Marketers urged to collaborate more

Marketing has greater potential to improve people’s quality of life and make a significant impact on a country’s economy if stakeholders collaborate.

This was said by Doug Place, the chief marketing officer of South African multinational grilled chicken chain Nando’s Africa, Middle East, and South Asia at the hybrid fifth Nedbank Integrated Marketing Conference (IMC) which took place on 15 September in Johannesburg, South Africa.

“Brand trust is built through sharing and collaboration.

There is more value in collaborating than there is in competing. It’s not enough to win, you have to win-win,” he told the conference, which was also streamed live from the Nedbank Namibia Campus under the theme ‘Marketing: Up Close and Personal’.

Place was one of the 18 local and international speakers from various industries, including technology, food, telecommunications, and entertainment who shared their experiences in the marketing industry.

Nedbank Namibia’s sponsorship, marketing, and brand manager, Helene Meintjes, emphasised the importance of the event, which she said created a continuous learning platform.

“It’s important to continue learning.

Our field is closely connected to the latest developments in technology and communications.

Therefore it is vital that we stay on top of our game, know what is going on, and show that we understand who we are talking to,” she said.

Meintjes expressed hope that the Nedbank conference would continue to help Namibian marketing professionals to grow, and that they can make lasting connections within the marketing sector.

Nedbank Group’s Khensani Nobanda shared 10 marketing insights, including building brand trust, embracing the power of the collective, and building brand legacy.

“Our role as marketers is to take ourselves to the boardroom table and earn the trust and buy-in of the executives across the business for all the things we want from a marketing perspective.

“It’s not rocket science, but it does take deliberate execution to win the market and leave brands with a legacy that lives beyond this,” she said.

Nedbank IMC media partner Future Media said: “We understand that the marketing world is becoming more chaotic, complex, and fast paced, so we believe it is very important and valuable to hear from the best of the best in the marketing world, and we are very proud to be involved in and associated with and supporting the [future] of marketing,” said Nicci Wilson, Future Media’s general manager of sales.

The annual conference is a neutral platform created to uplift the marketing sector.

In Windhoek, creatives and marketers gathered at Nedbank Namibia’s headquarters’ Sky Garden for a virtual screening of the one-day event.

Among the presenters were actress and entrepreneur Pearl Thusi, the group chief executive of TBWA South Africa, Luca Gallarelli, and the executive creative director of Woolworths South Africa, Brian Mtongana.

The underlying discussions centred around collaboration, innovation, and embracing the chaos the past few years have presented.

– email: matthew@namibian.com.na