Commenting on Ramogase's appointment, David Munro, group chief executive of Liberty, said: “Thabang's appointment at Liberty comes at a critical time as we are implementing our business turn-around strategy. His experience in building and transforming brands is impressive and we look forward to leveraging off his expertise in this field. The leadership team is certainly excited to have him on-board. Together we can shape and grow Liberty's brand into a distinct one.”
Commenting on the appointment, Ramogase said, “I have a long-standing association with Liberty as a client and the robust solutions it offers in the insurance and investment markets. It's a great honour to be a part of this organisation and I believe that we will build on the company's existing success and do great even greater things in future.”
Here, Ramogase shares more about his career so far, his new role, why the brand resonates with him on a personal level and how he’s excited about the magic that happens when integrating the brand’s marketing message to its social messaging and watching it all come together in a seamless fashion.
Thank you. It’s a mix of genuine excitement and a dollop of trepidation when coming to grips with the responsibility of the role.
The role has me accountable for the marketing activity across all the Liberty business units, including Liberty corporate and Stanlib. Additionally, the communications and corporate citizenry divisions also fall within this remit. Further, it is an exco appointment, so this sees me contributing to the greater business goals in a meaningful and substantive way.
I think I’m most looking forward to the magic that can come when the integration of our marketing message to our social messaging come together in a seamless fashion. I believe that this will elevate our purpose in a way that will truly dramatise why we exist.
Mine is a personal reason. My father committed suicide when I was just 11. The brand was with my mother through what was her most vulnerable time, at a time when the financial sector didn’t deem black customers as a priority and therefore had extremely low trust levels within the demographic. They did the right thing and therefore emblazoned themselves on my psyche.
The variation I’ve enjoyed. I’ve worked in many different sectors and therefore gained a much fuller perspective of the customer point of view. Nothing worse than a marketer who markets to themselves. And it is this constant learning and stretch that keeps me connected to the profession.
[MY TOP 10 AT 10] @LibertyGroupSA’s Chief Marketing Officer, Thabang Ramogase joins @tboseZA for today’s #MyTop10At10 #TheBestTInTheCity pic.twitter.com/x2jBsx9EOa
— Kaya FM Music (@KayaFMMusic) July 18, 2019
Tell us a bit about your experience.I started my working life as a number cruncher at Merrill Lynch, but quickly realised that the spreadsheet was not my friend! While I have no aversion for the numbers, I’m far more giddy about consumer behaviour. I’ve since worked for National Brands (now AVI) on brands like Willards Cheese Curls, Cheese Naks and Big Korn Bites; The Coca-Cola Company on Sprite, Schweppes Sparkling Granadilla, Lemon Twist and Dr Pepper; MTN; Nando’s; Afgri; and recently as CEO from Mindshare.
That would be the launch of Sprite Zero without question! The brand was formerly Diet Sprite and my boss at the time, Sharon Keith allowed me the latitude to experiment with a name that very few in the system thought made sense. South Africa and Greece were the first to use the zero nomenclature for zero sugary drinks and the rest, as they say, is history.
Getting to know the team. Getting to understand the product.
Eating the Big Fish by Adam Morgan. A third re-read I might add.
I’m an introvert. The jobs and roles I’ve taken up have had me stretch into the extrovert territory and therefore made me a more whole human. But, my go-to energy recovery mode is solitude.
You can stay up to date with Ramogase and Liberty by following the company on social media: Facebook | Twitter | LinkedIn.
