A NOTE ON MARKETING THE FUTURE

The first big cold fronts are pushing through South Africa, warning of cold and hard days and nights ahead. The Covid-19 ‘third wave’ is fast approaching. South Africans will spend another winter in the grip of the pandemic, but at least this year there is hope as the second phase of the vaccine rollout picks up pace.

Hope is something that has been in short supply over the past year. But a recent NIDS Rapid Mobile Coronavirus Survey revealed 71% of South Africans were not vaccine hesitant. The hope that at least we will have something beyond masks and sanitiser to make us feel safer is very much alive and well.

Financial and health institution Discovery certainly found out just how eager the nation is to have the jab. A glitch in the government’s electronic registration system on the second day of the phase two rollout saw the company having to take walk-ins at its Sandton head office, where it had set up a vaccine site.

By noon, it had signed up a thousand walk-ins over the age of 70, all through word of mouth. The company had earlier issued a letter to clients clearly communicating how the rollout would work. In unequivocal plain language, imparting just the facts, it laid out the logistics behind the vaccine drive. It was a calm and reassuring communication, a welcome relief from the often-opaque nature of government’s messaging. And it was a lesson in word-of-mouth marketing, despite that not being its intention.

Supply chain management (SCM) has been very much part of the Covid-19 story. In this issue of The Journal of Strategic Marketing, Dr Myles Wakeham and Carl Wakeham unpack the complex but vitally important relationship between SCM and marketing. The disciplines are “inextricably” linked and by working together, the Wakehams say a mediocre institution will be transformed to one that is customer-focused and demand-driven.

The past year has also been a time of social upheaval around issues of race, gender and climate change. The clamour is loud, and brands have to pay attention. The story on advancing gender in marketing strategies makes it clear that sitting on the fence is no longer an option. Sustained and systemic effort is needed to embed transformative strategies into a company’s DNA.

We’ve also taken a look at the skills modern marketers need in this changing environment. And where the skills shortages lie. With Covid-19 accelerating digital transformation, it’s no secret that the more skills marketers have in this area, the more employable they become.

Finally, a survey of consumers in Nigeria, Egypt and South Africa delivers insights into something very important to us Africans, and that is fashion. What we buy, how and where we buy, how we find information on clothes… it appears to be time to slip out of the tracksuits and sneakers that were de rigueur during the hard lockdowns and get just a bit more fashion forward.

Here’s to putting our best foot forward… even if it’s just to visit a vaccine site.

Glenda

Beyond ticking the box: gender advancement needs sustained and systemic effort

The odd advertising campaign paying lip service to gender is not enough to address fairness and equity by brands, says GLENDA NEVILL. To really commit to a transformative mindset in marketing strategies requires companies to put their own houses in order inside and out.

Recent advertising and marketing missteps have highlighted how brands and their agencies can get messaging so terribly wrong when it comes to advancing gender and race in marketing campaigns.

“The time for brands to turn a blind eye to race and gender equity is
long past. Consumers and employees demand change, while knee-jerk responses and mollifying words offer cold comfort,” writes Dipanjan Chatterjee
in the opening paragraph of a recent Forrester Report, Design a Programme to Advance Race and Gender Fairness and Equity.

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The marketing and supply chain management interface: A marriage of convenience

Supply chain management and marketing are inextricably linked, write DR MYLES WAKEHAM and CARL WAKEHAM. Organisations should use their supply chain management capabilities and capacities as a basis to support and build their brands and ultimately strengthen their marketing mix strategies.

Supply chain management (SCM) is the process and activity of sourcing requisite inputs that an organisation requires to create need-satisfying products and service, and the ultimate delivery of such offerings to targeted customers such as businesses, intermediaries (retailers and wholesalers) and consumers.

SCM is the inter-woven co-ordination and integration of the flow of materials, information and money and includes the various logistics activities, the transformation process (operations) and finally, business processes. Without effective SCM, organisations cannot deliver on the promises that they make to their customers; nor can they deliver superior value and cost reduction, which represents the mantra of effective and efficient SCM.

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Between a hard and a soft space: What makes modern marketers more employable

It is not just Covid-19 that has turned the marketing sector inside out. The pervasive need for businesses to gather and analyse data and then use the resulting insights effectively is a much sought after skill, says AMELIA JACOB. At the same time, soft skills are essential too. 

Marketing is one of the fastest growing functions in companies today. According to Career Junction’s Index for March 2021, despite an overall uptake in hiring activity, demand is volatile for marketing professionals.

So what is it businesses are looking for when it comes to the skills needed for modern marketing? What makes one marketer more employable or valued over another?

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Styling: Fashion tastes and preferences in three African countries

There is no doubt fashion is an important consideration on the African continent. Clothing retailers physically cross borders, and brands are also available online via ecommerce portals. FRANKLINE MWENDA KIBUACHA highlights the results of a recent survey in Nigeria, South Africa and Egypt, giving marketers useful insights into what consumers think.

How fashionable are you? What do you look for when buying clothes, shoes, and other fashion items? Where do you get that information, and where do you ultimately shop?

To get answers to these questions and more, GeoPoll conducted an App study in Egypt, Nigeria, and South Africa. Here are the highlights from the report.

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