iterative read of the consumer , with rapid check ins on income , travel , socialization , channel , category , and brand consumption behavior . This has been important because the national responses to Covid are not linear , and in emerging markets a sudden lockdown can radically change consumer behavior .
Secondly , we have moved to a much shorter planning window . Our brand and channel plans and funding are reviewed more often , so that we can be more agile .
And finally , we have made a huge shift online , with our content , with strategic partnerships , and also with direct delivery to consumers in markets through www . partycenral . co . ke ; where consumers can order direct home delivery of EABL brands at a great price .
How do you envisage marketing playing the strategic function that acts as an engine of recovery for businesses in the disrupted ecosystem ?
Marketing has a big role to play as an engine for recovery across corporates . As marketers , we can bring clarity to where the consumer is , what the opportunities for growth are , and how to rebuild our businesses . I definitely see this in EABL where the marketing teams have a great pulse of consumer behavior across a diverse range of markets , what the best portfolio and investments for growth are , and an exciting new innovation pipeline coming to recruit the next generation of dynamic consumers in East Africa .
Having brilliant connection to the consumer is a basic marketing obligation that seems like rocket science to many . How would you advise marketers in navigating this challenge ?
As marketers , we have a real opportunity to be data and insight driven . That is the bedrock of great brand plans . What situation does your brand face , what are the key issues and opportunities , and what investments could disproportionately help beat the competition ? This gives clarity
As marketers , we have a real opportunity to be data and insight driven . That is the bedrock of great brand plans . What situation does your brand face , what are the key issues and opportunities , and what investments could disproportionately help beat the competition ? This gives clarity and confidence to the business .
and confidence to the business .
I hear a lot of marketers in emerging markets bemoan the lack of data in our markets . I would challenge that . The proliferation of mobile phones along with rapid research approaches should mean that we have no excuses not to invest in gathering critical data and appropriately applying it for fruitful outcomes .
What advice would you offer budding marketers in pursuit of delivering solid brand positioning ?
My biggest advice to budding marketers is to build functional depth . Unfortunately , that means being very patient to grasp , understand , and develop core marketing capabilities .
I keep urging brand managers that at the start of your career you need to build functional capability . You have to be deliberate about your growth . You have to take time to learn the discipline . In other words , you have to build yourself deliberately in a role and that takes time .
It might feel like you are not developing fast because you are not being promoted within 12 months , but you are massively building your functional expertise . I call it … go slow , to go fast ! Learn your trade deeply by managing a brand for 2-3 years and you will fly . Marketers need breadth - from innovation , content creation , experiential , pricing & formats , media management to consumer research , sponsorships , and digital excellence , our industry is vast .
In emerging markets there is a tendency for marketers to move very quickly across a lot of organizations . While that gives people some leadership breadth it does tend to mean that some people ultimately lack functional depth , and you must be intentional about building that to progress and perform well .
How did your Consumer Planning team respond to the Covid-19 crisis ?
We are lucky to have a crack consumer planning team in EABL led by Charles Okanya . Charles and his team quickly responded to the Covid pandemic , tearing up the old rule book . They realized that we needed a much more dynamic read of the consumer during Covid in our markets .
Restriction of movements has meant restriction of income , and that means emerging markets are much more volatile than other markets , even during Covid . We have parked the annual consumer research cycles in favor of a more dynamic consumer read as Covid-19 protocols change regularly across markets .
What are your considered views on the contested idea in marketing today of brand purpose ?
I am a fan of brand purpose . A purpose should be the most resonant essence of the brand , connected to the product truth and the consumer insight . For me , purpose should be a clarifier for brand teams , agencies , and the consumer .
I know that a lot of people have issues with brand purpose , and it is easy to find examples where content has missed the mark because of an obsessive focus on purpose . This is usually when we over intellectualize the role of a brand and the
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