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Bowll bites back: Geoffrey responds to the AMI

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Geoffrey McDonald Bowll (pictured with junior art director) is MD of The Starship, a Melbourne-based ad agency. Besides running mainstream campaigns since 1991, he has conducted hundreds of marketing and advertising research projects for major corporates.

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This post is the sixth in a series looking at the AMI. Click below to read the others:

  1. What's wrong with the AMI
  2. The Great AMI Debate: Round 2
  3. The Stark Reality of the AMI
  4. The AMI Bites Back
  5. Marketing the Marketers: the UK perspective
  6. Bowll Bites Back: Geoffrey responds to the AMI

Over the last couple of weeks the forums have been lighting up with comments from marketers keen to share their views on the AMI and how marketers market themselves. And like all healthy debates, this one has some pretty strong opinions on both sides. Here's a couple of comments from the marketing community:

"Based on the response from Roger James I can only assume that the facts and figures supplied represent the current state of affairs of the AMI, and that being the case, I should expect that members should be pretty happy with the progress being made by the Institute." britrail commenting on The AMI bites back.

"I could not agree more the article. I was a member for 4 years and then my membership lasped (because it was paid for by my previous employer) the only thing I missed was my weekly BandT mag (a fun read for ad industry gossip!!). They provide no value and for a marketing organisation I think they are actually incredibilly poor marketers. Knowone at the AMI thought to contact me and try and retain my memership (cusotmer retention 101) and I wonder what the brand recognition of the AMI would be outside of marketing circles." simonr commenting on What's Wrong With The AMI.

Not one to shy away from a good debate, Geoffrey Bowll returns to offer his own response to Roger James and the AMI, this time in technicolour. Watch his video below and decide for yourself where you stand in the Great AMI Debate.

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Bowll bites back: Geoffrey responds to the AMI

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8 Comments

Grahamk
  • Wrote on 10 Jul, at 03:03PM
100,000 professional marketers in Australia? Wow that is much more than I would have thought. What do we have to back up that statement? Would like to see how that is worked out.
PrincePlanet
  • Wrote on 10 Jul, at 05:54PM
Wow - on you Mr Geoffrey, on the money again.
We need this debate, marketing organisations need meaning, value and respect. Organisations that say they stand for something actually have to stand for something. Marketers compete for mind share, why is it that finding a comment generated by AMI on any marketing issue is like fishing for Patagonian Tooth fish in Port Phillip Bay?

Prince Planet
The Marketer
  • Wrote on 10 Jul, at 09:02PM
Grahamk, 45,000 to 60,000 professional marketers in Australia? Wow Roger's numbers seem to be very low. What research has the AMI or Roger done to back their statement?

In fact, why doesn't the AMI know the number? Even first year marketing students understand the importance of knowing market size.

And even if the AMI figures are correct, its shows how bad the organisation has become when less than 10% of professional marketers feel the need to join the Institute.
LukeM
  • Wrote on 10 Jul, at 10:56PM
You still going on Geoffrey? Did Roger steal your wife or something? Seems to be something a little more going on here..

Bored of this AMI debate now! Am I bovered?
carlyp84
  • Wrote on 21 Jul, at 10:18AM
After all this debate, I decided to take a look at the AMI and even contemplated joining. However, as I am only a part-time student, there isnt even a membership option for me! I have to admit, I hadnt really heard about the AMI prior to this - they hadnt come up in my google searches for specific marketing information, although BandT and marketingmag did. I bought the AMI magazine last month to give them a chance, and I found it boring and irrelevant.
I dont see what the AMI actually offers marketers that is of true marketing value. It seems to me theyre looking for more advertising for their own publications (thanks to their 30% advertising discount for members) and doing a bit of marketing for the Qantas Club and the like!
I will continue to purchase the Marketing Magazine each month, and buy my own BandT magazine, as well as access their respective websites to keep up to date and research my assignments. Theyre much better resources than the AMI.
And LukeM, perhaps you do not care that the organisation that represents your industry does not care about improving it, marketing it and its members, or working to provide you with useful resources and opportunities?
Back96lived
  • Wrote on 24 Jul, at 07:46PM
Hi Carlyp

The AMI does have a student membership and a graduate membership category. Details are on their website under membership categories (http://www.ami.org.au/bwWebsite/followon.aspx?PageID=5764). Might not be of interest to you by the sound of it but thought I would clarify. They also have a number of young marketing groups in different states, which might be of interest (http://www.ami.org.au/followon.aspx?PageID=5788).

Cheers

Chris
arfan
  • Wrote on 24 Jul, at 07:47PM
Geoffrey, completely agree.

I have seen numerous occasions where ignorant people have stated that they "will design a marketing program for your house."

Why are we allowing such hacks to lower the value of what marketers actually do?

As a student I recently attended a careers expo, mainly to see what was there, and there were plenty of people from the CA and CPA and other organisations handing out their propaganda about how fantastic it is to be an accountant. if they can do this. it must be a walk in the park for the ami to pull something together. imagine if they actually put some effort and planning into it.

Again as a student, there is no push to become a marketer. All i get is comments like "don't call me when im having dinner." Although it is in jest, it does come back to the problem of the perception that this industry has in the community.

How about trying to repair this perception. At least it would save me having to answer questions about calling my friends while they are having dinner. :)
Editor | Scotland
  • Wrote on 1 Aug, at 05:19PM
Hey @carlyp84.

Glad to hear that we can be of assistance :)

Seriously though, I think there has been much food for thought to come out of these articles around the AMI, and @LukeM, I appreciate your comments too.

I'd love to be at the AMI these days - imagine the great feedback they're receiving about their products and services. They should probably be paying marketingmag.com.au to conduct market research for them ...

Perhaps we need to bring together in one document as many positive suggestions for change at the AMI as possible, and present this document to Roger James. I think if the thoughtful and considered comments of marketingmag.com.au users can help to improve the AMI, it will ultimately also help to make marketers daily lives more rewarding.

Isn't that what we should all be striving for?

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