According to the Australian Marketing Institute’s latest Directors Report and Annual Accounts, it made a net operating loss of $176,072 for the year ending 30^th June 2009 compared to a surplus of $92,340 in the previous year.

It details an operating loss built on the back of a net increase in membership of 2.8%, a 15.7% net increase in Certified Practising Marketer’s (CPM) and a 9% increase in function revenue. The loss means that the Institutes cash reserve has now been reduced by nearly a third.

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This week the Australian Marketing Institute announced the 11 successful NSW councillors to represent their fellow NSW AMI members.

It is a shame that there isn’t any representives from NSW’s second largest city or the Hunter AMI Group.

Here are the NSW councillors for 2009/10:

• President: Paul Nicolaou AFAMI CPM
• Deputy president: to be advised
• Christopher Mooney AFAMI CPM (state director to National Board)
• Nicholas Ridis FAMI CPM
• Sean Grant AFAMI CPM
• Louise Nock AFAMI CPM
• Frank Cohen AFAMI CPM
• William Scully-Power AMAMI
• Alan Sarkissian FAMI CPM
• Martyn Riddle AMAMI CPM
• MaryJane Aviles AMAMI CPM
• Michael Locke AFAMI CPM

OMG! Is it true? The Australian Marketing Institute is actually having state elections in NSW, elections where members can actually vote for real candidates. Something I’ve been calling on for years.

I would like to encourage all AMI members in NSW to VOTE! It doesn’t matter if you agree with me or not, this is your chance to make a difference and have your say in the future direction of the Institute and the marketing profession.

Image by jrbrubaker

If you are going to vote do it quickly, your ballot paper has to be returned by post or in person to the nominated address, which must be received by 5pm on 28^th September 2009.

There are 9 candidates for 5 vacancies on the NSW State Council.

Here is my ‘How to Vote Card’ for change:

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I’m not one for marketing or advertising awards. I don’t know anyone who enters them and I’m a little bit suspicious about who decides the winner. But saying that…if I was involved and won, I’m sure I’d be the first to jump up and down in self promotion.

So, I’d like to congratulate the winners of the 2009 Australian Marketing Institute Awards for Marketing Excellence for New South Wales. However, except for the NRMA campaign, I haven’t heard or seen any of the winning campaigns. 

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The Australia Marketing Institute has at last scheduled another event for the unloved marketer’s of Newcastle. Two events a year is not enough!

The ‘Strategic Perspective’ seminar brings together three speakers to present on differing aspects of strategic marketing. An artform that in my opinion is somewhat forgotten by many companies wrongly mistaking operational excellence and marketing tactics with strategic marketing.

I don’t want to give this event the marketing kiss of death, but I do hope these speakers don’t make the same mistake. I can’t wait to find out.

Al Ries and Jack Trout once made the point, “Strategy should evolve out of the mud of the marketplace, not in the antiseptic environment of an ivory tower.” I would like to make the same point to the AMI.

The Strategic Perspective seminar is planned for Tuesday 25 August 2009

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I’d like to personally thank the brains trust at the Australian Marketing Institute for pointing out the bloody obvious “Marketers should have the final say on industry positioning.”

After 70 odd years since its establishment and nearly 40 forty years since Al Ries and Jack Trout wrote a series of articles for the Advertising Age on positioning, the penny finally dropped.  The Institute has finally recognised the importance of positioning and it being a key responsibility for marketers. It’s an epiphany.

I knew there was a reason for paying my membership.

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I read with interest an article by marketing legend Al Ries titled ‘Metric Madness: The Answer to Mathematical Failure Seems to Be More Math.’

Al Ries talks about what he calls ‘Metric Madness’ a notion that companies can run everything by the numbers – especially marketing and how its becoming the hottest concept in business.

Sadly for us downunder, ‘Metric Madness’ is being championed by our very own peak industry body – the Australian Marketing Institute. They’ve been pushing it for five years.

Al Ries says “Marketing is certainly not 70% mathematics. It’s not even 1% mathematics.” Not in the hallways of our Institute.

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The King is dead. Long live the King! is a traditional proclamation made following the accession of a new monarch in various countries. With this proclamation, I hope Paul Nicolaou has a successful tenure as the AMI’s new NSW Council President.

Worst President Ever
Originally uploaded by Kier42

However, the AMI NSW Council is full of the same old faces and same old marketing ideas.

They have even elevated the OLD NSW Council President for the past three years to the position of NSW Director to the National Board.

What did he achieve over the last three years other than trying to threatening me over the phone?

Here is the new presidents plan as cut and pasted from the AMI’s Website:

“It is my intention during my term to develop strategic alliances with other similar specialist membership organisations to assist marketing professionals do their work.

Further, I will be working with fellow councillors, the National Board and the AMI’s other state councils to develop "principles and standards" in marketing practices across all facets of the marketing mix.

In addition, I will be taking a proactive approach in increasing the profile of the NSW Council in the business sector and the wider community. This will be done by participating in community debates on important issues affecting our society where marketing has an impact.

In the meantime, if you have any ideas or thoughts on our NSW Council or any other marketing issues, please feel free to email or call me. My details are nicolaou@bigpond.net.au or 0419 400 038.”

I do hope Paul Nicolaou has a successful tenure!

I’ve just received an invitation to the Australian Marketing Institute’s annual general meeting and its ‘2008 Annual Report’.

all for money
Originally uploaded by Thiru Murugan

This years AGM is focused on Value Creation Through Marketing and learning to speak the language of business, by using marketing metrics.

In the spirit of this marketing festival, I have decided to read the ‘2008 Annual Report’ and its financial statement, so I can discover what particular marketing metrics are being used by my beloved Australian Marketing Institute.

Let’s be honest, financial statements are not sexy and are design to confuse directors and stakeholders alike.

But, in my experience you do find some good stuff…just like I discovered on page 17 under the heading Members Guarantee and Revenue.

I know counting can be difficult sometimes, but I do have a few questions relating to the Australian Marketing Institute membership size. According to 2008 Annual Report: 30 June 2008 the number of members was 6,475 (2007: 5,536).

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  brand idea 
  Originally uploaded by mridea848

At last, the Australian Marketing Institute has given its member’s a clue to their vision of the future of marketing.

Roger James, chairman of the Australian Marketing Institute in this month’s issue of ‘Marketing Update’ tells us about the need to bring marketing and finance closer together.

He explains, his vision of marketing is based on a somewhat tongue-in-cheek suggestion by Tim Ambler in ‘Marketing and the Bottom Line’, that proposed a simple solution to marketing’s problem: “give finance the responsibility for marketing measurement, since that way the bean counters would be forced to learn about marketing and marketing metrics.”

And listening to a presentation by Angus McKay the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of Foster’s, the title of his presentation gives a clue to its particular interest: ‘The CFO’s Role in Brand Management’.

Yes my fellow marketer’s…the brains trust at the Australian Marketing Institute think the CFO is the best person for championing good brand management practices!!!

Our miss guided Chairman has to remember his responsibility is to the members and championing the marketing profession. It’s not to put our marketing careers under the control of the CFO.

I think Milan Kundera was right when he said “Business has only two functions – marketing and innovation.” He didn’t say “Business has only two functions – “Cash in and cash out.”

At this point, I want to mention that I’m not downplaying the importance and role CFO’s play in the corporate world. It’s just that I believe in marketing and its importance, I didn’t join the marketing profession to be a bean counter…Get my drift?

In my opinion, our so called peak marketing body has lost the plot and they want to sell the family jewels, to a bunch of accountants (with all due respect to accountants).

In layman terms, our Chairman has just removed his bicycle clips, dropped his elasticated slacks, removed his crusty Y-fronts and taken a cash receipt book from behind, just to appease a bunch of cardigan wearing over inflated egotistical accountants, who just don’t get it (with all due respect to all over inflated egotistical accountants).

Doesn’t he know that 100’s of companies and agencies all around Australia have just been put at risk, due to the Global Credit Crisis? Who put these companies at risk? The marketer…no, the CFO…YES!!!

And the Australian Marketing Institute wants to put them in charge.

I’ve read heaps of marketing books by leading marketing thought leaders like Philip Kotler, Jack Trout, Don Peppers, Seth Godin, Guy Kawasaki, David Aaker and Al Ries, but I don’t remember them suggesting we should be integrating marketing with the finance department. 

How many companies are taking this radical idea? Our Chairman said “At this stage Foster’s is likely to be the exception rather than the rule.” With all due respect to our Chairman, if he had any experience in explaining marketing theory or pitching key marketing concepts to a CFO…he would understand why Foster’s is the only brand silly enough to hand over a key marketing function to the finance dude (with all due respect to Foster’s CFO).

In any case, CFO’s don’t have the time to manage the marketing team, CFO’s are to busy spending their time investing (losing) the company profits and cash reserves on the sub-prime mortgage market and/or manipulating their company’s financial performance and profitability metrics, before they go into retirement or gaol.

What next? A merger with the Charter Accountants.

But wait, that might be a good idea…rather than being a CPM, we could all become CPA’s…that’ll be good, we may gain some respect.

Marketing’s 4 P’s would become Price, Profitability, Performance and Productivity. The 4 C’s would become Cost, Capital, Counting and Crisis or Credit, Currency, Constraint and Consequences.

A leader must be able to gain respect for his vision and as a person. A leader is a dealer in hope. The Australian Marketing Institute is dealing in defeatism.

I’d like to leave you with a few words from our Chairman on his vision “there is a good argument that this approach should be increasingly adopted by Australian businesses. Let’s hope so; marketing will be the better for it.”

In the words of Gordon Whitehead mmktg, afami,cpm: “CRAP!” You haven’t presented an argument, all you’re trying to do is justify the AMI leadership’s fixation with marketing metrics program and marketing will not be better for it.

I said final word, but I can’t stop.

Yes, we all know marketers have to speak the language of business and achieve return-on-investment, but the role of the Australian Marketing Institute is to champion marketing and marketers, not give up on marketing because CFO’s just don’t get it or can’t be bothered to change.

To read the offending article in the AMI’s ‘Marketing Update’ go to www.ami.org.au. Be quick they might remove it.