Change has become the buzzword for SA. Marketers have had to play catch-up both in terms of the changing market place and the proliferation of channels to reach consumers. It was confronting this change that prompted the marketing profession to form the Marketing Federation of Southern Africa (MFSA) in 2002 as the sector's main voice and the opinion leader in the region.
The organisation was established from the amalgamation of the Association of Marketing Management (Asom), the Direct Marketing Association (DMA); and the Institute of Marketing Management (IMM).
By then, its constituent parts had established a range of popular initiatives in SA.
Asom set up the Loerie awards in 1976 to promote and improve the quality of advertising and marketing communication in SA. In 1999 the Raptor awards were also introduced to recognise and promote excellence in sponsorship.
The DMA represented the collective interests of marketers and suppliers in direct marketing, incorporating mail, e-marketing, SMS marketing, telemarketing, response print and broadcast direct advertising. In 1998, the Assegai awards were introduced to promote growth and reward excellence in direct marketing campaigns.
The IMM introduced marketing education in SA more than 40 years ago. The aim was to encourage education and training in all aspects of marketing, offering a number of marketing diplomas and certificates to students throughout Southern Africa.
Having merged these three organisations, the MFSA has become the home of the Loeries, the Raptors, the Assegais and the Tusk awards for individual and corporate excellence.
The MFSA is a section 21 company owned by its members and governed by a board of 15 directors.
It has a membership base of 600 local and international organisations, 2 500 individual practitioners and about 7 500 students.
Makwana says: "The fragmentation diluted the effectiveness of the various associations. The MFSA consolidated the voice of marketers into one strong voice to engage government and other policy makers to ensure legislation supports the industry. Marketing is a catalyst for economic growth and development and plays a vital role in the economic positioning and the overall development of nations. It is the heart of supply and demand.
"The existence of vibrant marketing and communication practices and cultures is an important acid test of the existence of a free market economy. Marketers help position an economy as an exciting place within which to do business. Marketing crafts lifestyle, in the process nurturing an aspirational culture among consumers. Marketing communication can be a useful catalyst for nation-building and the cohesion of national values. Equally, marketing communication can undermine these," says Makwana.
"For marketers to be taken seriously , they have to exemplify best practice and create a favourable climate for sustainable self-regulation.
"We need to see fewer marketers violating the Advertising Standards Authority's (ASA) code of good practice. Every time a commercial affronts human dignity, the controversy affects the good reputation of other marketers, perpetuating poor stereotypes about the industry."
Through its Quality Management Unit (QMU), the MFSA also promotes marketing learning and the development of specialist marketing skills, and facilitates professional national marketing certification and accreditation against established codes of good practice.
Since its formation, the MFSA has been lobbying for government, the services sector education & training authority, the SA Qualifications Authority (SAQA) and other statutory bodies to support the establishment of generally accepted marketing practice (Gamp) in an effort to better articulate best practice.
"Technically, everyone who has a product or brand to sell is a marketer. The creation of a body of knowledge and standards such as Gamp would raise the bar of performance and conduct," says Makwana. "The MFSA also interacts with government and parastatals on issues such as postal tariffs, which are critical to most marketers."
A recent innovation is the "Marketing in the Boardroom" forum, a quarterly event that seeks to facilitate discussions between CEOs and marketing directors to enhance strategic leadership, thinking and partnership.
Makwana says: "Marketing in the Boardroom will become the leading platform for business and marketing leaders to explore developments and opportunities and create far-reaching marketing solutions for our economy."
The MFSA already has strong representation on industry bodies such as the Audit Bureau of Circulations, the Advertising Standards Authority, the National Postal Forum and the SA Advertising & Research Foundation. This makes it a powerful marketing body in SA.
Makwana says the MFSA aims to become the driver for change and transformation within SA's marketing industry.
"In keeping with the spirit of the industry's value statement, the MFSA shall carry the torch for transformation within the marketing sector in SA," says Makwana.
The marketing communications and media industry is working on a scorecard and transformation charter in partnership with government.
Makwana says the pace of change in the industry has been slow, but business in general has been slow in embracing transformation.
The organisation has made resources available to aid and monitor transformation through the newly formed multidisciplinary industry forum.
Of the 214 qualified chartered marketers, the highest professional qualification for marketers, 40% are black.
The face of the SA marketing industry is changing, but many practitioners from previously disadvantaged communities feel the process needs to be speeded up.
Makwana says the MFSA's mission is to do all it can to accelerate the transformation process "Through our learnership programme, we also assist in the creation of a talent pool of marketers," says Makwana
"We are aware of the need to make SA a competitive nation and marketers can play a role in achieving this," says Makwana.
Facilitating co-operation among its members without inhibiting competition and encouraging them to strive to make the industry world class will help the MFSA to achieve this.
Some of the greatest achievements by local marketers include the establishment of the Proudly South African company, which promotes locally made products, and the International Marketing Council of SA (IMC), which promotes SA globally.
Proudly South African CEO Martin Feinstein says: "South Africans are discovering that they are uniquely and newly resourceful, creative, innovative, talented, technologically able and competitive.
"This is reflected in our advertising, our new product development and our burgeoning exports."
He says that in the past three years the Proudly South African brand may not be able to claim social, economic and political achievements, but it has been highly visible.
The brand is improving the reputation of SA products. Locally produced clothing, music, electronics, cars and food are beginning to compete more effectively with imported products.
The IMC and the US embassy developed a campaign to rebrand SA in the US.
The branding mission re-aligned perceptions about SA with the reality of what the country can offer the US business community.
"The marketing of countries is our industry's greatest challenge.
"There is no bigger or more complex product to sell because it is often contradictory and has a huge and diverse target audience," says IMC CEO Yvonne Johnston.
"President Thabo Mbeki's International Investment Council is often perceived by cynics as a talk-shop', but it has helped to build the SA brand name," says IMC MD Kheepe Moremi.
The value of the SA brand was recently estimated at R379,5bn - the fourth most valuable in the world after Coca-Cola, Microsoft and IBM.
