An invitation is extended to all marketers, corporate representatives and industry stakeholders to attend this historic event, scheduled for 5 March at The Ill Grande Theatre, Nu Metro Centre, Montecasino, Montecasino Boulevard, Fourways, Sandton, at 1.30pm for 2pm.
MASA, which came into being soon after the collapse of the Marketing Federation of Southern Africa, has been developed pro-bono by a group of concerned marketing professionals : They Enrico du Plessis, Mark Jakins, Nicola Kleyn, Nonhlanhla Koza, Ivan May, Bonang Mohale, Kheepe Moremi, Connie Nkosi, Sarah-Anne Orphanides, Jeremy Sampson and Roger Sinclair.
With draft mapping of the strategic direction now completed, Mohale, the interim board chairman, says, "We are now ready to present the organisation to the marketing industry. Ours was just an interim responsibility and industry players must now elect those officials they deem fit to lead the organisation."
According to draft proposals to be presented at the inaugural general meeting, the association will propose that the new board act as an anchor point for all stakeholders, including companies, individuals and other related specialist bodies/associations, through an interdependent partnership model with limited costs.
It is proposed that the focus should be centred on the strategic positioning of marketing and marketers among business, government and civil society. The new board's function should, among others, be to lobby, mentor and monitor the principles of self-regulation, marketing governance and related collective services through corporate representations on established entities such as the ASA, SAARF, ABC, LCA, Services SETA and others.
The organisation will ideally be positioned as a promoter of the professional marketing discipline with relevant participation in all areas of society to table formal views or stances around marketing matters of national importance, rather than being a provider.
The interim board will also table a strategy viewpoint document designed to encourage debate around the future direction of the organisation. Industry players will, besides electing a new board of directors, be requested to comment on the document that will be the responsibility of the new board to implement as part of a process to legitimise the formation of the marketing association as the industry body.
MASA has indicated that these strategic viewpoints of national importance and relevance to the marketing industry comprise of the following:
RSVP by latest 28 February 2007 to the Marketing Association at: