mfsa says "thank you" to the industry

"Each of the brands taking part in the celebrations has proved itself as great storytellers and orators of our country, our people and our time. And, each is a worthy recipient of the MFSA's Brand Excellence Award," says Dee Blackie, executive chair of the mfsa.

By being there, each of these brands has agreed to take a leadership role in the development of marketing and branding on the continent. The nine brands honoured were: Standard Bank; MTN; Absa; First National Bank; Telkom; Castle Lager; De Beers; Old Mutual; and Pick 'n Pay.

While Vodacom did not participate in the event, the mfsa pointed out that even though Pick 'n Pay was not present either, it did agree to be honoured along with the rest of the top brands.

The mfsa said it would like to thank, in particular, Interbrand Sampson for its support of the Brand Excellence Awards, and for the hard work in identifying the most valuable brands in South Africa, which formed the basis for the event.

"Brand valuation is one of the most effective measurement and benchmarking tools in the marketing arena when your aim is to place 'the brand' firmly at the centre of organisations across our country. It is a simple, yet globally recognised approach to illustrating the importance of a brand in building shareholder, stakeholder, employee and consumer value," Blackie said.

"We would also like to thank the SABC for their generous support and endorsement of our Winter Marketing Festival, of which this event forms just a part," she added.

Blackie said that at the time of taking on the role of Chair of the mfsa exco, members and the market were asked to give the mfsa 100 days in which to prove its value and worth. Speaking at the Brand awards, she pointed out that: "Tonight, at 12 'o clock we will reach our 100th day, making it opportune to give some indication of what we have been up to since then.

"At our first road show in March, we introduced our goals and plans for the year, which appeared to ring true for many as we have increased our membership by over 20 percent in just three months. We aim to have 10 000 members by the end of the year, effectively doubling our membership numbers."

Much time has been spent re-engineering the federation around its member and partner needs and, with the help of new technology and a dedicated team, the mfsa is confident about being on the right track to true customer centricity.

The mfsa has also relaunched its communication tools, including the Journal of Marketing, e-News and the web site. "We are taking an active role in driving transformation across the marketing industry, and have launched our Entrepreneurs@mfsa proposition which aims to increase and improve marketing skills in small businesses.

"From a networking perspective, we have launched our monthly breakfast talks in Johannesburg, Durban and Cape Town. We have also launched the first of our marketing directors circles at a national level, tackling issues such as 'How are we as marketers taking SA and SA brands to the world in 2010.'"

April saw the mfsa's 2005 Chartered Marketer Graduation and a refocus on this esteemed professional designation.

"We are rebuilding relationships with all key learnership stakeholders, SSETA, SAQA and all tertiary and learning institutions. We are just over half way through our Winter Marketing Festival which has included the Winter School of Marketing Excellence, endorsement and participation in the Markex Exhibition and tonight's Brand Excellence Awards," Blackie says.

"I would also like to thank the dedicated team at the mfsa, our board who have supported us through this very busy time, our media partners and friends, our fellows and most importantly our members, as the mfsa is only as strong as the support that you give us.

"The mfsa continues to grow in strength through your support in 2005, and we hope to remain true to our new positioning of 'servant leader' to the marketing industry," she concludes.