MARKETING EDGE, Nigeria’s leading and award winning brands and advertising focused Marketing and Advertising Magazine has announced a new date for its annual two-in-one yearly event, the MARKETING EDGE National Marketing Stakeholders Summit and Brands and Advertising Excellence Awards 2020. The new date is Friday, October 16, 2020.

It would be recalled that the industry respected and nationally accepted event, the seventh in the series, was earlier slated for June this year, but had to be shelved because of the out-break and consequent spread of COVID-19 pandemic and the attendant imperatives imposed by it, both locally and globally.

Speaking on the postponement of the award, the Publisher and Chief Executive Officer,Mr. John Ajayi, disclosed that every other things relating to the hosting of the event remains the same.

The event’s theme still remains “Making Your Business Future Fit: The Post-Digital Age Challenge to be held at the luxurious D’Podium International Event Centre on highbrow Aromire Avenue, Ikeja, Lagos.

Guest Speaker at the summit is Andisa Nstubane, one of the leading marketing strategists in Africa with over 15 years’ experience in managing brand strategy in Africa across organisations such as Microsoft and Standard Bank. In his current role, Andisa leads the team that sets the direction and strategy for growing customers and building the Old Mutual brand across South Africa, the rest of Africa and Latin America.

The organisers have previously announced a twelve-man jury for the awards and a list of panelists for the stakeholders’ summit.

Mr. Lanre Adisa, MD/CCO of Noah’s Ark Communications chairs the jury as he did last year; with other members cutting across the various sectors of the Integrated Marketing Communications industry such as PR, Experiential, Advertising, Digital, and Outdoor amongst others. These renowned marketing professionals include Ozoemena Mbanefo, Provost, O2 Academy; Femi Adelusi, Managing Director / CEO, BrandEye Limited and Bukola Akingbade, Managing Partner, Neukleos Company.

Other jurors are Jude Odia, Managing Director / CEO, Starcom Media Perspectives; Steve Babaeko, the Managing Director/CEO, X3M Ideas Limited; Tope Jemerigbe, Managing Director /CEO, DKK & amp Associates Limited; Bunmi Oke, Managing Director / CEO, Ladybird Limited and Brenda Nwagwu, Managing Director /CEO QVT Media.

Also on the list are Tolulope Medebem, Managing Director, AsterIML; Dozie Okafor, Managing Director, PHD Nigeria and Bayo Adefila, Managing Director/CEO, Downtoearth Marketing Services Limited.

Heading the panelists for the stakeholders summit is Dr. Ken Onyeali Ikpe, Managing Director/CEO of Insight Redefini. Other panelists include Funke Amobi, Country Head, Human Capital, Stanbic IBTC Plc; Hannah Oyebanjo, Managing Director, Redwood Consulting, Tolulope Tomori Adedeji, Marketing Director, International Breweries Plc, and Oyin Adegbite, Head, Communication and External Affairs, Guaranty Trust Bank Plc.

Also on the list of panelists are Patricia Jemibewon, Human Resources Director, GMD Group; Adenike Adebola, Marketing and Innovation Director, Guinness Nigeria Plc; Ikechi Odigbo, Executive Vice Chairman, CASERS Group; Rotimi Bankole, Chief Executive Officer, SBI Media Group; Emma Agu, Marketing Director, The LaCasera Company; Emma Oriakhi, Marketing Director, Nigerian Breweries Plc and Amaechi Okobi, Group Head, Communication and External Affairs, Access Bank Plc.

Speaking on the forthcoming awards, Publisher/CEO, MARKETING EDGE, John Ajayi, said: “All necessary activities and preparations are afoot for the 2020 annual National Marketing Stakeholders Summit & Brands & Advertising Awards of Excellence,” adding that “positive responses in terms of entries and participation for the award are in the rise”.

He, however, explained that while sending their nominations, the various agencies should bear in mind that it is done without any monetary value attached to it so as to encourage more agencies to showcase their works. Entries to be adjudged, he revealed, would include published and unpublished works.

In his words: “The 2020 MARKETING EDGE annual National Marketing Summit & Brands & Advertising Awards of Excellence promises to be exciting as the theme for this year’s awards touches the heart of the industry.”

“We encourage various agencies, brands and other marketing communications practitioners to showcase their works by entering for the various award categories free of charge.”

Award categories available include Creative agency of the Year, Campaign of the Year, Media Buying agency of the Year, and Experiential agency of the Year.

Others are Innovative Brand of the Year, Outstanding TV Commercial of the Year, Preferred Seasoning Brand of the Year, Brand Re-launch of the Year, Outstanding Dairy Brand of the Year, and so on.

The MARKETING EDGE Annual National Marketing Summit of Brands & Advertising Excellence Awards is a yearly offering of MARKETING EDGE magazine, Nigeria’s leading brands and marketing publication, to IMC industry as a demonstration of its commitment to its vision of ‘Promoting the Brand Idea’.

The event has been widely accepted and applauded by not just the industry but the entire corporate Nigeria, both private and public.  It has since become an iconic brand on its own; and is gaining more and more traction, both within Nigeria and in the international community.

Each edition, the organizers proudly declare, is always an improvement on the previous one; and has always turned out better, bigger and more glamorous.