The Coca-Cola Marketing Director, Austin Ufomba, has called on Nigerians to re-examine the role and potentials of marketing in the country.

In his keynote address at the monthly Breakfast forum of the Nigerian-South African Chamber of Commerce (NSACC), held recently in Lagos, Ufomba espoused the role of marketing as the major driver of economic growth in all countries of the world.

He urged Nigerians to effectively utilize marketing just as India has done through the marketing of its ‘Incredible India’ theme and what Dubai has done through utilization of its tourism potential.

Examining these case studies along with the Nigerian telecommunications industry and Walmart, Ufomba described how the aggressive and innovative marketing strategies of these different entities have greatly impacted on economic growth and GDP in their various markets.

Good marketing, Ufomba argued, entails the process of identifying, anticipating and satisfying customer requirements in a profitable way to the company.

“Every marketing effort follows the process that starts with the definition of the goal, then an insight to help you meet that goal, innovation and renovation to help you capture opportunity in different ways, commercialising these innovations to ensure that brand promises are maintained and delivered through brand experience,” he explained, noting that marketing is a social process by which individuals and groups obtain what they need and want through creating and exchanging products and value with others.

Responding to Ufomba’s presentation, Tom Bassett, the Director of the Nigerian-South African Chamber of Commerce, expressed his gratitude to the keynote speaker, stating that the presentation was a refreshing expose on marketing.

“This breakfast forum is a fantastic opportunity to receive provocative information from reliable sources. We are grateful to Coca-Cola for the enlightening presentation on marketing which has offered us a new insight that will make us better persons. We look forward to more discussions like this in the nearest future,” said Bassett.

The NSACC is the fastest growing and most vibrant bilateral chamber of commerce in the country and the Breakfast Forum is a multi-sector platform for business leaders and top managers to share knowledge on key issues in the social and economic milieu.

The Nigerian-South African Chamber of Commerce (NSACC) was established in May 2000 to serve as a forum for the advancement of the Nigeria/South Africa bilateral trade and industry. NSACC’s membership activities cover almost the whole spectrum of business activities in Nigeria including financial services, manufacturing, construction, and information technology.

Membership is spread all over the country with specific presence in Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt, Kaduna, Kano, Gombe, Ibadan, Ilorin and Onitsha.