Leverage technology or risk extinction, Atere tells marketers
By Oghale Mafuru
Coming on the heels of the rapid technological penetration and adoption in different sectors of the economy, backed by the introduction of Artificial intelligence, AI and the internet of things, IOT, the Marketing Director of Mastercard, West Africa, Ms. Yosola Atere has advised marketers to accelerate the integration of technology in their operational models as it is imperative for survival.
Speaking passionately in Abuja at the National Advertising Conference, the Marketing Director stated that marketers must eliminate the skepticism and apathy towards technology as non-actors are on the verge of creating disruptive solutions that could possibly alter the entire marketing ecosystem.
The Marketing Director, who decried the slow adoption in the marketing industry pointed out that the new age consumer is technologically inclined and digital footprints have indicated a change in preference which is expected to be enabled by technology.
How are we leveraging tech? what are we doing? because we see the guys in the Fintech space, we hear about Fintech, what does it really mean? It is financial services sector leveraging technology. So, what are we doing within this space to leverage technology? The role of marketing must evolve. it is not about taking the product to the market anymore. So, the marketing manager is not really a marketing manager but a growth manager because you are seeing a business driver. You are seen a driver of revenue.
“We need to see how as an ecosystem; we can leverage technology to drive revenue. Mactech is a space we need to play in. we need to stop waiting on the clients to come and give us briefs. We need to start to get to the ideation stage. How can we as marketers leverage AI? How do we start to talk to the consumer who sits in a smart car?
Speaking on collaboration, she noted that it is fundamental for marketers to embrace partnership beyond the marketing communications industry given the disruptive impact of technology on every facet of human life.
“There is quite a number of sectors, we need to be partnering with to see how we can start to work closely, leverage tech to actually build revenue and build our power as a market” she said.
Commenting on how Mastercard is revolutionizing the digital payment system in Africa by delivering cutting-edge technology led solutions to consumers, Ms. Atere stated that “The core of the company is really about the customer. It is customer focused as we are concerned about how as a brand, we can enable our customers. What I have actually seen is how tech has impacted the narrative of the brand. while the fundamentals are still the same, what we have found is that we are in a highly connected environment where the consumer is hugely powerful an empowering them to consistently deliver on consumers”.
She added that technology will continue to play a vital role in the evolution of the brand as its core mandate is to continue to offer excellent services.
RECOMMENDED ARTICLES
Comment
No comments found.