Marketing
A Marketing Memo : Dear African Marketers !
By Poppy Lydia Sello
I come in peace violence …. with a little bit of
Over the past decade , I ’ ve observed African brands grow and decline after a while as international brands remained intact and thrived . I watched how consumers behaved towards locally produced goods and services , and how different it was from how they perceived international brands .
Their products are great , the service was satisfactory - then what is it ? What is it about home-grown brands that caused their life span to shorten ? Then it dawned on me - big corporations spend billions of currencies on marketing efforts , they know how important it is to invest in developing a brand , which is why they spend billions on marketing campaigns . They see marketing as an investment as opposed to an operational cost .
And by brand I ’ m not talking about a logo , or tagline , or picking the right color for your brand , I am referring to building a sustainable relationship with consumers through conversation , engagement , experience , dialogue and serving . I am referring to the continuous effort brands put into remaining top of mind .
An organization on its own is a building full of people with roles and tasks to compete at a stipulated time . But an organization with a brand is a group of people who come together for a bigger purpose than profit or payment . A brand is a visual representation of organizational values , vision , mission and culture - most importantly their commitment to their customers .
Thus , as African organizations , how can we create brands that are sustainable ?
Being ourselves is the simplest yet most complex solution . The most significant distinction amongst organizations is the individuality of their brands . Brands have distinct personalities just like people do . But for some strange reason , instead of using their creativity to capitalize on their uniqueness , the locals prefer to adapt to the western way of doing things .
It could be argued that we have been influenced and brainwashed into adopting the values and lifestyles of the western media . The irony is that Africa is where the west finds inspiration . Africa inspired everything , including music , art , and apparel .
Therefore , why aren ' t we , African marketers , able to share an African brand narrative in our businesses ? Is it that hard to be unique ? To be ourselves ? Marketers are the reason why organizations stand . We are the reason why people consume what they consume . We are the oil that keeps the machine going and without us the machine ceases to exist .
Africa is the richest continent in the world in terms of resources as well as culture , which is the foundation of our identity . The African story told through African brands is one worth telling . Establishing global standards for us is fine as long as we maintain our distinctiveness .
Brands like Nike , Adidas , Pepsi , Samsung , and Coke understand that the key penetration tool into a new market is localization . They have done this through brand affiliation , influencers , and brand endorsements in their marketing campaigns among others . This goes to show that if big corporations can adapt to use then there is something about us worth adapting too .
When it comes to maintaining their identity over time , Nigeria is one nation that has truly stood the test of time . Their afro beats and afro fusion music have taken over the globe and compelled the west to change . Nigerian apparel companies , like Nack and LeLook , have a strong heritage in using African patterns and culture in their products .
Every African nation has a distinctive story to tell , every African Country has something distinctive about them , and we owe it to its customers and fellow Africans to share OUR story .
As the new year dawns , let us promise ourselves that we will tell the African story in our own unique way because , since we are the ones living it , who better to tell us about ourselves than ourselves ? Let us transform the story to something we can be proud of when we look back years to come .
Poppy Lydia Sello is a Botswana based strategic-thinking Communications and Marketing professional currently serving as the Communications Strategy Officer for Botswana ’ s Number 1 Telecommunications Company - Mascom . You can commune with her via email at : Poppylsello @ gmail . com .
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