Second-best marketing

By Roger James, Chairman, Australian Marketing Institute

Nine years ago I wrote a column with the above title. I cited a number of areas in which marketing excellence was frequently absent:

• Face-to-face banking services – eliminate human contact!
• Telecoms billing formats – only a cryptographer could fathom the bill.
• Home delivery services for large purchases such as whitegoods – “It’ll be there between 7am and 6pm.”
• Automotive spare parts operations – “Don’t look up, there’s someone standing at the counter.”
• Internet telephone help-desk services – “Your call is important to us” (expect hold music for the next 30 minutes).

It’s interesting to note, based largely on personal experience, that there has been quite a bit of improvement over the past few years. Bank tellers have learned to smile, to engage and to help; our telephone bill provides several useful breakdowns and analyses; I recently purchased a laptop and was given a two-hour window in delivery time; and spare parts people have become distinctly customer oriented.

And the Internet help desk? Well, the hold music is largely gone, but replaced by an interminable series of voice-actuated responses, which try to get you to diagnose the problem without speaking to anyone. If you are half technically literate, you will have done all the things the robot voice suggests before calling, but to go through all this and eventually get to a technician can take literally 20 minutes. After two of these frustrating encounters a techo told me the secret. Ignore the robot questions and say, very loudly (and in a bad-tempered tone) “Technical support!” After a couple of these you get switched through, but it’s not good.

Ah, well, four out of five ain’t bad.

Contact: roger.james@ami.org.au

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Accreditation offers independent rating of courses

By Anthony Barac-Dunn, General Manager Marketing and Operations, Australian Marketing Institute

Universities and VET institutions can now gain independent verification of status and quality of their tertiary-level marketing courses through the Australian Marketing Institute’s new accreditation program.

The accreditation program aims to assist educators to develop curriculums that best meet the needs of employers and, as a consequence, provide marketing graduates with an optimum set of skills and knowledge. It will also contribute to the wider aim of bringing academia and practice closer together.

Accreditation will allow the Institute to contribute to ongoing marketing curriculum development through processes such as industry feedback, drawing on the knowledge and experience of senior professional marketers. The accreditation program has been based on extensive consultation with many leading practitioners and academics around Australia, who assisted in the development of the standards and process.

Gaining accreditation will:

• Help tertiary institutions promote their marketing courses.
• Enhance the credibility and prestige of graduates.
• Ensure industry feedback is provided for ongoing curriculum development.

To read more about the accreditation program and to access the application documents, go to the accreditation section of the website.

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Awards and conferences showcase the best of marketing

By Mark Crowe, Chief Executive Officer, Australian Marketing Institute

Spring is traditionally a very busy time for the Institute with the staging of key conferences and award presentation functions (see your state’s event calendar for your local presentation).

This year’s Annual Conference format will be an intensive one-day program followed by a master class on day two. This will provide added flexibility for delegates. The response to the new format has been extremely encouraging.

Details on our upcoming conferences:

• Government Marketing and Communications Conference – Gold Coast, 1-3 September (more details)
• Annual Conference and Awards for Marketing Excellence – Melbourne, 13-14 October (more details)
• WA Marketing and Business Networking Congress – Perth, 10-11 November.

The award functions to be held around the country are a very tangible way to highlight marketing excellence. Importantly, we are placing more emphasis on recognising both state and national finalists at the state functions as well as a presentation to winners. This is in recognition of the superb quality of entries and to express our appreciation for the dedicated marketers who have had the conviction to enter the awards.

I am pleased to advise that we are about to undertake our second annual survey of senior marketers with the support of Colmar Brunton. We look forward to providing the results to you before the end of the year. In the interim, the review of the recently completed Australian Marketing Institute/Brand Finance Forum provides further insight into senior executives’ views on some key issues in marketing.

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Jump on the social media train

There is only a short time left to register for ‘Innovation – Creativity – Community Engagement’, the Australian Marketing Institute’s 2010 Government Marketing and Communications Conference.

The social media train has hurtled into our marketing and media mixes and forced us to realise that we have to jump on board or risk losing our markets and audiences. This conference will showcase best practice examples from national and international organisations of where social media and innovation, creativity or community engagement have been successfully used to create better results.

The international guest speakers will be:

• Lindy Kyzer, social media consultant, US Capital Region and former social media manager, US Army.
• Andrew Cooper, CEO, Verve Partners, UK.

Conference details: 1 September, pre-conference workshop, ‘Social media in government communications’, presented by Lindy Kyzer and facilitated by Rob Hudson, George Patterson Y&R. 2-3 September, main program, with conference dinner on 2 September. Venue: Surfers Paradise Marriott Resort. More information and registration: go to conference website

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Marketing Strikes Back!

As the warriors of our organisations out there fighting the remnants of the global financial crisis, we need the best weapons we can find. Join us at this year’s one-day annual conference where top marketers will showcase the strategies and investments that have helped them emerge stronger and more competitive from the crisis.

The international guest speaker will be Ray Poynter, Managing Director, The Future Place (UK), who will also be a presenter in the post-conference master class, ‘Using social media to engage and consult with customers’.

Conference details: Wednesday 13 October, one-day conference, with gala dinner and presentation of the national winners in the 2010 Australian Marketing Institute Awards for Marketing Excellence in the evening. Thursday 14 October, one-day master class with multiple presenters. More information and registration: go to conference website

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Profile: Louise Marron AFAMI CPM, Queensland Event Manager

Louise Marron took on the role of the Institute’s Queensland Event Manager in 2006. She previously held marketing and brand management positions at Porters Liquor and Deloitte Consulting in Sydney and event and promotions manager positions at Procon Leisure and Voodoo Dolls in Queensland. 

Louise is also a co-founder of an internationally recognised brand, Mermaid Sister, a fashion label that was the first to sell youth underwear and sleepwear to surf and lifestyle retailers in Australia.  Louise holds a Bachelor of Business with a Major in Marketing from Griffith University and heads Loumanate Event Marketing Services, a full service event marketing and management business based on the Gold Coast. She has worked in marketing for more than 14 years and is a Certified Practising Marketing.

Since becoming Queensland Event Manager, Louise has assisted in building the reputation of the Institute in the state by implementing and maintaining quality events that have expanded attendances, increased sponsorship and raised membership in Queensland.  Many of the event strategies and documents implemented by Louise are now applied nationally by the Institute.

Louise has recently added management of the Institute’s 2010 Annual Conference to her portfolio of work.  If you are interested in receiving a sponsorship package for the Annual Conference, to be held in Melbourne on 13-14 October, please email louise.marron@ami.org.au

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SPOTLIGHT: Member rates for car rental around Australia

The Australian Marketing Institute provides an array of preferential rates and discounts that support members' career and commercial needs while providing access to real savings and value.

Hertz offers special member rates when renting a car in Australia, New Zealand, and in many parts of the world.

To find out more about the Hertz offer to members and to access the member portal, login to the site and go to Membership Services/Member Discounts/Car Rental.

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