Finally, the biggest award of the night presented by Johnny Burger, the Chairman of the South African Hall of Fame powered by Samsung, was to induct Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu into the South African Hall of Fame.

Yvonne Johnston, chairperson of the Marketing Achievement Awards Council says: “The calibre of the entries was exceptional and the judges had a tough time selecting the best of the best from the work submitted. There were 480 entries, which is remarkable for the inaugural year.

“These winners set a high benchmark for the industry and raise the bar for local marketers. These are the people who bring the art and science of marketing to life. They keep disrupting to stay ahead of the pack.”

The judges followed a rigorous and methodologically-sound adjudication process to ensure that the process was fair and robust.

Fascinating insights were shared and there was lively discussion at the Marketing Achievement Summit with the theme “Future-proofing marketing” that took place earlier today. The topics explored included the future of marketing and communications; how to build a brand across Africa’s diverse countries; how to market with meaning and purpose; how to manage your brand’s reputation in an “always on” communications landscape; and how to build Brand South Africa in a way that stimulates growth.