Why should corporate bodies who sponsor awards and events with their money but are not the actual concepts developers or owners have their names prefixed or tagged to the award and event?

Prefixing or tagging of corporate bodies names to awards or events is becoming apace and rooted in Ghana’s showbiz industry. Examples: Ghana Music Award was started with its independent name. When MTN became its headline sponsor, the name became MTN Ghana Music Award.

Vodafone took over the sponsorship baton from MTN and the name metamorphosed into what is today known as VGMA. Ghana Movie Award started with its original name. In its 2012 edition, it became Rlg Ghana Movie Award. Today, Rlg is off and now it’s simply called Ghana Movie Award.

Prince McKay’s Radio and Television Personality Award RTP was called its original name. In its 2012 edition, became, Globa RTP Award. Today, Globa is no longer sponsoring it so it’s called RTP Award.

4syte Music Video Award was the original name. Then it became Vodafone 4syte Music Video Award, and later, became and still known as MTN 4syte Music Video Award. Event organizers JAKA conceived Ghana Gospel Awards but went into quiescence only to come back to announce that the award is now called Zoom Alliance Gospel Award, simply because the company, Zoom Alliance, agreed to be the headline sponsor.

I can go on and on and on. I don’t think it’s too necessary to prefix or tag all our awards and events with headline sponsors names. Reasons; first, the awards or events are usually not developed or designed by the corporate bodies so there is no point in prefixing or tagging their names to the awards and events.

Secondly, prefixing or tagging the name of a corporate body to an award or event does not mean the corporate body owns the franchise to the event or award scheme; so why give them that surrogate-privilege just because of some cash they are throwing in?

Thirdly, prefixing or tagging the name of a corporate body to an award or event does not enjoin or compel the corporate body to sponsor the event or award forever! Awards and events are ‘constants’ whilst the sponsors are ‘variables.’

Sponsors come and go at their convenient times but an award or event can linger on forever; so why do event companies’ prefix or tag their brainchild with names of such corporate bodies, only to change the name of the event or award later into another sponsor’s name?

There is no problem with an award or event designed by a corporate body and for that matter they stamp their corporate name on it. Examples are; Adom Praise, Joy Fm Night With The Stars, Citi FM December To Remember, 020 Live Concert, Citi FM Write Away Contest, and others. That is quite understandable.

If the corporate headline sponsors want their names to be tagged to events or awards, then they should have a department of art oriented think-tanks in their organizations to brainstorm and design their own awards and events and hire the event companies to handle the organization or production.

Whether it is the headline sponsors who propose for their names to be tagged to the awards and events or it’s the event organizers who propose so, is inconsequential for our art and entertainment industry. If you don’t agree with me, feel free and share your thoughts. Until then….MOTWUM!!