13th SLIM Brand Excellence gets off the ground

Tuesday, 26 August 2014 01:15 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

SLIM Brand Excellence 2014 – another much-looked-forward-to event of the Sri Lanka Institute of Marketing is in full swing with the first round of judging commenced on 18 August 2014.

“The event recognises the best brands in Sri Lanka and rewards brand custodians with distinct appreciation to those organisations which deploy their resources to foster these brands,” says SLIM President Kalana Rathnayaka. “It is encouraging to see even small and medium sized organisations taking part in this competition, which is a platform to benchmark themselves amongst other brands in the market and more importantly to improve their branding process. It is gratifying to see some of the SME brands emerging victorious over brands with greater resource backing,” he added. As the most sought-after annual event in the calendar of SLIM, the Brand Excellence draws an increasing number of entries every year; and every category is keenly contested. This year’s Brand Excellence has recorded an unprecedented 104 entries including a significant number of multinationals. For the first time in the history of SLIM Brand Excellence, there is participation from sectors such as security, which is in testament to the recognition for the Awards across wider industry sectors; and the growing importance placed by organisations on brand development. Organised for the 13th consecutive time, the competition has gained wide acceptance with entries coming in not only from Sri Lanka but also from the whole region. “SLIM Brand Excellence is a strong brand in its own right. The credibility of the judging processand the manner in which it is planned and executed has helped immensely in building its brand equity,” says Project Chairman Roshan Fernando. “Year on year, we too have looked into how best we could bring in more credibility to the Awards and the means of scrutinising the judging process,” he added. The eminent panel of judges at this year’s competition is headed by Hayleys Consumer Products Ltd. Director/Chief Executive Officer Bimal Silva. Through SLIM Brand Excellence, SLIM tries to improve brand management process thereby help foster local brands that would be globally sought-after.

The theme for this year’s SLIM Brand Excellence is ‘Are you only a contender or Are you the Champ?’ – inspired by the words of Muhammad Ali, the greatest heavy weight of all time, who said “I’m not the greatest, I’m the double greatest! Not only do I knock them out, I pick the round.”