A marketeer must satisfy and motivate

Charumini DE SILVA

Sri Lankan marketeers are second to none in the world. Our marketeers have performed excellent far and wide. The local marketeers have contributed significantly to the success of the growth of their business, People's Bank Head of Marketing and Public Affairs, Deepal Abeysekera said.

Here are his down-to-earth views:

Q: What inspired you to select marketing as your career?

A: Marketeers are very active, glamorous and popular that was the first impression, which inspired me to select marketing as my career. I started my career as a business promotion officer and the job satisfaction and commitments are what I am today.

Marketing has a specific time for the goals, which helps to measure the success of the marketer. The job satisfaction, opportunities and rich rewards that the marketeers are enjoying motivated me to decide on marketing.

Q: Being a frontliner of the company, what are the challenges you face in the field of marketing?

A: The primary challenge of a any marketeer is to align each persons effort and vision into a one direction. Marketing is the only profession that could drive the organization to its expectations. Another challenge is that a marketeer cannot be successful if he/she is not a good HR person. Marketing is all about human expectations and satisfaction.

A marketeer should always be a satisfied to satisfy and motivate his team. In addition a marketeer needs to update his/her knowledge and be sensitive to the changing needs of the market if the marketeers needs to produce innovative to the market.

Q: What is the impact of the current economic crisis on your organization?

A: We foresaw the situation and took necessary precautions therefore, the impact was minimal. People's Bank is a state organization and people became more conscious about the credibility of our organization in the recent past especially with the financial meltdown. People's Bank was their trusted financial partner and it was a great opportunity for us to prove that we always went for the long-term profits such as business and people.

Q: In many companies we often see that marketeers are not represented at boardroom meetings. What is your view?

A: Still there is truth in that and at the meantime marketeers should be multi-skilled, as they need to develop their other capabilities to get a better demand for their career. Marketeers need to work closely with the board members if they are not represented in the boardroom meetings, as it is important to share the ideas, strategic plans and information.

Q: What are the advertising strategies that you employ in your organization?

A: We are a mass market brand and whatever campaign we handle we need to assure full market segment coverage. Our advertising strategies are not only focused on creativity, but the medium and the blend of channels are also important to mention our market deficit. By offering the best services to our customers, we have captured their attention.

Q: What are the challenges you see when it comes to global branding?

A: Global branding efforts are equipped with rich resources and knowledge. Nevertheless, the marketeers can face the global market challenge if the marketeer has a good knowledge about local market and how to manipulate it. A consistent marketing effort is needed for local brands to face in the global arena. We have many local brands who are the branding leaders keeping the brand behind. There are few brands still remaining in the global arena and some companies have market their products under their local brand.

Q: What do you think about local marketeers?

A: I am proud of the local marketeers. Sri Lankan marketeers are second to none in the world. Our marketeers have performed excellent far and wide. The local marketeers have contributed significantly to the success of the growth of their business. Marketeers should be much strengthened by operating in different industries during their career lifespan and marketeers could be the best CEO's in a company.