MASA to host, manage marketing designations

"The King 3 report, together with international developments in corporate governance, now place significant emphasis on the value of brand and the consequent imperative to protect reputation value. Brand and reputation have been recognised as significant risk factors that affect the sustainability of any organisation and the marketing director is the person responsible for managing this risk,” said the executive director of the Marketing Association, Chris de Villiers.

He maintains that these developments now require marketing directors and the marketing personnel within organisations to be accountable professionals - just as Chartered Accountants and Chartered Secretaries are accountable to their respective professional bodies for conduct that is ethical and that their competence and knowledge meet minimum prescribed standards.

"The Chartered Marketer designation (pegged at NQF level 7) and the Marketing Practitioner designation (NQF level 5) will go a long way to promote a professional environment in which marketers operate. The risk of placing competent professionals becomes more manageable when they are professionals accountable to an independent body,” he concludes.

This accountability is achieved through the establishment of minimum barriers to entry with regard to formal qualifications and specified levels of competence and experience. Knowledge and skills are maintained through a compulsory programme of continuing professional development (CPD) and ethical standards are upheld and supported by a disciplinary structure that carries sanctions, penalties and in the case of gross misconduct, withdrawal of the designations from the offending individual.

Information is in the process of being loaded onto the website www.marketingsa.co.za.