Cooking up a marketing course

According to Cook, Director of Vega The Brand Communications School based in Johannesburg, the course - called Strategic Marketing - takes marketing beyond the marketing department and empowers CEOs and business owners to drive the process.

"This course has been specifically designed to bridge this gap - integrating marketing decision-making into the fold of top-level business strategy. Business leaders often have a very finance orientated role, sometimes to an enormous extent, but today's business world needs a leader who has can act as the catalyst for a range of energies within the business."

The programme, which will run from 29 - 31 August, has been designed taking cognisance of what is being taught at leading business schools globally: "This was a need observed and credit must go to the UCT GSB for responding with innovation - it is a good example of what business schools in the 21st century should be doing."

Cook added that bringing marketing activities into the business strategy is not something that should only concern corporates, but that small and medium sized enterprises can also benefit immensley from the leader driven approach.

The course has also been designed with the busy schedules of executives and business owners in mind: "Today, if these individuals don't get fast-tracked on the latest global thinking, they may begin to fall behind the competition. This is not just a challenge for South African executives, but for top-people all across the business world. These leaders need short, punchy workshops and this programme, which runs over only three days, is tailored to their needs."

Cook is well known and respected in marketing circles for his expertise and was recently ranked in the Financial Mails' 2005 Adfocus as one of the Top 20 most influential people in advertising.

For more information, contact Aniesah Ajam on +27 21 406 1094 or email