From Where I Sat
The CEO As The Marketer In Chief
By Robert Wamai
In a two-week period , the first as 2023 was approaching its sunset and the second as we welcomed 2024 , an epiphany hit me and gave me the idea of penning this article . In December 2023 I watched , on You Tube , the late Steve Jobs launching the iPad years back following the recommendation of a friend . Two weeks later in January this year , 2024 , I watched Citizen TV ’ s Power Talk host Dr James Mwangi Group MD and CEO of Equity Group to discuss the role of Equity Bank in the ‘ African Recovery & Resilience Plan ’. These events , though weeks apart have a common thread ; the passion and clarity with which these two leaders spoke about the Mission of organisations and more so their brand agenda which I found is worth sharing with you .
I was woken up to the fact that CEOs are well suited to be the Marketer in Chief or the foremost Brand Ambassador of the organisations they lead . More importantly marketing is not and should never be the preserve of the marketing department alone . This does not in any way dilute the crucial role the department plays but its role can be augmented by others in the organisation especially the CEO .
The focus of this article is on Dr Mwangi ’ s interview on Citizen ’ s Power Talk as it provides important lessons for us in the marketing arena or anyone wanting to enter into this field and looking to get a better understanding of it .
The first lesson is that a Marketer must have a crystal-clear grasp of the problem or challenge that their brand sets to solve . What pain is the target market going through that they are looking to alleviate and thus make them relevant ? Dr Mwangi
CEOs are well suited to be the Marketer in Chief or the foremost Brand Ambassador of the Organisations they lead . More so marketing is not and should never be the preserve of the marketing department alone . This does not in any way dilute the crucial role the department plays but its role can be augmented by others in the organisation , especially the CEO .
puts it simply and candidly when he said , ‘ Africa ’ s biggest challenge is poverty ’ and one of the roles of businesses in Africa is to help tackle this challenge . In meeting this challenge businesses operate in an environment that is changing and not always for the better . He gave the example of the recent Covid-19 pandemic and Ukraine-Russian war which resulted in the disruption of supply chains on one hand and inflation on the other . This is what gave birth to the idea of The Africa Recovery & Resilience Plan , a kind of ‘ Marshall Plan for Africa ’. Equity realised it needed to plug itself into this space of making the plan a reality .
The second lesson is looking at the Mission of the organisation on one hand and ‘ marrying ’ it to the challenge to determine how it will go about meeting the challenge using its assets . Dr Mwangi is clear of what the Bank set out to do from its very foundation . He stated that ‘ Equity exists to champion social economic transformation thus giving dignity and changing lives . We have done this by ‘ democratising financial access and creating opportunities for wealth creation ’. This puts the bank in an ideal position to assist in meeting the challenge of poverty .
This brings us to the third lesson ; that of market segmentation as a brand cannot be everything to everyone . Though Equity has a mix of customers across the spectrum they appreciate the critical role that SMEs play in Africa . They understand and believe that the recovery from the challenges outlined above will rely on a larger part to this sector and it is no wonder that they account for 70 % of their loan book .
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