‘Beyond the bottom line – A Marketers’ Perspective’: AIMGSL event a resounding success

Colombo, Sri Lanka – The Association of International Marketing Graduates in Sri Lanka (AIMGSL) concluded its latest, and most successful Professional Series for 2022, on March 30, 2022, at Barnes, Jetwing Colombo 7.

The event titled ‘Beyond the Bottom line – A Marketers’ Perspective’ welcomed 200 marketing professionals from around the island with the primary goal of enhancing their knowledge, expertise and partnership opportunities. Sponsors of the event included SLTMobitel (Telecommunications Partner), Sampath Bank (Banking Partner), Montrela Consultants, Sri Lanka Insurance Corporation, APIIT, Mawbima, Ceylon Today, Serendib and Emerging Media (Communications Partners).

Secretary, AIMSGL, Kanchana Karunagama stated, during his welcome address “AIMG formed as a new venture, expanding into new fields of knowledge sharing, professional development and training. Today marks the start of the first of its kind – a professional series designed by Marketers for Marketers, and we are pleased to welcome you all here today to witness and experience history in the making. We continue to face unprecedented times, and I sincerely hope that you will utilise today’s experience and expertise before you to empower you to navigate the field ahead”

Speaking at the event – Keynote speaker, Founder/ CEO, Momentro and Enfection – Saliya Withana stated: “We as marketers are focused on performance and we tend to be quite passionate about ROI, however, there is one aspect we tend to forego. Let me address this with some facts – 95% of our potential audience are not ready to buy, only 5% are ready to buy. Globally, we are all fighting for a 5% share and most brands are culprits of this. The question is how do we get to this 5%? The answer is: to remain top of mind and be relevant. This is where branding comes in. Branding is key, and when we look at the importance of branding, this is where data comes in.” Popularly known in the industry as an entrepreneur, a technology-marketing enthusiast with over 20 years of experience in the regional marketing fraternity, and a visiting lecturer at the University of Plymouth, UK, University of Colombo, Sri Lanka and the University of Moratuwa, Sri Lanka. Withana went on to speak about ‘Performance Branding’.

Delving into the topic, Withana stated: “Performance Marketing may speak about the marketing funnel, marketing ROI but then we tend to ignore the branding side of it. This is where behavioral data and intent are integral – where brands need to appeal to customers and stay top of mind, focusing on creating future sales opportunities for brands that are also contextual.”

The event rounded up with a riveting panel discussion with Country Head, Cool Track (Sri Lanka, Maldives, and Pakistan) – Dr. Rohantha Athukorala, Head of Content, Incube – Sajini Jayanetti, President/ Director/Retail, John Keells Group – Charitha Subasinghe, Senior DGM, Group Marketing, Deposit Mobilization and Digitalization, Sampath Bank – Tharaka Ranwala, which was moderated by Chief Editor, Echelon Media – Shamindra Kulamannage. The panel discussion delved into marketing and the importance of contextual content creation in a digital first marketing era.

The Association of International Marketing Graduates Sri Lanka (AIMGSL) was established in July 2020 by veterans of the marketing industry boasting over 3 decades of expertise and experience, with its main focus to create a dynamic and professional association for graduates with international marketing qualifications, connecting young and senior members to create a platform for knowledge sharing via workshops, programmes and various other activities. Its objective remains to aid Sri Lanka-based marketers to stay at the forefront of their professions and the market.