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ISSUE: q406
01/11/2006
“Cutting Edge Marketing: A Tool for Sustainable Business and Economic Advantage” was the theme of this year’s Zambia Institute of Marketing annual conference.
The conference was chaired by Simangolwa Shakalima and guest of honour was Professor Ashok Ranchhod, course director at the UK’s Chartered Institute of Marketing.
Two days of presentations by distinguished speakers was followed by the institute’s annual award dinner and ball, attended by guest of honour Hon. Felix Mutati, ministry of energy and the environment.
In their remarks to delegates, both institute president Mabel Luo Mung’omba and Shakalima identified change as an important factor influencing the profession.
“As time travels even the environment in which we operate equally evolves. I am sure we will be cognisant of the fact that ‘change’ is the only constant and what a way this has been proved by the changing business trends, especially for the marketer. It is the changing business and economic environment that justified further re-union for this year’s annual conference,” said Shakalima.
“Many keep wondering why the ZIM annual conference committee arrived at the theme ‘Cutting Edge Marketing: A Tool for Sustainable Business and Economic Advantage’. As mouthful as the theme is, so is the reality of today’s business world.
“Zambia has registered significant and fundamental changes in the economic environment. GDP is projected to be 6 percent this year and this comes from all productive sectors to which marketers endeavour to bring to life and ably justify relevance. A couple of months ago, there was some hype around the appreciation of the kwacha which I must stay is still a factor worth synchronising in business decisions. A number of players in the marketplace were affected differently as is the case of almost all the time. The question is, how does one respond to the change in economic fundamentals to continuously sustain business? I urge you to populate the answers from this conference.
“One cannot help by live with the fact we are in an era of globalisation. Windows of opportunity are increasingly being discovered. The competition among business players is a daily phenomenon. These developments are a demonstration that thinking outside the box is not the only option, but think no box at all, as the only barrier to business is limited to your own perception. It is imperative to harness the economic opportunities arising from international trade and transform them into a platform for taking your business to a level never imagined before.” In her message, Mung’omba said: “It is worth noting that not only have customer expectations changed but also the way we do business. We saw in the last few months how the business landscape has changed and how some uncontrollable factors in the environment posed serious business to challenges to marketers. The call is for the marketer to be more knowledgeable, futuristic, upbeat, innovative, forward thinking, progressive, radical, avant-garde and revolutionary. We have to be always ahead of our time of we are to survive. We have to change and learn to be different from the crowd and be affirmatively disruptive to the status quo.
She continued: “Marketing is usually the most challenging part of any business because it is always dynamic. Marketing keeps us the marketers and indeed the organisations on our toes. Our only hope is in wearing our innovative hats all the time as we continue to participate in wealth creation.”
Date: q406
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