NAIROBI, Kenya, Oct 22 – Capital Group General Manager Cyrus Kamau has been feted as a Marketing Society of Kenya (MSK) Warrior in recognition of his outstanding contribution to the development of the station’s successful brand.
MSK Chief Executive Officer Francis Wachira said Mr Kamau has demonstrated his understanding and practiced the principles of marketing that have enabled him to steer the station towards making inroads in the broadcasting industry since its inception 14 years ago.
“Capital FM has kept its pace and relevance especially to the urban and young market, it has defied the test of time. For a company to survive like that, it requires a good marketing hand because unlike before, the competition is very fierce. So for Cyrus to have been able to maintain Capital FM the way he has, we recognise him as a warrior,” the CEO said.
After being presented with a shield and an arrow, Mr Kamau said the honour was humbling.
“It is very humbling to be awarded such a great thing in the country. I never thought I would become a Warrior. The only thing I’ve done every single day is to just do my job and doing it the way I feel it is right without expecting to be recognised,” he said.
He however acknowledged that a lot of strategic thinking and hard work went into and continues to go into maintaining and improving the Capital FM’s successful brand.
“You cannot achieve greatness within one year. But over a period of time, there are things that are tested and proven and your track record whether known or unknown starts to be seen,” the GM enthused.
He dedicated the honour to the Capital FM family whose hard work he said had contributed to making the station what it is now.
“The award is not just to me but to the whole organisation because it is not a one-man affair, it is a family. Whatever achievements we’ve have been able to have, it’s because of the group, from the shareholder all the way to the employees, together we have done a splendid job but someone had to receive the trophy on their behalf,” he added.
As an MSK Warrior, the General Manager will now join a pool of advisors who counsel and provide insights to the Society’s council and (who) are marketers’ representatives in apex bodies such as KEPSA.
He reckoned that this role bestows more responsibilities on him and would enable him to play an even more active role in national development.
This, he pointed out was particularly vital as the country embarks on the journey of the implementation of the new constitution which among other things provide for a devolved government.
“It’s a matter of taking this knowledge, the experience and even taking that first charge of the county where you come from, either through advisory or even participating in the community activities so that you can help uplift the community,” Mr Kamau commented about his newly bequeathed mandate adding that he was up to the challenge.
While the marketing fraternity had in the past failed to contribute positively towards their community development, MSK Chairman Fred Simiyu said the implementation of the new constitutional dispensation provided a chance for them to redeem themselves and build their societies.
“We see counties as brands and each brand will need to be differentiated from the other so as to effectively compete. So we want to engage with the citizenry and the devolution is such an opportune moment for us to come in and provide marketing skills and strategies that can help us develop brands from these counties and make them marketable both within and without Kenya,” Mr Simiyu stated.
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