Introduction
Will you be the Last One Standing?
In the olden days of the Wild, Wild West the world was a dangerous place. Challenges were laid down everyday, and were met by men and women of great pride and belief in their own skill and courage. Everyday was a test of your belief in yourself and your abilities.
Today, in the corporate world, the world has not changed one bit. Brands battle one another everyday, laying down challenges which are met by competitors with even more force and drive.
This is why the 11th SLIM Brand Excellence Awards is being held under the theme "Last One Standing". So do you believe in your team, do you believe in your brand and do you believe that you have it in you to be the last one standing?
Sri Lanka Institute of Marketing
Executive Committee Memebers 2012 - 2013
SLIM Brand Excellence 2012
Project Committee
Advisor to the Organizing Committee
Prof. Uditha Liyanage
Prof. Uditha Liyanage is Professor of Management of the Postgraduate Institute of Management (PIM), University of Sri Jayewardenepura and Adjunct Professor of Management of University of Canberra, Australia. He counts over 15 years experience in industry, having held senior marketing management positions in three leading companies in Sri Lanka. He, thereafter, joined the academia and read for the doctoral program at the PIM, of the University of Sri Jayewardenepura, Sri Lanka, where he has been the senior faculty member for marketing over the past 18 years. He is now the Director of PIM and the Chairman of the Institute's Board of Management. He has published many articles on branding and strategic marketing in leading journals, both here and abroad, and addressed numerous local and international conferences. He also holds an MBA and is a Chartered Marketer, a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM), and the first Sri Lankan Honorary Fellow of the Sri Lanka Institute of Marketing (SLIM). He is also the first Sri Lankan Honorary Fellow of the Asia Marketing Federation (AMF).
Prof. Liyanage, is a Marketing Consultant to a number of leading local companies and international agencies and a de- veloper of senior managers. He is on the boards of directors of a number of leading companies in Sri Lanka. He is also a member of the Advisory Council of the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce, member of the Presidential Task Force on National Productivity Improvement in Sri Lanka, and a member of the Governing Council of the Academy of Financial Studies, Ministry of Finance and Planning. He was the Chairman of the CIM Sri Lanka region, and a member of the international Board of CIM (U.K.).
Messages
The Awards
The top three brands that obtained the highest score in each of the six main categories (Product Brand of the Year, Service Brand of the Year, Innovative Brand of the Year, Turnaround Brand of the Year, Local Brand of the Year, Export Brand of the Year) will be recognized with gold, silver and bronze awards.
The highest scores of the six main categories will be evaluated by the judges to award the brand of the year. Thus, no separate entry is required for the brand of the year award. In addition gold, silver and bronze winners will be selected in each of the special awards categories. Awards may not be made in a category if there are no entries of a suitable standard to merit an award. The brand managers who are custodians of the winning brand will also be awarded a special certificate, recognizing their significant contribution towards the brand's success.
There are 12 categories under which entries could be submitted. You may enter under the main categories of "Product Brand of the Year" or "Service Brand of the Year", and / or under one of the 10 special categories. You may enter under multiple categories.
Main Awards
Product Brand of the Year
Entries to this category maybe submitted by tangible product-brands, that are FMCG's, durables, ethical or commercial / industrial-use products. The company submitting the entry should be involved in marketing the brand locally, while the product could be manufactured locally or sourced from abroad.
Service Brand of the Year
Entries to this category maybe submitted by "intangible" service brands in banking, insurance, telecom, entertainment, education, leisure, investment, retailing, real estate, travel, transport etc. These could be local brands or international brands marketed locally.
Special Awards
Innovative Brand of the Year
The brand that shows outstanding innovation, overall in terms of new product development / introduction, packaging, service methods, promotional methods, distribution methods etc.
Turnaround Brand of the Year
The brand that has most successfully overcome a downturn or crisis, preceding during the last year (i.e. 2010), but the turnaround should have been in the current year 2011.
Local Brand of the Year
The best amongst home grown brands. Only Sri Lankan brands will be considered for this category.
Best New entrant of the Year
The most successful brand from among those introduced to the market within the last two years (ie. 2010 and 2011).
Export Brand of the Year
The Sri Lankan brand that has shown excellence and great success in the international market.
International Brand of the Year
The international brand which has been most successfully established in Sri Lanka.
B2B Brand of the Year
Brands that market its products or services to other businesses.
Regional Brand Recognition Award
Asian brands will be provided the opportunity to submit their entries highlighting their performance as a result to be recognized.
CSR Brand of the Year
Outstanding brand specific engagement in uplifting the country.
SME Brand of the Year
Companies with an annual turnover of at least Rs. 250 million and been in the market during the last three years. Eligibility Criteria and Entry Process
Origin
Entries could be by local or international brands that are currently marketed in Sri Lanka. The export brand of the year is open to Sri Lankan brands marketed internationally.
Age
- The brand should have been marketed in Sri Lanka for at least 3 years as of 31st December 2011 or 31st March 2011 (Financial Year). However if the brand has been introduced to the market only within the last 2 years (ie. 2010 or 2011), it could be entered in the "Best New Entrant of the Year" category.
- The last 3 years performance of any brand is considered for judging. The weight-age of judging will be placed on the 3rd year's performance of the brand (2011).
Completing the Entry Form
Concise and Complete
Entries must be submitted in the form made available on the official website, concisely within the given space. Additional space may be used only if absolutely necessary, but conciseness will be seen as a virtue by the judges. Completeness, however is important and some points may be lost if information is not supplied in any section.
Supporting Evidence and Auditor Verification
Since the thrust o the awards is to measure effectiveness, it is strongly recommended that you provide information on results achieved quoting independently verified research or other sources, wherever possible. Supporting documentation may be attached highlighting the research findings. Published information from government or private research sources may be attached to substantiate market sizes etc. highlighting the relevant aspects. All internal information to show achievement should be verified by the company auditors and the quoted research agencies on the last page of the entry. Entries without such verification will be rejected.
Visual Material
Visual material (such as ads, TVC's, packs, POSM, brochures etc.) should not be submitted with the entry, but maybe presented by successful finalists in the stage 2 presentation. However, it is highly recommended that you attach (on a single A4 page printout) a photo or composite image that will convey a visual feel of your brand (e.g. logo, pack shot, ad, brand 'in use' photo etc.) to the entry.
Confidentiality
All information provided to SLIM for SLIM Brand Excellence 2012 will be provided to the panel of judges only and the judges will be strictly bound by commitment to confidentiality.
Evaluation
The status of the brand will be judged initially through the written submission under Brand Intent. Brand Content, Brand Process & Brand Performance and there will be additional category specific questions with respect to the Turnaround Brand, New Entrant Brand, Export Brand, CSR Brand and International Brand. Finalists will then be asked to make presentations on their brand's success story. Presentations must include market and competitive structures within which the brand is placed. (eg: 5 Force Analysis, Market Share, Status and Performance)
Section 1: Brand Intent (10%)
In this section the applicants will describe the strategic intent of the brand in order to help the judges to appreciate the overall direction in which the brand is intended to move.
1.1 Brand Purpose - What would consumers miss if the brand did not exist?
1.2 Brand Target (Market) - What is the profile of the typical consumer?
1.3 Brand Vision - What are the brand's long-term and medium-term objectives?
1.4 Brand Mission - What are the principle tasks it intends to perform in order to realize its vision?
1.5 Brand Lifecycle - Where is the brand placed in the lifecycle? And what are its related strategies?
Section 2: Brand Content (15%)
This section will deal with what the brand is about, in terms of its values and imagery.
2.1 Brand Values - What are the core values, the brand upholds and how are they promoted within the company?
2.2 Brand Personality - How is the brand perceived in terms of personality attributes?
2.3 Brand Reflection - What image does it want to project of the user / clients of the brand?
Section 3: Brand Process (25%)
This section will address specific branding strategies that will be adopted by the applicants, in order to make the target consumers value and internalize the brand and its key elements.
3.1 What is the brand's value proposition vis a vis competition and why? (eg: "more value for a higher price)
3.2 In what category is the brand located and why?
3.3 What is the point(s) of difference between the brand and those in the category and how credible is it? How does the POD create value for the consumer?
3.4 How distinctive, defensible and deliverable is the POD?
3.5 How is the brand's aforesaid strategic positioning operationalized through the elements of the marketing mix?
3.6 How is the brand recalled in the consumer's mind? And why is this strategic? (names and distinctive marks)
3.7 What is the brand's naming strategy and why?
Section 4: Brand Performance (50%)
In this section, the actual performance of the brand in the market place will be assessed through the information provided in the application, which should be endorsed by independent auditors and research companies.
4.1 Provide information with regard to sales value growth, sales volume growth, market share growth, profit / contribution, loyalty / customer satisfaction, brand awareness, brand recognition and brand reputation endorsed by auditors and research companies over the last 3 years.
Category Specific Questions
The following questions shall be answered in addition to those in section 1, 2, 3 and 4.
Innovative Brand of the Year
- What specific market opportunity did you identify for innovation?
- Describe the exceptional and unconventional methods / approaches you used in NPD, packaging, marketing communications, distribution and service delivery.
Turnaround Brand of the Year
- Describe the crisis or the downturn you experienced and its reasons.
- Describe strategies adopted to overcome the crisis and reverse the downturn. Adequate evidence and information must be provided to substantiate the above
New Entrant Brand of the Year
- What specific market opportunity did you identify?
- What were your key objectives at the point of market entry?
- What was your market entry strategy?
- What were the specific challenges you faced at market entry stage and thereafter?
- Describe the rationale of the above strategy?
B2B Brand of the Year
- What specific market opportunity did you identify?
- What were the strategies you adopted to grow the business such as NPD, packaging, marketing communication, distribution?
- How have these implemented strategies enhanced the brand values and strategic positioning?
Export Brand of the Year
- Describe your target International market(s), its environment and other contextual factors.
- Describe the strategies adopted by you to meet the specific challenges in those markets.
International Brand of the Year
- What specific adaptations / changes have you made to your marketing mix?
- Why have you made or not made these adaptations / changes?
- How have your target consumers / customers responded to these adaptations / changes?
- What problems / opportunities did you encounter, if any in making these adaptations / changes?
CSR Brand of the Year
- What are the key brand specific CSR activities you have carried out?
- How are these activities related to the brand's values and strategic positioning?
- What is the connection, if any between the brand's marketing communication activities and the brand specific CSR activities?
Regional Recognition Award
- Overview of the business - Porters 5 forces analysis
- Business philosophy - Vision, Mission, Values
- Brand strategies - Target market, Positioning and 4P's
- Brand Performance - Sales value, volume growth, profitability, market share
First Round
All entries will be screened by the pre-screening panel. At this juncture, the panel will evaluate each entry for the following.
- Suitability of entry for the category.
- Eligibility of the entry.
- Conformity to entry submission criteria.
- Completeness of entry form and the information contained in it.
- Authenticity of submission.
If any issues arise at this stage, the entry in question and the issue will be notified in writing to the applicant, who would be required to revert in writing with a response within 48 hours of receipt of the letter.
Second Round
The written submission must be limited to a standard form where the entry can be evaluated on criteria related to Brand Intent and Brand Performance. The judges will evaluate the submission independent of each other and give an overall score out of 50. The score will not be taken into the final round.
Final Round
Each presenter will be given 15 minutes to present, on all 4 evaluation criteria's (ie: Brand Intent, Brand Content, Brand Process and Brand Performance). The judges will ask questions for 10 minutes and individual scores will be entered. Finally the totaled scores will be presented to the judges for final consent. Total scores will be presented for each category and the winners discussed and agreed by the judges.
Dates and Payments
Entry deadline: 23rd August 2012
Place for Submission of Entries
SLIM Brand Excellence Secretariat
Sri Lanka Institute of Marketing
94, Ananda, Rajakaruna Mawatha, Colombo10.
Fees and Payments
The entry fee for each entry will be Rs.30,000/- + VAT + NBT. If it's more than one entry each entry will be Rs. 25,000/- + VAT + NBT. The entry fee for ' SME Brand of the Year' will be Rs. 20,000/- + VAT + NBT. A brand entering in more than one category should be accompanied by additional entry fees for each category entered. A company may submit one cheque for all its entries along with a cover letter listing the entries and categories entered. The payment must accompany the entry. Cheques should be drawn in favor of "Sri Lanka Institute of Marketing". Cash will not be accepted.
Hotline for Clarifications
0112 675 000 / 0727 733 333 / 0727 766 666
Contact Person
Shihara Kareem / Sachini Sumanaratne, SLIM secretariat
Tickets
Tickets for the awards event will be made available at the SLIM office from September 16th 2012. Tickets priced at Rs. 4,500/- + 12% VAT + 2% NBT.