Weed sounds rallying call to marketers

Unilever chairman Keith Weed has launched a rally to promote the role of marketing, in response to a recent report that says marketing is rated poorly within companies.

The Research International survey says that compared to other functions, marketing is rated disappointingly. Titled “Marketing in spotlight: What do people really think of marketing?”, it goes on to claim that marketers are held in lower esteem than accountants, bankers and lawyers.

Weed is calling on senior UK marketers to create a campaign to promote marketing as the key driving force in achieving consumer demand-led growth. He is also the chairman of the Marketing Society, which is planning to hold a summit in November for marketers at which a new “Manifesto for Marketing” will be created.

“This will form a blueprint for a campaign to start a debate on the role of marketing in creating stakeholder value. This Research International report is a wake-up call for the industry to pull its weight and it needs to be vigorously asserted that the best businesses in the UK consistently demonstrate the power of good marketing,” Weed says.

The summit is on November 17.