strict criteria, including the impact of the marketing initiative on business objectives and bottom line. Each written submission was evaluated against specified criteria; the merits of each top-scoring entry were assessed in peer quorums; and in the case of the three leadership categories, online interviews were conducted with the nominees and their colleagues to understand the finalists and their work.

The Excellence in Brand Marketing B2B Award was not awarded this year. While there was some good work entered into this category, the MAA judges were of the opinion that this year’s submissions were not of a standard required to win an MAA.