SouthernXposure: Marketing, Advertising, Web & Advertising Tools // Adelaide, South Australia

SouthernXposure’s Managing/Marketing Director, Laura Braithwaite, has this week been accredited as a Certified Practising Marketer, and as such, an Associate of the Australian Marketing Institute.

The qualification of Certified Practising Marketer (CPM) demonstrates a high level of knowledge, professionalism, proficiency and ethics in marketing, developed through extensive marketing experience and formal qualifications, as recognised by marketing peers. It also shows a commitment to ongoing professional development, in order to maintain competitive advantage in the field.

The Australian Marketing Institute defines CPM certification as ‘the peak professional benchmark for marketers’.

Unlike tertiary qualifications, CPM is recognition of both formal education and successful application of marketing knowledge and skills. Certified Practising Marketer:

• Defines excellence in the marketing profession, balancing practical experience and conceptual thinking.
• Advances your knowledge with continued leading professional development and networking.
• Promotes the profession of marketing by recognising only qualified practitioners of marketing.

Australian Marketing Institute

Laura’s marketing strategy development skills, which have helped many businesses in a diverse array of industries, led to her certification as a CPM.

For more information about the meaning of Certified Practising Marketer accreditation, visit AMI’s website.

An article in industry journal ‘Professional Marketing’ caught my attention recently, and – as a somewhat skeptical convert to fully-fledged, devout Mac advocate – I thought I’d share it.

Laura

My favourite brand

Allyson Lowbridge, Professional Marketing, Issue no. 1 2009 April – June

Walking my dog recently in the park, I spotted a lost iPod lying in the grass and immediately felt sorry for the owner, knowing how I’d feel in the same situation. There aren’t many brands that would elicit that kind of feeling, but my discovery in the park (and subsequent attempts to track down the owner) explains why Apple is my favourite brand.

Apple personifies that brand-building nirvana – when a brand triggers real emotional responses in consumers.

From my first epiphany with Apple in the mid 1990′s at Bankers Trust – when I visited our marketing design studio and compared the sleek, white Macs with my primordially ugly PC – to the recent and total dependence on my iPhone more than a decade later, Apple has always triggered great feelings for me.

Usually it’s delight, often amazement and sometimes, I have to say, personal satisfaction, especially when I convert someone to my favourite brand.

My partner was anti-Apple, but after months of quiet prodding about the innovations, quality and downright sexiness of the products, the real clincher was when iTunes changed its rules to allow people to share its music files. Now he’s a fan. Talk about brands building relationships.

There’s a gratifying element to the brand which is not just based on the synergy of fabulous form and function of the products.

There’s also a tribal vibe that underlies Apple. You either love or hate the concept of Apple and everything it stands for, and that says something about you.

Take the Apple store in Sydney’s George Street. You experience a real sensation of being in a hi-tech Disneyland when you walk in, and dealing with staff (who call themselves “Genius” on their business cards) is a refreshing brand touchpoint. There’s no question what their favourite brand is.

When a colleague took his faulty iPhone to be checked, it was cheerfully and without hesitation replaced with a new one. Now there’s viral marketing at its best.

Great service, great products and great emotional responses – a brand that conveys everything it represents in everything it does will always get my vote.

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* For specific details about packages and prices, click here to visit the MohJoh Packages & Prices page!

Does your business sound this professional?