Raymond Ackerman: The Ultimate Marketer turns 75

But, just what is it that has made him one of South Africa's top marketers?

First of all he had the uncanny knack of getting his pricing right. And much as accountants might whinge and moan, pricing is very much a function of marketing before anything else.

Customer Service

He also made himself available to talk to customers, suppliers and the media. Always calmly and professionally. He and other great South African marketers such as the late Colin Adcock, Toyota's charismatic MD, not only preached customer service but practised it at every opportunity. Like Adcock, Raymond Ackerman has always defined marketing as 'an obsession with customer service' not in terms of looking at this as a set of rules and regulations for companies to follow, but as a wonderful opportunity to make more money.

But what also makes Raymond Ackerman great is his ability to genuinely put himself across as a champion of the consumer, which he undoubtedly has been, while at the same time delivering superb shareholder value.

Everyone Happy

He is one of the few South Africans who has got away regularly with running ads and making public statements about how his organisation was working for the consumer with lower prices, better deals and so forth, while at the same time presenting financial reports in the business press showing massive profits.

Keeping both the consumer and shareholder happy is something that needs considerable marketing prowess to carry off.

Raymond Ackerman has made an enormous contribution to marketing in South Africa by setting standards of excellence in customer service. By practicing what we all preach.