Combining creativity & critical thinking optimises marketing investment

Celéste Burger, a brand strategist and a Chartered Marketer with three decades in the creative industry and agency experience, focuses on positioning brands in the digital age to increase brand equity. Here she talks to SA PROFILE about the advent of 4IR, which, combined with unsettled economic and social environments, has accelerated marketing and communication digitisation and multichannel integration.

This disruption profoundly transformed the marketing landscape. While offering innovative ways of engagement, it requires businesses, marketers and creative agencies to be agile in developing business models that guide the "new thinking processes" in marketing.

A 360-degree business view is essential to help organisations and marketing teams navigate this fast-changing terrain. All while keeping a strategic eye on business goals, industry trends, customer behaviours, and implementation channels to drive business growth and brand meaning.

Chartered Marketers (CM) seek to drive return on marketing investment (ROMI) and client engagement supported by reliable data – a differentiator in a tough economy.

Relationship between effective marketing and business success is clear

"As a CM, the relationship between effective marketing and business success is clear. However, I also notice that many midsized South African businesses need help,” she says.

“I have recently encountered numerous mid-sized companies that can't afford to permanently appoint a Marketing Director or a Chief Marketing Officer. Thus, strategic marketing often falls on the shoulders of business owners or other team members, leading to inconsistent or ineffective marketing processes and hurting the business's bottom line.”

“I've also noticed overwhelmed marketing teams required to implement tactics without clear strategic goals. Vague strategies and positioning cause strain on already tight marketing budgets, negatively affecting innovation and competitive advantage.

“Likewise, companies often need someone to perform at a marketing leadership level to define and drive their organisation's 'marketing way', a core CM function. Clear strategy and positioning lead to synergy between brand promise, customer expectation and brand perception, bridging the gap from strategy to creative implementation.

Providing an outsourced Marketing Director and Chief Brand Officer role

“This is why I provide an outsourced Marketing Director and Chief Brand Officer role to mid-sized companies. I assist them in aligning their business strategy with their marketing strategy. I contribute specialised knowledge and skills critical for developing, executing, and integrating marketing efforts across the organisation and channels. Unlocking new opportunities and optimised resources.

“As a CM, I often act as Chief Brand Officer, directing brand positioning and meaning. I am energised when assisting companies in creating a constructive 'What if…? Why not…? What else…?' environment to drive marketing merit and organisational performance. I implement brand and marketing projects across private and public sectors, from campaign level to long-term projects," she adds. ■

E contact@celestefromearth.com

T 082 461 3748

W www.celestefromearth.com

Burger serves on the Marketing Association of South Africa (MASA) board and is the serving President of the Audit Bureau of Circulation (ABC). She lectured organisational behaviour, brand strategy, brand architecture and brand positioning on a tertiary level. She holds a BA Fine Arts and Masters in Business Leadership degrees with electives in e-commerce and services marketing.