THE COMMUNICATION FORUM FOR MAURITIAN PROFESSIONALS

Transcription

REVIEW 2014
A N D
T H E
C H A L L E N G E S
W E
FAC E
I N
2 0 1 5
ISSUE 18: ANNUAL REVIEW 2014
THE COMMUNICATION FORUM
FOR MAURITIAN PROFESSIONALS
The marketing community in Mauritius is supported by the following leading firms:
FOUNDING SPONSORS
RADIO ONE The premiere private radio in Mauritius with a strong culture of listening to its audience. Radio
One broadcasts quality news and information while delivering relevant and innovative radio programmes
and events. Contact: Radio ONE, VIVA VOCE Limitée, 3, Rue Brown Séquard, Port Louis. Tel: +230 211 4555.
Fax: +230 213 4946. Web: www.r1.mu
TNS ANALYSIS Part of Taylor Nelson Sofres Group - leading socio-economic and marketing research
consultancy agency operating in the Indian Ocean Region (Madagascar, Mauritius, Reunion island, Mayotte,
Seychelles and Comoros). Contact: 1st Floor, Ebene Skies, Ebene, Mauritius. Tel: +230 202 0055 Email: info@
tnsanalysis.com Web: www.tnsglobal.com
WATIWALA EMARKETING We e-mail your marketing messages to individuals and corporate clients
resulting in immediate and measurable market feedback
Contact: 40a, Route du Jardin, Curepipe, Mauritius.Tel: +230 5448 9999, +230 5449 8899 Email: sales@
watiwala.com Web: www.watiwala.com
EVENT CREATORS Offers full fledge event services and logistics from conception to completion, managed
by specialists in specific fields. Our mission is to make of each event a UNIQUE experience for all stakeholders.
Contact: Royal Road, Mont Fleury - St Pierre Tel: 433 4440
TOP FM TOP FM is one of the leading radio stations with high percentage of loyal listeners across several
segments of the Mauritian radio audience. We are an essential media choice for every marketing manager.
Contact: 7th Floor, The Peninsula Caudan, 2A Falcon Street, Port Louis. Tel: +2302132121 Fax: +2302132222
Email: [email protected]
HAREL MALLAC TECHNOLOGIES LTD
Harel Mallac Technologies Ltd is a leading regional technology company focused on delivering business and
technology solutions. Established since 1988, the company is a subsidiary of Harel Mallac Group.
Contact: 18 Edith Cavell Street, Port Louis, Mauritius. Tel: +230 207 3200 | Fax: + 230 207 3232 Email: info@
hmtechnologies.mu Web: www.hmtechnologies.mu
DEFI MEDIA Le Défi Media Group is a leading publisher of newspapers and magazines including Le Défi
Plus, News on Sunday, Défi Turf, Défi Quotidien, Hebdo, Le Dimanche, Star, Vision, Défi Immobilier and
Défi Moteur. The group also runs a Web TV, online advertising and mass mailing services. Contact: 48
Labourdonnais Street, Port Louis Tel: 211 8131/507 0666 Fax: 213 0959. Web: www.defimedia.info
FLOWER AD Flower AD is a Mauritian owned company specialized in billboards. Born in 2008, we propose
4x3m billposting networks (120 boards) and Long Conservation boards of different dimensions from 6x3m to
11x4m. Contact: Industrial Zone, Phoenix. Tel: +230 6969 9900 Email: [email protected]
GEDDION Geddion help our clients with every phase of a CRM project, from strategy and design to
implementation. Geddion is the leading Microsoft CRM provider in Mauritius offering both on-premise and
cloud-based platforms. Contact: Tommy Djarlo, Director-Geddion Ltd. The Junction - Calebasses Tel: +230
594 14242 Email: [email protected]
LOGOS PUBLICITY Incorporated on 17 November 1987 as a fully-fledged advertising and communication
agency by offering a wide spectrum of quality services. Contact: 18, Rouget Avenue, Soreze, Pailes, Rep. of
Mauritius. Tel. (230) 286 7330. Email: [email protected]
CREAD Cread is a 360 degrees lead marketing communications agency. Affiliated to FCB Worldwide, its
services range from Branding & Design, Retail Marketing, Creative Advertising to Consumer Insights and
Strategic Planning. Contact: Les 5 Palmiers, Royal Road, Beau Bassin, Mauritius, Tel: (+230) 454 6414, 454
6424, 454 6456 Fax: +230 454 6405 Email: [email protected], Website: www. fcb.com
POSTER GRAPHICS Poster Graphics, set up in 2004, is a fully-fledge visual communication company and is
the only vertically integrated company offering graphics solutions under one roof.
Contact: Indira Gandhi Road, Les Pailles, Mauritius Tel: +230 286 0334, 35 Fax: +230 286 0332 Email: info@
postergraphics.mu Website: www.postergraphics.mu
HATCHINGS Hatchings specialises in business development through marketing practice and is an affiliate
of “africapractice”, the leading development firm in Africa. Contact: Moka Business Centre, Moka. Tel: +230
4069622, Email: [email protected] Web: www.hatchings.mu
ARSENIUS PRINTING Providing premium services and quality products since the past 25 years.
Contact: B1, DBM Industrial Building, La Tour Koenig, Pointe aux Sables. Tel. +230 234 2413 / Fax: +230 234
1793 Email: [email protected]
2 | MARKETING MAG ISSUE 18: ANNUAL REVIEW 2014
www.marketingmag.mu
Support Marketing MAG. Subscribe for FREE
With such a vibrant and dynamic body of marketing
and communications professionals in Mauritius,
MarketingMag continued to flourish in its second
year of publication, firmly establishing itself as THE
industry platform for news and views, as well as a
showcase for the community’s creative output.
On a month-to-month basis over the past year, we
have been able to focus on the personalities and the
issues that rightly thrust Mauritius into the forefront
of creative marketing expertise in this part of the
world. What follows in this SPECIAL ANNUAL ISSUE
is a review of those 12 months in MarketingMag,
CONTENTS
4
MAURITIUS MARKETING
Challenges for Mauritius marketing professionals
identified during the MarketingMag Forum and the
proposed development direction.
7
REVIEW 2014
By no means all-encompassing, we hope it provides a
“taste” of what the magazine has achieved so far and
the part it is continuing to play in the development
of the profession – and by extension our island
economy.
Short outline of new developments in 2014 the
Mauritian market, new products, services, notable
events and initiatives + columnists
In summary it was a landmark year for the marketing
community in Mauritius as the country welcomed top
international “gurus” such as Tom Peters, has seen
some leading local brands change hands, a number
of new innovative products being launched, and was
also a special year for political marketing specialists
who had a chance to pitch to the whole country.
Local and international
MarketingMag in 2014
This year was also the first time that the marketing
professionals got together to debate the issues
relating to the marketing profession during the
MarketingMag Forum in September 2014.
We wish to thank all of you who are rading the
magazine, following the Facebook page and have
subscribed. On your behalf we wish to thank those
who have contributed to such a wealth of content.
Special recognition goes to members of our monthly
Freshly Brewed meeting who have given us invaluable
direction and insight. We also recognise the valour
and boldness of all who supported MarketingMag
Forum and in particular the speakers who have
stepped forward to prove that Mauritius has so much
to offer.
Finally, MarketingMag has been made possible by
our sponsors, who beleive in Mauritius marketing
professionals as a fraternity and as a major
development force in our country.
Wishing you a fruitful and marketing-able 2015.
Yours MarketingMag
www.marketingmag.mu
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20
THE MARKETING PEOPLE
leaders
profiled
in
CREATIVES@WORK
Advertising campaigns we remember
25
BRAND PANELIST
Eight brands profiled in the past year
Published by Hatchings Ltd
Moka Business Centre, Moka, Mauritius
T: (230) 406 9622.
Editorial contributions:
[email protected]
Sponsorship & advertising:
Kanja Ristic
M: 59814023
[email protected]
Complaints, ideas, comments:
Deyan Ristic, Executive Director
M: 57274343
E: [email protected]
COUNSULTING EDITOR
Mike Lynch
DESIGNER
Nawfal Allybocus
ISSUE 18: ANNUAL REVIEW 2014 MARKETING MAG | 3
MAURITIUS
MARKETING
Clear vision of the way forward
A blueprint has emerged of the challenges – and
solutions – facing the profession in Mauritius following
the Marketing Mag Forum. We call it WHITE PAPER
2015 – MAURITIUS, THE WAY AHEAD.
motivating and an obvious delight for the 70-strong
audience, proving that while there is value in transfer of
knowledge from abroad, we already have much to offer
in Mauritius.
The theme of the Forum, in September, was Mauritius
Marketing Ability, which aimed to identify the strengths
that have served us well but also to pinpoint problems
and challenges we are facing - and possible solutions.
The quality of the presentations during the Forum were
praiseworthy, but the organisers were even more proud
of the heated debates and quality of comments and
conclusions that followed.
Here at Marketing Mag, we are deeply convinced that
for Mauritius to successfully expand into Africa, we
need the support of world-class marketing. Indeed, the
marketing industry could become another pillar of the
economy, bringing with it a range of regional marketing
businesses and generating high-skill jobs in the process.
The White Paper inspired by the Forum is testament to
the ingenuity and ability of the nine Forum speakers who
are all practising the business of marketing in Mauritius.
They
were
thought-provoking,
controversial,
The debates were focused on finding ways for Mauritian
marketers to take a leadership position among the
already strong marketing competition from South
Africa, Kenya, Nigeria, India and Dubai.
The audience, from all walks of marketing, were
convinced that Mauritius can and will accept this
challenge – and be in the vanguard of marketing
innovation and creativity.
www.marketingmag.mu
Obstacles
But they were also realistic and even critical about
the current situation, where a number of areas were
identified as the most pressing and in need of urgent
attention:
• Quality of marketing management and the
disempowering of marketing professionals in
corporations, as well as lack of marketing directors
on boards.
• Lack of innovation caused by a reluctance to have an
open debate that holds back realistic assessment of
the quality of customer engagement and retention
• Risk-averse culture amongst CEOs, which retards
a culture of innovation that would provide an
opportunity to generate world-class brands.
• Shortage of branding professionals and a lack
of understanding of brand issues amongst
non-marketing management that limits quality
promotion.
• Sales professionals were as identified as one of
the driving forces behind revenue, yet the sales
profession is perceived as one of the least respected
amongst professions.
• Reluctance to automate marketing processes and, in
particular, lack of customer relations and database
management capacity.
• In order to successfully promote abroad, we need
a deeper understanding of the African market and
have the ability to speak in the tones and images
that are relevant to audiences abroad.
• It was concluded that there is a general lack of
confidence among marketing professionals, who
are poor at promoting themselves which causes
companies to doubt their own capacity thus often
giving preference to overseas-based firms over
local companies.
• At the Forum, the long list of negatives and
shortcomings was by no means seen as
demotivating simply because all participants clearly
backed Mauritius and hailed decades of successful
leadership for bringing the country to where it is
today.
• There is no doubt that political and business leaders
have developed the country into a successful
economy, and the marketing profession has played
its part, both locally and overseas. Mauritius is in the
top 20 strongest country brands in the world.
www.marketingmag.mu
SOLUTIONS
The challenges presented at the Forum were taken
head-on and a number of solutions were identified and
proposed.
Understanding the marketing profession
Lack of understanding of what marketing does was
seen as one of the main stumbling blocks for future
development. Fingers were pointed at ourselves and it
was agreed that this White Paper would be good place
to start in sharing with the marketplace what marketing
is about. It was agreed that the White Paper would be
voted on by those in the Forum audience and the public
and presented for the next Forum, due in March, with
relevant comments and suggestions.
Defining marketing jobs
All participants agreed that marketing professionals
should work closely with relevant government
bodies, but even more so with the HR Association,
to better define the job descriptions and titles
within the marketing profession. This would help the
current confusion between different titles, whereby
professional marketing titles are often bestowed on
managers without marketing experience or education.
Along the same lines, it was concluded that a relevant
job classification would help sales practitioners as well.
However, for companies to attract sales professionals
of higher quality and profile from Mauritius and
overseas, companies must give more prominence to the
salespeople they already employ, promoting sales jobs
as well suited for those who wish to control their own
income potential.
Marketing people in the Boardroom
In order to get marketing people into Boardrooms, it
was agreed that it would be best to work with financial
professional and education institutions to formulate
minimum standards in terms of knowledge of financial
management. Marketing professionals, like those at the
Forum, concluded that many marketing practitioners
are often financially semi-literate and must understand
that the purpose of marketing is not to spend money
but to use marketing budgets to generate revenue and
profits.
(a) In cooperation with educational professionals,
primary and secondary education has to include the
enhancement of creative thinking and debating in
mainstream educational techniques rather than optional
and supplementary courses. Students are leaving the
current education system more capable of repeating
data than being able to think and provide solutions.
(b) The business and political community must provide
“soft” innovation funds that would mitigate the risk of
innovation in order to make CEOs less risk-averse.
With the shared cost of failures, which are unavoidable
in innovation (nine attempts to get one start-up????),
companies may be more willing to innovate. Much
also depends on educating company non-executive
directors on the importance of innovation and giving
CEOs dedicated funding for innovation.
(c) To understand overseas markets, our own current
and future leaders need to travel overseas for business
and cultural interaction. Posting current and future
young managers for training overseas would be
essential to gain a wider understanding of the markets
we are targeting. This would have to be a joint action
between various ministries, professional associations
and corporates. Sending marketing professionals for
overseas placement should be treated on the same
footing as local training.
During the debates, some particularly strong voices
came from members of the ACA (Association of
Communication Agencies) who were supported by
the rest of the participants when urging that having
marketing management professionals better organised
(e.g. an association) would improve interaction with
agencies.
In conclusion, marketing practice in Mauritius is already
strong but by encouraging its further development, we
all stand to gain, Mauritius as a country included.
As long as marketing professionals are not considered
financially savvy and profit-driven, there will be no place
for them around Boardroom tables.
Innovation is the way forward
As long as a local culture of innovation is absent, we will
always be forced to be distributors of foreign brands
rather than franchising our own brands overseas. But
for innovation to happen, we need to address three
areas:
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REVIEW 2014
Mauritius marketing professionals in action
IFRAMAC MERCEDES-BENZ
currently being used by millions of
loyal customers in Oceania, Europe,
Asia and Africa. Corum is making
the difference by enabling business
to use their platform on a “pay as
you go” model, without having to
invest on expensive hardware and
software.
FORTIS CLINIQUE DARNE IN
GRAND BAY
This year saw the opening of
Iframac’s Mercedes-Benz World, a
new showroom based in Phoenix les
Halles. One of the biggest German
marque’s showrooms in the region, it
is more than 1,800sq.m. and capable
of displaying more than 20 cars
from the iconic brand. MercedesBenz is one of the most well-known
automotive brands in the world, and
is also the world’s oldest automotive
brand still in existence today.
The legendary three-point star
celebrated its 128th anniversary in
2014.
CORUM COMES TO MAURITIUS
Recently, several major retailers
introduced their own customer
loyalty programme in order to
retain their customers and face
the growing competition among
local players. Corum Mauritius is a
subsidiary of Corum International,
one of the leading providers of
customer loyalty programmes in
East Africa. The company provides
a cloud-based platform that is
Columnist
Deepa Manrakhan
Brand Manager at Grays
www.marketingmag.mu
Fortis Clinique Darné opened a
satellite branch at Grand Bay La
Croisette equipped with a 24/7
Emergency Department. Services
at the Centre include consultations,
laboratory
investigations,
radiological
examinations,
endoscopy, stress test, kinesitherapy
and Ambulance, the magazine was
told in May by Yajna Seewooruthun,
Assistant Manager - Strategy and
Communication.
CUSTOMER ENCHANTMENT
TNS Analysis (a member of Taylor
Nelson Sofres) introduced a
new service called Customer
Enchantment. The main elements of
Overall, with digital marketing, the sky and
your imagination are the limits. As usual with
any marketing tools, there are budgetary
concerns. However, digital marketing can be
more affordable because it consumes more
labour hours. You can decide to use a whole
plethora of digital marketing assets if you
have enough funds and hands on deck, but
you still need to be able to assess if the digital
marketing asset you are investing in is relevant
to your consumers. At the end of the day, all
your digital assets need to converge.
the new tool for driving the quality
and effectiveness of customer
engagement are:
• Customers want to be listened
to and want to be reassured.
• Your customers want you to
SHOW that you CARE
• Your customers want the gift of
time
• Master the art of accessibility:
give back the sense of control
to the customer
• Excitement: Whisper when
others shout
• Honour your promise
• In case of service failure,
welcome
complaints
as
opportunities
In delivering the Customer
Enchantment service, TNS Analysis
has partnered with TNS Global,
Analysis Institute of Management
and Rogers Learning Center.
MICROSOFT ACQUIRES NOKIA
DEVICES
Microsoft and the Nokia Devices
and Services business came
together this year to deliver a
family of devices and services that
will, we are told, delight consumers
and empower businesses. The
acquisition was approved by Nokia
shareholders and by governmental
regulatory agencies around the
world. The completion of the
acquisition marked the first step in
bringing these two organizations
together as one team.
ACA
IS
BORN…
The future of marketing communication
MARKETING
MAG
was
privileged to attend the launching
of
the
ASSOCIATION
OF
COMMUNICATION AGENCIES
MAURITIUS
(formerly
the
Association
of
Advertising
Agencies), which presented its new
image and direction.
What remained unchanged, though,
was the obvious passion retained by
the heads of agencies at the meeting
with the press.
The “new” association is led by an
executive committee of eight. Its
new name reflects the changes
in the industry, in which the
lines between different types of
promotion have been blurred and
many different forms of promotion have funnelled into a singular purpose
of communicating the brand.
LABEL 60 FROM BRANDACTIV
BrandActiv, a subsidiary of IBL group,
introduced on the local market a
new breed of French poultry, yellow
chicken Landes, raised without
antibiotics or animal meal. With
47,200 tons of chicken produced
locally each year, the sector is highly
competitive. BrandActiv wanted
opportunity to corner a market
segment of consumers that are
looking for healthier food.
VOILA MEETING POINT
It signals the time to gather wider membership from ostensibly different
business lines that are all, in their own way, involved in brand communication.
the former AAA was reserved for advertising agencies; the new ACA now
welcomes a range of business including digital communication, branding,
PR, shopper engagement etc.
The short-term objectives of the ACA were outlined by the president of the
association, florent Beusse of Atoba Ltd., who later gave Marketing Mag a
brief history of his career so far.
“I studied at “ecole estienne” in Paris then (gained experience) through the
marketing jobs I had throughout the years working with different brands.”
Florent said of marketing that it is a “passionate vehicle that allows a greater
understanding of the society in which we are living, and its unexpected
nuances”.
When asked how well marketing professionals are positioned in Mauritius,
the Atoba chief said: “It all depends on the companies they are working
for and what their profiles are. In certain businesses, marketing is almost
non-existent as the focus is more on sales, whereas there are others where
marketing is the driving force of the business.”
And as he now steers the ACA into a new era, florent and his fellow
communications specialists have the opportunity to contribute to Mauritian
expansion efforts in the region, not just in exporting their own services but
primarily in making Mauritian companies more competitive locally and
overseas.
In this, current and future members of ACA are experts and unifying their
efforts under one association signals a time of change, and improvements
in the way we market, innovate and communicate, as individual businesses
and as a nation.
8 | MARKETING MAG ISSUE 17 DECEMBER 2014
ENL Lifestyle and INUN interior
designers
introduced
Voila
Meetings at Voila Hotel Bagatelle,
which is described as a uniquely
versatile, integrated events solution.
For meetings and events organisers
looking for a space to inspire
innovation and explore ideas more
creatively, Voila Meetings believes
it has come up with the perfect
concept in an extremely flexible area
of 300 sq. metres
SURAT’S NEW KIWI FRUIT
A new variety of kiwi fruit was
introduced in Mauritius. Sun Gold
kiwi by new Zealand’s Zespri has
three times the vitamin C levels of
an orange and, measured weight
for weight, has five times more
nutrients than an apple. in addition,
the new kiwi is much sweeter than
its green predecessor.
The new fruit has been brought in by
www.marketingmag.mu
REVIEW 2014
Columnist
Based in Miami & New York (USA), Sidney is a specialist in Brand Development &
Strategy helping companies & individuals to clearly define “who they are”.
It is virtually impossible to look at any magazine or watch a media outlet without
witnessing an individual or company in the middle of brand implosion. As of late, I have
opted for a life sans TV in an attempt to exit the freeway before the building is ripped
to shreds. That said, I completely understand the voyeuristic appeal of watching these
events. The implosion of one’s brand can be caused by a variety of different factors
(changing demands, lack of customer focus, etc.) However, in my opinion, most of these
brands implode for one reason and one alone: Comfortability!
Sidney Evans
40 countries and regions of Africa,
particularly South Africa, Mauritius,
Nigeria, Kenya and north Africa.
TOP ENTREPRENEUR 2014
SKC Surat, the leading importer and
distributor of fruits in Mauritius,
who introduced kiwi fruit to
Mauritius more than three decades
ago
CIM FINANCE CARD DEAL
A partnership between Cim Finance
and UnionPay, which began in 2012,
took another step forward in the
year under review with the launch
of Cim UnionPay credit cards. This
made Cim Finance the first in Africa
to issue such credit cards. UnionPay
cards are acceptable in more than
www.marketingmag.mu
Blast Communications’ Aisha AlleeMosaheb won the Entrepreneur
of the Year 2014 Award. Not only
is it a first for her company, a press
relations and public relations
agency started 10 years ago, but
also she is the first woman to
obtain this prestigious prize. The
winner was determined by a survey
conducted by TNS Analysis amongst
entrepreneurs and the criteria
for the award included financial
progression of the company,
innovation in terms of services,
regional dynamism, and corporate
responsibility.
ROBOTIC-ASSISTED SURGERY
Apollo Bramwell took the ingenuity
award home in our books by
introducing a surgical robot to
Mauritius. This makes ABH and
Mauritius a premier healthcare
destination
because
Robotic
assisted surgery is highly sought
after in the international medical
markets.
The da Vinci Robot is impressive,
futuristic-looking system is only
the second in Africa. Operated by
experienced French surgeons, the
da Vinci surgical system can act
on parts of the body where there
is limited manoeuvering space.
“The da Vinci Robot can perform
particularly delicate operations
that require a high degree of
accuracy. The advantages of robotic
surgery include minimal bleeding,
a decreased need for medication,
shorter recovery time and smaller
incisions, which therefore cause
less scarring,” said Dr. Denis Janelle,
Senior Consultant in Urology and
expert in robotic surgery
TASTE AND ENJOY
The
Labourdonnais
distillery
launched a new range of rum
products targetting newcomers
to the world of rum the younger
financially
independent,
and
the connoisseurs keen to taste
something different from traditional
rum. The ranges of rum offered by
REVIEW 2014
Columnist
Darlene Lam
Darlene is a part-time lecturer in marketing
at the University of Mauritius, and is an active
director on several Mauritian companies and
one of the experts of Hatchings Ltd.
‘No matter how great your products in terms of
attributes and qualities, if you do not get your
targeted customers to purchase them, then
something is amiss. We are all in business to
make profits. The calculation is simple: If you
have invested in developing a product, then you
should have return on investment, both in the
short- and long-term.’
the distillery are specially made
from pure sugar cane juice giving
them an authentic taste, evident by
the Golden and Silver awards won
by the Labourdonnais during the
Berlin Rum Festival.
90 YEARS OF MAURICE
PUBLICITE
Maurice Publicité Ogilvy & Mather,
the pioneer advertising agency in
Mauritius, marked 90 years in the
business by organising a DETOX
Workshop on the latest trends
and the perspectives of digital
communication. The interactive
conference was entitled “DETOX –
digital therapy for your brand”, and
attracted 120 clients and partners of
the agency. In charge of proceedings
was Dave Duarte, internationallyknown expert from the Ogilvy
Digital Marketing Academy in South
the bank engages with both new and
existing customers. Using the active
waiting area shows the advantage
of integrating technology with the
customer journey in line with an
exciting vision of the global digital
revolution that is transforming
banking as well as identifying
opportunities to make further
advances
in
customer-facing
products
Africa and other experts, including
John Cooper, Executive Chairman
of Rocketseed Ltd.
APOLLO IN BLACK RIVER
Apollo Bramwell Hospital has set
up a clinic in Black River to provide
general medicine practice, pharmacy,
emergency and ambulatory services
to the West and South Coast
of Mauritius. Minor emergency
procedures, daycare service, patient
referrals, evacuation points on top
of outpatient services and booking
services for diagnostics are, some of
the services that will be available.
The clinic will be open seven days
a week from 10h to 18h with an
emergency vehicle on site.
AFRASIA FLAGSHIP BRANCH
AfrAsia Bank launched its new
branch at Ebene in October at
NeXTeracom, Ebene.flagship and
customers visiting can experience
the opportunity of using the new
branch’s state-of-the-art technology.
This flagship branch’s focus is on
enhancing the AfrAsia customer
experience and transforming how
In most organizations, sales efforts are focused
on looking for new customers with little
attention being paid to existing customers. Yet
there is gold in your customer base waiting to be
mined. Not only do you miss out on lost revenue
when you ignore this, but you also reduce your
return on investment even though you probably
spent a lot of money acquiring your customers.
What is customer attrition costing your
business? If you are like most companies, the
average number of customers that stop doing
business with you is about 20% annually. To
achieve just a 10% increase in sales you have to
Jane Delorie
Principal Consultant add 30% more customers!
METROPOLITAN’S HELLO
DOCTOR
Metropolitan Mauritius announced
to its corporate clients that it has
secured subscription to “Hello
Doctor”, an online personal
health portal, giving free access
to the portal services to those
who hold health insurance cover
through Metropolitan Mauritius.
This initiative is part of the
Metropolitan’s Corporate Wellness
Partnership programme. Hello
Doctor provides quick, easy and
convenient way for its subscribers
to take control of their own health
Columnist
- like having a personal medical
expert at your disposal 24/7. Hello
Doctor subscribers get professional,
confidential and trusted guidance
through its online library of health
and wellness articles, live chats and
personal interaction with a pool of
doctors.
Evolution Africa
www.marketingmag.mu
REVIEW 2014
JUPITER MAURITIUS
MORE QUALITY SHOPPING
The Jupiter Drawing Room, a group
of independent agencies involved
in communication, marketing and
advertising, and founded in 1989
in South Africa, has announced its
expansion in Mauritius with a new
agency called The Jupiter Drawing
Room & Partners (Mauritius). Itis
led by Aisha Allee, founder and
Director of Blast Communications.
Krishen
Maurymoothoo
and
Fayaaz Lallmohomed, are Senior
Art Director and Creative Director
respectively of this new agency.
SCULPTURE THE BRAND
Branding
professionals
were
surprised by an unlikely branding
innovator a company in a metal
sector.
Galvanising
Company
Limited staff and management used
metal sculptures made out of scrap
metal to interpret their brand.
Columnist
Steven Tulman
www.marketingmag.mu
In the retail sector Belgian
manufacturer Manutti a specialist
in outdoor luxury furniture opened
its first shop on the Island whilst
Curepipe witnessed the opening
of an innovative new shopping mall
concept called S’Mall & Chic, with
local artisans and a tea lounge all
under one roof. Roche Bobois, a
famous French brand presented
a new collection at Circle Square
Forbach.
EDUCATION PARTNERSHIP
The education sector was boosted
with famous French school Sciences
Po Aix in partnership with Lycee
la Bourdonnais having launched
a three-year Bachelor in Political
Sciences programme.
NPCC BRINGS WORLD TO
MAURITIUS
NPCC continued its efforts to
raise the levels of competence and
has organized one day workshop
with Tom Peters, world renowned
strategist and marketing guru in
May. Just a few months later they
also brought in management expert
Professor Robert Kaplan who
presented a balanced score card at
the one day work shop at Trianon
Convention Centre.
REWARDS PROGRAMME
Xperience,
a
subsidiary
of
Medscheme Mauritius, unveiled
its latest offers: “Xperience Care
Plus”, “Xperience Bliss”, “Xperience
Care”, “Xperience Laureate” and
“Xperience Medicash”. In addition to
general cover, these new solutions
also enable the insured to enjoy
rewards to stay in good health and
improve their well- being through a
“Loyalty & Rewards Programme”.
Steven Tulman is the Vice President of Strategy and Business Development ICM
Consulting & Media Corporation Sales & Marketing Strategist, Investor, Leadership &
Business Coach, Author, Public Speaker. Defining success by helping companies grow
their business.
With over 10 years of experience of building and leading both inside and outside sales
divisions, Steven understands what it takes to build, lead, and manage a successful
sales division. He believes, more than any other single factor, a company’s success is
determined by the quality of its leadership. Since most organizations live and die by
the performance of their sales and marketing departments, he believes that it is crucial
that companies have the right management and leadership in place to ensure that they
meet and surpass their financial growth targets.
AN AUDIENCE WITH TOM PETERS
“Being young and brave I pursued “WOW” in my own
management turfs with variable success.
Sometimes the outcomes were financially disastrous
and sometimes very profitable, but I had a lot of fun and
joy doing it. So attending the event was both a trip down
memory lane and a challenge for future thinking and
planning.”
Deyan’s verdict on the workshop: “Like many others, I
walked out of the workshop pleased I had attended, my
iPad full of notes on how I could impress my customers
and develop my people, but most importantly how I
could reignite my own passion and truly enjoy what I am
doing.
“Of the many examples Tom Peters gave us, one is by far
the most impressive: Tom himself; the energy with which
this 73-year-old delivered his convincing messages and
his determination to conduct yet another excellent
workshop was overwhelming and humbling.
One of the highlights of this magazine’s year was
meeting world-class speaker Tom Peters, the “Red Bull
of Management”, brought to the island by the National
Productivity and Competitiveness Council (NPCC).
While this was not Tom’s first visit to Mauritius, the
NPCC team was obviously determined to excel and,
according to our Executive Director Deyan Ristic, they
certainly demonstrated above-average marketing,
planning and execution skills.
As Deyan wrote in the April-May issue of the magazine:
“MarketingMag met the NPCC team at their offices
a week before the event. energetic, eager to succeed,
young and knowledgeable is the impression we carried
away… Whoever put this team together obviously knows
how to build teams and how to keep them motivated.
“Tom Peters has spent his career challenging businesses
to strive for excellence. the NPCC team has taken him
seriously and succeeded in their own way.”
But what of Tom Peters himself, author of the 1994
breakthrough book, “The Pursuit of WOW!”?
Here’s what the magazine’s Executive Director wrote,
after admitting that “seeing and hearing” the man in
person was a 20-year-old dream of his: “Like many of
my generation, I started being influenced by Tom in the
early 1990s (last century!) when I came across his book
on excellence... It really clicked with me and shaped my
thinking and actions as a fledgling manager.
“He has delivered more than 3,000 workshops since he
started his career, yet seems more passionate about his
workshop in Pailles and more determined to ensure that
every one of his clients in the room was “wowed” than
many of us are about our own businesses and careers even on our best days.”
MarketingMag also had the opportunity to meet Tom
during a post-workshop press conference. We asked
him if, after the years of promoting excellence, there
are companies which are managing to live up to the
standards.
He replied: “the tendency is to talk about General
Electric or someone like that and that’s not really the
point. Among the bigger companies, and I hate to use
American examples but that’s where my knowledgebase is best, I talked about an airline called Southwest
Airlines, I talked about a couple of retail companies
that are not in particularly exotic businesses - like
groceries and like helping people to put shelves in their
apartments.
“I think there are any number of big companies and
thousands of small companies. I would be shocked if I
get a research project here (Mauritius) for a month that
I wouldn’t come across a dozen or so companies doing
very special things.
They could have only two employees and could be
serving an area that is no more than five kms or they
could be, for example, one of the big hotels that serve
the world.”
www.marketingmag.mu
THE MARKETING PEOPLE
interviews and profiles of marketing movers
DIANE CHUI CHUN LAM
Sales Manager, Radio One
The constant evolution
of
marketing
in
Mauritius is one of the
major attractions for
this bubbly executive.
In the job for two years,
Diane attributes her
success so far to gaining
a diploma and lessons
learned from a former
manager. She told this
magazine that she is able
to define customer needs “blindfolded”.
As to the status of marketing professionals, Dianes
pointed out that as most brands are also international,
most professionals have adapted the products well
to the local market “but there is always room for
improvement”.
the company’s human resources and develop new
technology tools to optimise the quality of the services
it offers.
Although well positioned in the marketplace, Xtreme has
not been immune from the difficult economic climate of
recent times, Raj said. The number of advertisers has
declined, which he puts down to the recession.
Raj accepts that the next generation will be extremely
familiar with the digital world and will certainly influence
the whole system of advertising. “Communication and
marketing will always have their place in a business and
will continue to have an impact on people’s lives,” he
added
MOHAMED MOURATSING,
CEO, TNS Analysis
Her favourite brand? Coca-Cola
RAJ AUCKLOO,
Founder, Extreme Advertising
The
Creative
and
Managing
Director
of the agency, located
near Marie Reine de
la Paix in Port Louis,
before
starting
his
own company worked
“passionately” in graphic
design and art direction
for agencies such as
Maurice
Publicite,
Circus and Atoba.
A fervent supporter of the Association of Advertising
Agencies (now the ACA), he is a past winner of the
AAA Award for Best Art Director as well as many other
accolades.
The company has a track record on the domestic market
as well as in Africa. Its regular clients include Banques
des Mascareingnes, Kellogs Cornflakes, Mauvilac,
Happy World Ltd, Indian Oil Mauritius, Rose Hill
Transport, and the Ministry of Health and Environment.
Raj’s vision, he told the magazine, is to invest more in
www.marketingmag.mu
He has been in charge of marketing since he launched
the company in 1995.
After a degree in Management, he worked as trainee
Marketing Officer, then Business Analyst and Head of
Business services prior to starting Analysis. Apart from
academic and past working experiences, he told the
magazine he enjoys reading.
“Being curious by nature, I actively promote a culture of
ideas and concepts sharing with coworkers, clients and
local as well as international authorities in Marketing
and Management. I am a member of major marketing
bodies.”
Marketing, he said, is about culture and human beings
and he enjoys stimulating, creating and reinforcing
relationships with brands and the different layers of
human needs.
“What is really stimulating,” he added, “is in fact its
dynamism; it is ever-changing and requires a good dose
of creativity and adaptability. I feel energised by the
feeling of chasing the next new idea and communicating
great messages. I love meeting people and sharing ideas,
and I love challenging myself.
When asked how Mauritius compares with the rest
of the world as far as marketing skills are concerned,
Mohamed told the magazine:
“The world is now a village, and this is not merely a
slogan. We are exposed to a similar pool of knowledge,
we attend the same conferences, webinars, read the
same books, magazines and journals and we are even
inspired by common gurus. In terms of skills, we are
at par. “However, being small in size, we have fewer
opportunities than bigger markets. On the other hand,
working in a small market we tend to gather a vast
amount of experience. Since we need to be flexible, we
develop multiple skills.”
While the boss of TNS Analysis counts years of
experience and can handle all the processes from
research to execution, he has a special preference for
technical processes – as he clearly pointed out during
the recent Marketing Mag Forum.
SEBASTIEN ROUSSET,
CEO, Flower AD
The young executive
started as a marketing
manager at Visuel Ltee
with Philippe Cervello
in 1998 and founded his
company, focusing on
outdoor billboards, in
2008.
He puts his expertise
down to “just opening
my eyes on all the
advertising campaigns
that are going on. The best marketing campaigns are
the ones that touch people deep within themselves.
So the next question is a very human one: What are
people made of? What are they experiencing inside of
themselves.
“The answer is a life journey.”
According to Sebastien, Social marketing can change
a society. “Marketing tools serving the realization of
the best of a nation. I’d like to help in this area. Started
last year with the ‘Guerizon komans par twa’ campaign
realized by FactoWE”
CELINE PLANEL,
Creative Director, Beyond Communications
Taking
charge
of
marketing
in
the
company
since
2013, Celine has a
Master of Corporate
Communication from
Science Po, Lille, and five
years of professional
experience.
She
most
enjoys
contacts with clients
so she can build true
relationships, while sorting out strategic marketing
plans are a breeze for this young lady.
AMRITA SUNASSEE,
Sales & Marketing Executive, Watiwala
Asked by this magazine
what
she
enjoyed
most about marketing,
she said: “It works in
all aspects of life! I
am amazed to always
experience the practical
side of some great
elaborate theory in a jiffy
when voiced in simple,
disconcerting terms by
people not having any
inkling about the theory
of marketing!”
She has fairly strong views about the profession
and when asked about the position of marketing
professionals in Mauritius told us: “It depends on the
sector and who we call a marketing professional. I
personally know of some non-marketing professionals
who are excellent in marketing and unfortunately some
who are just filling a post and holding the title. Some
others are called marketing professionals while in fact
they are just mere academics...
“In any case, based on personal experience, to be wellpositioned as a marketing professional, it is essential to
be multi-skilled.”
www.marketingmag.mu
JEREMY CHAROUX,
Business Development and Marketing Director,
Charles Telfair Institute
After 10 years based
in
Australia,
what
made Jeremy decide to
continue his career in
Mauritius?
“I had seen this college
growing from small
beginnings into a fullyfledged campus of
1,600 students and also
the passion and pride of
my parents (who run the
college) which I witnessed throughout that time. I guess
I reached the stage in my career where I was looking for
another challenge.
the company as a 360-degree communications agency
within the highly competitive advertising arena of
Mauritius.
The agency head said that consumers’ behaviour
has changed these past years “and we need to be
regularly updated on their new trends to get the right
opportunities to influence them. Nowadays, the digital
side of marketing is a new era and something, I feel,
which will be important to understand more clearly as it
is a very powerful marketing tool.
“There is a real need to move towards new trends of
marketing, notably through the digital sphere. This is
still very new in Mauritius and businesses tend to have a
slight distrust of it,” she added.
CHRIS BISHOP,
Managing Editor, Forbes Africa
“So the combination of having a vested interest, if
you like, and changing sectors into something more
rewarding was appealing,” he says.
According to Jeremy, the potential here is amazing.
Mauritius is well situated to become the educational
hub for Africa, but I don’t think anyone has cracked that
model yet, so there is a challenge there. I want to see the
CIT well placed to deliver that vision.”
He added in an interview with Marketing Mag: “We are
at a crucial point where we need to take action so that
we can start these efforts. There’s a model which needs
to be created – a success model that doesn’t exist at the
moment.”
Jeremy’s two priorities were clear: Unlocking the
growth potential of Charles Telfair, and enhancing the
student experience.
CHRISTINE ROCHECOUSTE-COLLET SALAUN,
General Manager, X11 Monkeys
Marketing is Christine’s
real
passion,
with
contact with customers
driving her on a daily
basis “because I know
that I will be able, with
the assistance of my
excellent team at Xii
Monkeys, to provide
solutions and tactics
that enable brands to be
at their best, as well as
focus on the reputation
war and bring along a real personality and real values
to brands”.
She told the magazine she wants to build the image of
www.marketingmag.mu
This magazine’s Executive Director Deyan Ristic had
the opportunity to talk with the well-travelled journalist
during a brief visit to Mauritius.
Chris has spent 32 years in the media, tackling print,
radio and TV. In 2011, he won South Africa’s “Sanlam
Award for Excellence in Financial Journalism” and in
1988 won the “Sir David Beattie Award” for exposing
a cover-up of an assassination attempt on Queen
Elizabeth. He has has reported for the BBC in London;
CNBC Africa; SKY News; TVNZ and the SABC.
He told Deyan: “Looking back over 20 years, if I had left
after a couple of years, maybe gone somewhere else, I
wouldn’t have thought I had failed. When I look back on
it now, the plethora of stories I have done, the amount
of work - and I have done varied work, from business to
war to unrest to financial stories - I think that certainly
I have had a well-balanced and successful career. Not
only that. The thing I love the most is that I’ve helped
many more journalists just like myself.”
And after highlighting some of his exploits in 20 years
covering the “Africa story”, Chris had some advice to
offer young journalists: “Never let the flame die inside.
Keep it going because a lot of people become very
successful then they get bored or disillusioned; then
it’s gone. Keep it going because the longer you keep
that flame going, the more chance you have to achieve
something.
“In journalism, keep your eyes and ears open, never
dismiss anyone, listen to what they say, look around
and learn. Read everything you can get your hands
on. Always respect others and respect yourself. Push
yourself. And the other stuff – don’t take money, don’t
take bribes, don’t do any of that.”
BEN JAVED
Event Creators
Along with like-minded
Patrice d’Avrincourt and
Francois Li, the former
MBC radio and TV
presenter likes to “think
out of the box”. That’s
why in 2010 he decided
to move and strike out
with Event Creators.
He
describes
the
journey: “There are two
main aspects of our
work. Internal events for companies such as end-of-year
staff parties, staff gatherings, sports days and, more and
more, team-building days. The other very important
events are those linked to communicating a company’s
brands and services, roadshows to make people aware
of products.
Creators, and its staff, as well as providing the logistics
and equipment for traditional activities, such as sound
systems, hostesses, podiums, and all the paraphernalia
that surrounds the whole gamut of events that take
place in Mauritius.
Said Ben: “We try to think completely differently from
other companies for specific events and always try
to add that small touch that makes it special, for such
occasions as staff gatherings. And with a demanding
market, developing different lines of business is
essential.”
STEPHANE CHASTEAU DE BALYON,
Founder, Capgraph
After a 10-year absence
from
Mauritius,
Stephane “jumped on a
running train” four years
ago and started his own
business which has
Branding expertise at
the core of its business.
Stephane puts his time
away from the island as
a voyage to discover the
secrets of advertising
and communication – a decision that led him to a degree
in graphic design from Montpellier University, a Masters
in Communication from Lyon and yet a further degree,
this time in management and marketing, from Sydney,
Australia, where he took his first steps in the profession.
Given his academic background and familiarity with the
different segments of communication and advertising,
why the passion for branding, Marketing Mag asked
him.
“It has become a very specialized field as companies
concentrate more and more on their main business and
let other people, the specialists in the field, organize
what the companies wish to achieve, such as promotion
of brands and products, for example.
“Event Creators are on the ground, that’s why
companies, advertising agencies and PRs associate with
companies like ourselves. Our speciality is to ensure that
all the wide palette of services we offer are delivered in
a timely fashion.”
“I guess it all started with my Dad and his work, putting
together logos, messages, etc. Branding has always
been what I have loved and what I think I do best out of
all the different aspects of the overall communications
and advertising worlds.
“For me – and I admit to a certain bias of course –
Branding is of vital importance, as important as your
name and identity. This is exactly what Branding is
– the product, the service offered by a company. For
instance,” he added “would you like someone to change
your name, or spell it incorrectly, or change your clothes
for you. I think not. It’s who you are.
“And that’s how important a Brand is. If you like your
identity, that’s how it should stay. It is exactly the same
in Branding. If a business wants people to know what
it is they do, and to have the proper perception of
the business and its products or services, that’s what
Branding is all about.”
Being “different” is the fuel that motivates Event
When asked, he said that two years from now he wants
www.marketingmag.mu
to be an international Branding consultant, “using my
company to create what I suggest. There are not too
many people in Mauritius at the moment doing what I do.
Of course, I am not the only one, but I don’t see anyone
as passionate as I am at doing my level of Branding.”
PAUL BUNTING,
Country Manager, Microsoft Indian Ocean and
French Pacific
you have to remember that we are not only Microsoft
Mauritius; it’s indian Oceans islands and French Pacific.
Our territory is nine countries, all islands except
Djibouti. you couldn’t have a wider geographical span.
And levels of expectation vary widely from customer to
customer.” Mauritius, he said, remained a priority for
Microsoft. “It remains the highest in the region from the
revenue point of view and there is a natural connection
because we have the office here, opened in 1998.
TOMMY DJARLO,
Director, Geddion Ltd.
Having arrived in Mauritius from England in 1999, he
worked for Harel Mallac for six years before moving to
Microsoft as “a large opportunity manager”.
Interviewed by this magazine, he told us: ““I found
Microsoft a real breath of fresh air. Your career
progression is determined by how hard you work, how
well you do. It was a really exciting and stimulating
environment that also provided me with an opportunity
to travel.
“I put my head down, worked as hard as I could, and
worked my way through the ranks, different positions,
new responsibilities until I was made country manager
three years ago.”
After three years in the hot seat, his summary – “I
find this role incredibly enriching, the scope is huge,
moving from building a sales plan for our enterprise
corporate accounts to looking at plans for our corporate
citizenship, to looking at the funkiness of our office in
Mauritius and making our people happy.
“Then there is the competition of course, including
piracy. In Mauritius we are close to having two products
in three being pirated; that remains something we focus
on.”
At the time of our interview, there were 35 staff in the
office in Mauritius, including eight interns as part of
the large Microsoft project 4afrika. Paul added: “But
www.marketingmag.mu
Having
established
marketing and sales
strategies for many
organisations
since
2003,
Tommy
is
well placed to build
connected processes
between
marketing
and sales to enable
organisations
to
optimize the customer
experience, from brand
promise to customer
relationship management. He told the magazine: “I
have vast experience in implementing segmentation
models, multi-channels strategies, Voice of Customer
programmes, lead management strategies, customer
journey mappings and connecting marketing and sales
processes.”
Of marketing in Mauritius, Tommy had this to say:
“You see too often that marketing departments are
more about maintaining a website, e-mail/ newsletters,
printing brochures etc. rather than embracing marketing
as an important strategic force to manage the customer
experience, loyalty and grow revenue. “I find in many
companies that the CMO is not invited or expected to
be an active participant in strategy development.”
He is keen to learn new marketing skills. “Online and
social media marketing (skills) to better understand
how this can benefit organisations to become true
omni-channel organisations with a seamless approach
to the consumer experience through all available
shopping/customer channels.” And what next for the
entrepreneur? “I think I am at the point in my career
where I work with what I love and where my passion is
– so my next step is really to continue what I am already
doing.”
Celine told this magazine she would like to learn more
about social media, while she hopes to deliver an even
better service (with a smile, she said) and sustain the
company’s development in the long term.
RICHARD STEDMAN,
General Manager of the ENL Lifestyle cluster
“At a certain age you become a mentor; this is your
responsibility in life. As you are ending your leadership
role in terms of the frontline, you can stand back and
mentor the young people who may have the same
aspirations as you once had.”
MARK DU PLOOY, RYAN ALDRIDGE
Alexander Johnson agency
He told Marketing Mag that he has a mission which is
very clear, which is for customers, predominantly in the
middle market, to expect more but spend less.
In his charge at ENL Lifestyle are Voila Bagatelle Hotel,
Ocean Basket seafood restaurants, Moka’Z coffee
Lounge and Mongo, at Les Allees d’Helvetia, Moka,
where healthy and fresh food has already attracted a
loyal following.
“We manage a growing portfolio of signature brands in
the hospitality sector. Our products and services are
high in quality, innovative in concept and good value for
money.
“Our promise to customers is that they can expect more
and yet spend less. Our brands live up to this promise
every day and continue to benefit from high levels of
patronage.”
Richard believes this is where the growth is in the
Mauritian economy. As the economy grows, the middle
market will be the engine of that growth. The wealthy
will stay wealthy, there will be fewer poor, and more
middle class – and the middle class will evolve and
become more aspirational.
“Indeed,” he told us, “there have been exponential
changes in the way people behave in just the past few
years.”
Part of ENL’s vision, as a responsible leadership
group, is to ensure that the potential of the country is
delivered. And as a highly experienced and responsible
leader, Richard – who often describes himself as 27 but
with twice the wisdom – now wants to transfer expert
knowledge and says he is very fortunate with the young
team who manage all the brands. “They absorb it all very
quickly.
Mark has been in advertising for more than 30 years
and worked for international agencies such as Young &
Rubicam and McCann Erickson on major international
brands.
Now a Mauritian citizen (he’s from South Africa), Mark
has used his expertise and experience to guide AJ
through it’s start-up and some very testing economic
times, for both the company and its clients.
Ryan is AJ’s Creative Director. Brimming with
infectious enthusiasm, he is constantly searching for
and implementing new creative ideas to introduce and
take forward. Starting in the business 16 years ago as a
junior graphic designer filing and cataloging VHS tapes,
Ryan has since worked for large internationally-aligned
agencies picking up awards from around the world.
He moved to Mauritius seven years ago.
Although both trained and worked in traditional belowand above-the-line marketing aspects, Mark and Ryan
have fully embraced new directions and thinking. They
point out how strong social media marketing can be and at minimal cost in their clients’ media budgets.
Said Mark: “Using social media marketing, Mauritius
can show just how strong it can be in the international
arena. An easy example, take a look at the reach Nando’s
Mauritius generated when we created the first Suarez
knock-off advert over a year ago. It was shared and retweeted thousands of times around the world. And the
opportunities are endless... from Miley Cyrus to Lance
Armstrong!”
www.marketingmag.mu
ALIX HERNVANN
Marketing Manager, Bagatelle Mall of Mauritius
She told us that in
marketing it is all about
understanding
the
clients to ensure the
performance of projects
and campaigns.
“We need to know the
society, habits, culture
and needs. Even with
a mass message, the
client has to think that
we are talking to him
exclusively. The interest
of marketing is that we always work to find the best
balance between offer and demand in a context where
the demand changes all the time.”
In her current position, she has learned about marketing
adapted to retail sector. “For every marketing action
there has to be a deep analysis of the impact to
understand better the target audience, how to talk with
them and to understand the correct levers to reach our
objectives.”
As to the profession, she would like to discover more.
“Marketing is wide and according to the projects and
environment, the missions of marketers can be very
different. I would be interested to work in different
sectors of activity to discover new angles and application
of my skills.”
David Isaacs
MASTER OF RETAIL MARKETING
In the past few years, the rise and
rise of shopping malls in Mauritius
has garnered much media attention,
some even describing the trend as a
“revolution”.
And while there is no doubt
that malls have changed the
way consumers shop, the real
“revolution” began much before. try
1985. that was the year that David
Isaacs opened the first Courts (then
known as Mammouth) showroom in
Bell Village. And just five years later
he had steered the company to a
flotation on the local stock exchange
in what was the first public flotation
in the country.
Marketing Mag had the pleasure of
meeting David (“Mr Courts”) in
January soon after he retired from
full-time employment as President
and CeO of Bramcom holding,
which groups companies operating
in the trade and commerce sector
for British American Investment
Group.
He is now working as a consultant
for the group with responsibility
for the expansion of commercial
activities in the Indian Ocean region
and Africa – 29 years after he first
arrived in Mauritius.
A master retailer and savvy marketer,
he explained to this magazine how
the shopping “revolution” was
achieved.
www.marketingmag.mu
“In 1985, the largest shop of any
kind in Mauritius was PrisUniq
in Curepipe. there were no
hypermarketsand
no
major
supermarkets. So we opened in Bell
Village and we had about 35,000 sq
feet of showroom space. By size it
was quite unique.
“The other reason we were
considered new and different was
that we were selling on credit via the
hire Purchase Act. We were selling
household furniture and electrical
goods to the public with the facility,
if the public wanted it, to buy on hire
purchase. that in itself was new. It
enabled people to possess products
that they could not have afforded to
buy for cash.”
There are more than 30 Courts
branches now on the island and
according the business “never stood
still”.
He added: “In the mid-1980s we
became part of the BA Investment
group, so in a way we became more
localised, which was a historic
moment in our lives. And last
year (2013), we opened our first
showroom in Africa in the Kenyan
capital nairobi.
“Indeed, we hope that within the
next four to five years we will have a
considerable number of showrooms
not just in Kenya but in other
countries in east Africa and possibly
further afield into southern and
central Africa.
David explained that his plan will be
to prepare the ground for a rapid
expansion in Africa. “there is a lot to
do, time-consuming but enjoyable
work, and the decisions we take
this year will have a big bearing on
the group of companies in the next
two to three years. I will be working
specifically on the strategy and
expansion plans.”
David was decorated by the
Mauritian state in 2003 and received
the Order of the Star and Key for his
contribution to commerce and to
the community. four years later, in
2007, he was again decorated and
received the medal of Commander
of the Star and Key.
REVIEW 2014
CREATIVES@WORK
advertising and design agencies in action
Agency: Logos
Client: Caudan
Agency: Logos
Client: Government of Mauritius
Agency: Redhouse McCann
Client: Cafe de chamarel
February 2014
Agency: Cread
Client: Mexa
February 2014
March 2014
Agency: Cread
Client: Mexa
March 2014
April-May 2014
Agency: Logos
Client: Ceridian
April-May 2014
www.marketingmag.mu
REVIEW 2014
Client: 7 COLOURED EARTH
May-June 2014
Agency: Logos
Client: Total
May-June 2014
Agency: Circus
Client: KFC Craving
June-July 2014
Agency: Redhouse
Client: Rev’Voyages
June-July 2014
Agency: CIRCUS
Client: PANAGORA
July-August 2014
www.marketingmag.mu
Client: Redhouse McCann
July-August 2014
REVIEW 2014
Agency: 12 monkeys
Client: Rose Hill Transport
Client: Brl Air
Agency: Logos
Client: Diabete ASTRAZENECA
August-september 2014
October 2014
November 2014
Agency: Logos
Client: MRA
Agency: Circus
Client: Air Austral
Client: Wiptension
October 2014
November 2014
www.marketingmag.mu
REVIEW 2014
Agency: Circus
Client: Beqa
February 2014
Agency: Publico
Client: BAI
May-June 2014
www.marketingmag.mu
Agency: Publico
Client: BRAMER
March 2014
Agency: Publico
Client: Mauvilac
June-July 2014
Agency: Hubway
Client: ACCA
April-May 2014
Agency: Publico
Client: Apollo Bramwell
Hospital
July-August 2014
REVIEW 2014
Agency: Publico
Client: Le Caudan
December 2014
Agency: Hubway
Client: Memogen
Agency: Publico
Client: Mauvilac
December 2014
Agency: 12 Monkeys
Client: Pedostop
December 2014
Agency: Publico
Client: Bramer Bank
October 2014
www.marketingmag.mu
REVIEW 2014
BRAND
PANEL
3.
MICROSOFT
2.
APOLLO BRAMWELL HOSPITAL
4.
ZESPRO KIWIFRUIT
May-June 2014
KGB VODKA
July-August 2014
June-July 2014
April-May 2014
1.
www.marketingmag.mu
REVIEW 2014
7.
CHANTECLER
6.
SUNNY
8.
ANGELBERRY
November 2014
October 2014
December 2014
LA SENTINELLE
August-September 2014
5.
www.marketingmag.mu
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THE COMMUNICATION FORUM FOR MAURITIAN PROFESSIONALS

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