and locally the The Data Protection Bill
2018 that is in its latter process stages,
marketing and customer experience
efforts must espouse transparency and
where consent has been gained, utmost
rigor must be undertaken to guard against
unethical exploitation, sharing or sale of
customer data.
A breach of customer trust will more likely
than not result in litigation as backed
by the law. These regulations empower
customers to take control of their personal
data and make demands as and when
necessary, and customer awareness of the
laws that protect them is at a heightened
level.
The consumer protection act likewise
protects customers through its statutes
on protection of consumers, as well
as prevention of unfair trade practices
towards consumers by suppliers. The
consumer bias within is apparent in this
law, with a leaning towards the customer
even where documentation may be absent.
The internal customer is also cushioned by
the Employment Act that seeks to have
employee rights championed by employers
to ensure just practices are undertaken.
Tax matters also fall in this bracket and
54 MAL32/19 ISSUE
the sensitivities around meting out of, and
submission of taxes applying to customers
and to the organization respectively
needs careful mapping. Tax matters
have been the bane of many a brand’s
existence with the brand making every
effort to endear itself to customers and
the internal workings of compliance with
tax regulations creating PR nightmares
where not enforced.
Brands need to conduct legal audits to
assess which regulatory requirements they
need to comply with, and what new and
emerging legal frameworks their region
of operation must adhere to in order to
be compliant. Compliance is a brand
statement and is crucial for purposes of
gaining brand stickiness and customer
appreciation.
It is incumbent therefore for brand,
marketing and customer experience
practitioners to have their ear to the
ground to be a step ahead of what may
be changing in the customer landscape,
with regards to matters of the law, and to
ensure that their organizations are not left
behind or left exposed to damaging risks.
Legal and Regulatory Changes need to
take center stage in the Marketing and
Customer Experience Planning Sheet.
Observed Economic
Vacillation
The economic sphere of the country
dictates the overall environment in which
life proceeds and thus needs to govern
the marketing and customer experience
initiatives taken up by brands. How much
the populace is willing to spend at any
given time, and on what, as well as the
buying power at different times and in
different seasons are markers for noting.
For marketing and customer experience
planning, the anticipated pocket fluidity
in the near, medium term and distance
future are parameters that must be at
their fingertips to inform the 4 P’s.
Marketers need to know what kind of
sizes and prices to push, and in the recent
format, adapt quickly to the small holder
or “kadogo” economy in response to
advancing customer needs.
The Voice of the Customer surveys to
listen to the economic voices of the
customers, will determine how best to
serve them and to meet them at their
point of desire and ability. Knowing the
economic temperatures will enable the
design of customer packages that band