Tendani Tsedu of CSIR earns his APR and shares the importance of Marcom

Tsedu has been with the CSIR for 12 years and six years in the current role where he manages 33 communications professionals across different divisions.

We chat to Tendani Tsedu on his latest accolade as well as the importance of Marketing communication (Marcom).

You've recently been recognised as an Accredited Public Relations practitioner (APR) by Public Relations Institute of Southern Africa (Prisa). Can you tell us what this means?

It means that my public relations experience, skills and knowledge are being recognised by a respected body in the industry. I am happy that my hard work and contribution to the industry is being recognised by my peers.

Also, this provides assurance to anyone who works with me that I am not a fake, I am guided by the Prisa’s Code of Conduct and if I acted unethically or someone has a problem with my conduct, they can approach Prisa for a recourse.

What is also exciting for me is the learning opportunities through the development and leadership courses that will be available for me at Prisa for me to continue growing my knowledge of the industry.

I am passionate about sharing knowledge and information, therefore I intend learning more so that I can provide guidance to those entering the industry.

It is the love of the people. The love of sharing information and empowering someone with knowledge. I love simplifying info.

PR is about sharing of information through different means of communication.

I have worked as a journalist and in corporate communications, and therefore I understand the needs of both sides. I believe I am a leader in the industry because of the work I have done, which is leading different campaigns, mentoring and providing creative solutions to some of the problems that we face during day-to-day work life.

You're currently the group manager of strategic communication at the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR). What does your role entail?

It entails managing the strategic communication function to ensure visibility of the organisation and what the organisation stands for. To champion communication activities in a manner that adds value to the core business of the organisation. I lead the organisation in marketing and communicating its capabilities, its strategy on using science and technology to contribute to the industry development of this country.

This role entails that our stakeholders, customers and the public understand our work and how they can work with the CSIR. The role also includes promoting science, especially to the learners so that they consider a career in science. Lastly, there is internal communication to ensure that our employees are well informed about the developments within the organisation and the value that they bring to the CSIR.

When it comes to marketing and communications, CSIR has had no support from any external agencies. Why is this?

The CSIR has a communication team that consists of editors, graphic designers, writers, media relations specialists, events specialists to name a few. As such, we are able to do most of the work internally. We do work with external agencies from time to time but on an ad-hoc basis. The challenge is that there aren’t many agencies that specialise in science communication, which is what the CSIR and other companies under the National System of Innovation are all about.

So, as the CSIR, we built these skills internally. However, as I said, we do get support from external agencies from time to time. For example, we recently brought on board an agency that specialises in crisis communication.

In your opinion, what is Marcom and why is it so important?

While marketing is more about selling and communication is about informing, bringing these together creates an opportunity to cut down on costs while increasing your reach due to the different communication channels that one can use.

Integrated marketing and communication is about bringing together the disciplines of marketing and communication in order to enhance the engagement between the company and its stakeholders or customers.

I believe that Marcom has evolved over the years and this can be attributed to advances in technology, which have made the efforts to communicate or market easier. There are also several creative software which makes it quick and fun to work with creativity and content development.

Creativity forms a big part of the work that we do as it has to be catchy, exciting and deliver an accurate message at the same time.

Communication channels have also evolved over the years, therefore we can reach more people through different platforms that were not there before for example social media, blogs etc.

Is Marcom used differently when it comes to the private and public sectors?

Yes, it is and usually, that is because of the size of the budget. Usually the private sector has a bigger budget therefore they can bring relevant skills (specialists) and equipment on board. They can afford to run a campaign in different communication platforms longer than the public sector. Also the content or messaging that public sector drives is different so they will approach Marcom differently.

What impact does leadership of organisations have when it comes to marcom?

They have a huge impact because Marcom provides them with a platform to engage. The organisation’s leadership needs to be supportive and available for Marcom activities and it is important that we make them understand the importance of marcom by clearly demonstrating the value that marcom adds to their business. This also means that we also have to invest time in understanding the business we are representing.

What are some of the trends that you see in marcom?

The use of influencers specifically in social media. Also, hosting of webinars to discuss a product or service has taken a center stage due to the impact of Covid-19. There has been some great progress in terms of creativity such as the ability to host a full conference online including exhibitions.

Brands need to continue to invest in their digital footprint to create more awareness and visibility online as there are few personal interactions and networking due to the Covid-19 regulations. Most of these engagements have shifted/moved to virtual.

Communications professionals are to continue investing in algorithms in order to create brand awareness, making sure that brand messages reach the right audience at the right time and on the right channel, which will then result in good reach and getting the right audience to engage with the brand.

What are organisations not doing in terms of marcoms?

They are not using or relying a lot on their own media platforms including using their employees as their main brand ambassadors or marketers.

What advice do you have for young professional entering this space?

The sky is the limit for you. This industry is similar to the food industry in the sense that no matter what, people will always need food…it is the same with public relations/communication because no matter what happens, people will always need information that they can trust and rely on.

There are huge opportunities in this industry and I would encourage you to aim in being the best, to stay humble, respect people and never compromise your integrity.