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The Chief Executive Officer of Jobberman Ghana, Mr. Babjide Otoki has stated that the emergence of social media has sparked a revolutionary change in the practice of marketing.

Mr Otoki was speaking at the 26th the Chartered Institute of Marketing Ghana’s (CIMG) Presidential Dinner Night and Induction of New Members, held at the Accra International Conference Centre (AICC).

Mr Otoki, was speaking as the Special Guest of Honour at the event pointed out that there is social fragmentation and potential customers have access to an incredible and increasing choice of interactive devices, platforms and channels.

He said that this situation has created a reality where the customer is now in the driver's seat and a lack of understanding of the customer, is bound to initiate epic failure for businesses”, he added.

“Brands must develop an accurate understanding of customers’ preferences, behaviour, and interactions that they can then use to deliver more relevant, consistent, and meaningful interactions based on knowledge and insight”, Mr. Otoki added.

 He further intimated that developing plans and strategies for marketing today has been challenging than it has ever been; as recent research into digital marketing indicate that that a shocking proportion of businesses don’t have a clear marketing strategy or plan to tackle this issue”, he added.

Mr Otoki further advised marketers to be aware of the fact that the world is going mobile and in emerging markets such as Ghana, the preferred channel for accessing information is the mobile device.

“This knowledge of customers’ preferences, behaviour, and interactions that should be used to inform interactions to drive lasting relationships and build life-long loyalty for the brand. Strategic marketing decisions must segment the market into customer groups, select target segments, and adopt appropriate market positions, and start from where the consumer is”, Mr Otoki added.

Mr. Otoki thus cautioned marketing practitioners to consider the challenges and opportunities that come with the digital revolution and review their marketing strategy.