Hitit's corporate social responsibility project, Rackets Up, has earned the prestigious "Silver" award in the category of "Creating Wonders with Optimum Budget for Sustainability and CSR’’ This recognition was granted at The Hammers Awards, an event celebrating projects that contribute value to their respective companies or industries through their marketing and marketing communications.
26.10.2023, İstanbul - Hitit celebrated a significant achievement as its corporate social responsibility initiative, "Rackets Up," was honored with the Silver Award at The Hammers Awards. The awards were presented during the Marketing Meetup Istanbul event hosted at Wyndham Levent. Hitit’s project, recognized with the "Silver" distinction in the category of "Creating Wonders with Optimum Budget for Sustainability and CSR" has – to date – successfully introduced table tennis to more than 150,000 children over the course of five years.
The Hammers Awards, organized by Pazarlamasyon.com, a platform disseminating the latest developments in the marketing world, held its fourth edition this year. Distinguished from other competitions, The Hammers Awards prioritize the recognition and rewarding of teams, fostering team motivation, regardless of the specific project. Each year, the platform acknowledges marketing teams that have embarked on groundbreaking projects that serve as industry benchmarks and valuable learning experiences for all stakeholders. A key criterion is the quantifiable contribution of the awarded project to the organization or brand.
More Than 150,000 Students and 370 Teachers in 355 Schools
The “Rackets Up” project, recipient of the Silver Award in the “Creating Wonders with Optimum Budget for Sustainability and CSR” category within sustainability and corporate social responsibility, aspires to offer children equal opportunities in sports. This initiative, carried out in partnership with the Turkish Table Tennis Federation, involves providing table tennis equipment to underprivileged primary schools and training teachers to introduce more children to the sport. Nevra Onursal Karaağaç, CMO of Hitit, emphasized that 'Rackets Up' has already visited schools in Çorum, Isparta, Trabzon, Şanlıurfa ve Sakarya’da. She also noted, 'We've established concrete, measurable key performance indicators to gauge the outcomes and impact of our projects. In the case of 'Rackets Up,' the selection of schools, students, and teachers—the core elements of the project—is done in coordination with the Ministry of Education.
In addition, following an earthquake centered in Kahramanmaraş that affected 11 provinces, Hitit was moved to express solidarity and offer more enduring and sustainable support, particularly for aiding the children‘s healing process. For this reason, the project's program was adapted for earthquake-affected regions. This adaptation led to the establishment of permanent table tennis facilities in container cities within the most heavily affected provinces, providing regular table tennis training to children affected by the earthquake, with the guidance of coaches. The table tennis facilities set up in Malatya and Kahramanmaraş have served a combined population of 20,000.
Beyond our commitment to the table tennis branch, Nevra Karaağaç, Hitit’s CMO noted: “Our accomplished female national table tennis players, Ece Haraç and Özge Yılmaz, who have earned numerous medals both individually and as a pair in national and international competitions, are now participating in international events with Hitit's transportation support as part of their preparations for the 2024 Paris Olympics. We are delighted to have elevated this project to a professional and international level by providing support to these two talented young female table tennis players.’’
How is the assessment conducted?
The projects undergo a two-stage evaluation process, beginning with a pre-evaluation by the jury. During this initial assessment, the project is considered based on the following criteria:
- A measurable and significant contribution to the company's perception, sales, and/or profit performance.
- Effective process management by the marketing team responsible for the project.
- Demonstrated collaborative and efficient management style within the team, involving stakeholders and effectively utilizing human and material resources.
Projects that successfully pass this preliminary evaluation are then subjected to the final assessment by the jury. It's important to note that, to ensure impartiality, jury members cannot assess or score projects in which they have any involvement during both stages of the evaluation process.