The Chartered Institute of Marketing relaunches with new identity and purpose

‘Hackathons’ and ‘Selfies’ are part of marketing lexicon but are phrases that until recently those in the profession would not expect to hear from its professional body. The Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM) , however, is relaunching with a new identity and plan to become a “more relevant and engaging” organisation using all the tools available to the 21st century marketer.

The new visual identity launches today (27th October) and sees the red dropped and its crest included alongside the acronym instead of as the dot on the I. Dropping the red is to signify a break from the past while the more prominent crest is aimed at representing the body’s 104-year history.

The logo change, however, is just one element of CIM’s relaunch. Following a year-long consultation during which thousands of members and marketers were canvassed on what they wanted from CIM, the body has set itself the long-term aim of becoming a catalyst for debate and conduit for lifting the profession’s standing.

To this end, the CIM has also launched what it has dubbed “The Marketing 2025 Hackathon”. The CIM is hoping marketers throughout the world will use its platforms to explore themes, challenges and solutions to some of the key issues – data, responsible marketing, effectiveness and influence, for example  –  facing marketers.

What is discussed will be used by CIM in setting its own long-term research and insight agenda.

Anne Godfrey, chief executive of CIM, says it wants to exploit the “authoritative position and heritage” its history offers but use initiatives as the Hackathon and the “CMO Selfie” campaign – senior marketers are being asked to tweet a picture of themselves alongside a marketing challenge that keeps them awake at night – to present to the business community a body that is in equal measures, “relevant, exciting and surprising”.

Godfrey adds the hope is to “future proof CIM”. “For CIM it means driving collaboration and innovation as the ‘catalyst of collective intelligence’.

The relaunch is the culmination of a two-year process that started just after Godfrey joined in May 2012. It has strayed from its historical role as a standards body since, dipping its toe in debate starting, sometimes controversially – its report into the marketing industry’s efforts in meeting the requirements of the Bailey Report was slammed as unhelpful by advertising trade associations.

It has also restructured operations and brought in SSE CMO Jenny Ashmore as president earlier this year.

Godfrey says the CIM had to and needs to continue to change to remain relevant. Performance has improved – the decline in membership has slowed and growth is forecast for next year, while profit and revenue growth has quickened.

“CIM like all the other bodies has a model problem in that what we offered only 5-10 years ago. Only we could offer [certain things then] and then the internet happened and content was freely available, people networked. People shared and got information in different ways so CIM like others had to reinvent.

“We have reacted quite well but probably weren’t as good at being relevant as we could have been but I don’t think we are alone.

“What we have done in the last 2-3 years as been quite special. We’ve reacted well to that challenge”.

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