DIGITAL AGE
DIGITAL AGE
HOW TO POSITION YOUR BRAND IN THE DIGITAL ECONOMY AGE
Samatha Kipury
Take a minute and think about how we have changed the way we purchase goods and services , consume media and even transfer money over the past five years .
Whilst in the past we would faithfully await our favourite programs on a particular television channel , we now go ahead and download or stream what we would prefer to watch and tune in to television stations mainly for comprehensive news updates or programming that isn ’ t available online , which is very minimal .
Remember the pre internet era when your phone was the only means you could call and SMS your friends and family ? Now we have applications such as Whatsapp where you can form groups that serve as conference rooms for family communication , landlord and tenant conversations , internal communications in organizations just to name a few .
Gone are the days when you would have numerous phone numbers of various taxi drivers in different areas just in case you needed to move around . All you need now is an app that connects you to
‘‘ Whilst in the past we would faithfully await our favourite programs on a particular television channel , we now go ahead and download or stream what we would prefer to watch and tune in to television stations mainly for comprehensive news updates or programming that isn ’ t available online , which is very minimal .’’ hundreds of taxis at the push of a button through services like Uber , Little cabs , Mondo etc .
This disruption that has resulted from advancements in technology has given rise to a new breed of individuals whose lifestyle and practices mostly revolve around their mobile phones and tech . This new segment of consumers widely referred to as millennials who are between the ages of 18-34 is posing new opportunities and challenges for brands who need to communicate with them .
This disruption has also forced media agencies who are tasked with coming up with creative ways of reaching this target group , to craft innovative messaging within relevant channels in order to reach them in their increasingly “ online lives ”.
Worse still or even better , depending on how you look at it , Kenyans are very receptive to technology and are adapting the digital economy concept faster than other East African regional states . It shouldn ’ t come as a surprise
28 MAL 16 / 17 ISSUE