what marketer's are doing right

It's overcast but fairly warm in Joburg this morning. Thankfully it hasn't started raining yet. It seems as though it hasn't stopped raining since the beginning of Jan - it's like being in the UK again.
I listened to a very interesting radio interview online this morning. It was an audio interview with Ad Age executive editor Jonah Bloom What the year's top marketers are doing right regarding the magazine's top 50 marketers of the year awards.
During the interview about why these 50 made the grade, it was nice to hear how important design has become in the US marketing world, how budget doesn't always matter, that they have used consumer insight, especially new media, to help them develop the products. They have listened to the consumers and actually conducted research though also reading blogs, community websites etc. They have all embraced online, and they talked enthusiastically about the internet and their own websites. It was also great to hear that the marketers chosen, weren't all huge brands, but they did have one thing in common - an absolute passion about their brand.
It would be nice if South Africa's marketing fraternity would take notice of these fundamental shifts within their industry and start moving forward.
Definitely worth a listen.