Global stage beckons as EBM earns 10 Solal Award nominations

Local agency racks up 10 nominations at Poland’s Solal Awards, spotlighting excellence in retail and leisure marketing.

5 May 2025

Momos Magical Adventure

South African retail marketing heavyweight Excellerate Brand Management (EBM) has once again received international acclaim, this time with an impressive ten nominations at the 2025 Solal Marketing Awards. Run out of Poland, the Solal Awards recognise the world’s best in retail and leisure marketing. This nod places EBM firmly on the global stage, coming shortly after the company’s recent four nominations for the 2025 International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC) Global Awards.

Gateway activation

Gateway gifting concierge

Flying the flag for South Africa

The Solal 2025 nominations span an array of categories, reflecting the uniqueness and breadth of EBM’s executions across South Africa’s leading retail destinations. From Sandton City’s AI-led installations to impactful community support in KwaZulu-Natal, each campaign demonstrates EBM’s deep understanding of retail environments and its ability to deliver mall-specific, relevant, high-impact marketing that works.

Among the nominated entries are the Iconic 22 Collection, Future Icons by AI, City of Icons and Momo’s Magical Adventure, all at Sandton City, recognised across the tactical, strategic, emerging tech and partnership categories. Eastgate’s See You At Eastgate campaign secured a nomination for its creative use of emerging technology, while Liberty Promenade’s Unmasking Strength project was shortlisted for its mental health initiative under corporate social responsibility.

Gateway Theatre of Shopping received three nods: for its rapid response to the KZN floods in Another Crisis Devastates Our City, for The A-maze-ing Maze Experience and its tailored Gifting Concierge service, all under tactical and adversity-related categories. The Free State based Dihlabeng Mall’s community-focused campaign Your Story is Our Story rounds off the ten nominations in the strategic marketing category.

Dihlabeng mall entrance with YSIOS campaign

Consistency on the world stage

“It’s incredibly rewarding to see recognition not just for South Africa’s iconic super-regional malls, but also for shopping centres in smaller towns that play such an important role in their communities,” said Michael Wilson, chief marketing officer of EBM. “These nominations highlight the creativity and impact of campaigns across a wide range of locations and we’re proud to see that great work from every corner of the country is being celebrated on an international platform.”

“This kind of recognition reaffirms our belief in locally-rooted campaigns that resonate with shoppers and create value for our property owners,” said Darren Katz, managing director of EBM. “To have ten nominations across such diverse categories speaks volumes about the calibre and commitment of our team. We are proud to see South African retail marketing showing up and standing tall on the world stage.”

The Solal Awards are judged by a panel of global marketing experts, with the winners set to be announced on 17 June. EBM’s strong presence among the finalists not only highlights its continued growth but also signals the relevance and ingenuity of South African marketing on the worldwide retail map.