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In 2012, the world’s leading Beverage Company Coca-Cola launched a campaign “A Billion reasons to believe in Africa which collates positive and inspirational stories about Africa. At the heart of the campaign is a TV ad featuring South African singer Steve Kekana, who re-recorded “I Love You, Africa” — his hit song from 20 years ago — with a youth choir in Kenya to capture how the continent is facing the world’s challenges in a positive, uniquely African way. Here are three excerpts from the ad which tells us that companies seeking a foothold in Africa must be prepared to develop a different strategy for Africa.:
  • “For every bank bailed out, 2 million Africans send money back home”
  • “As authorities try to tame the internet, Africa becomes the most mobile-connected place on the planet”
  • “For every international band trying to sell a song, 5000 African bands go life”.
A Mckinsey & Company report on “Winning in Africa’s consumer market” states that more than 400 companies generate at least $1 billion in Africa-based revenues. Coca-Cola, Nestlé, and Unilever, among others, have been on the continent for decades and enjoy significant market share in their categories; P&G has increased its African business more than tenfold in the past ten years based on the following four imperatives:
  • Taking a granular view of growth
  • Tailored their offers to local needs and preferences
  • Created a bespoke route-to-market model by geography and channel
  • Built a large, well-equipped sales force.
Television, the industrialized world’s traditional driver of mass-market brand awareness, has been trumped by mobile-driven word of mouth. But in Africa, a phone in every pocket has only scaled the way hyper-local and regionally fragmented markets were already communicating – through trusted referrals from family and friends, eyewitness stories, and firsd-looking marketers have the opportunity to build and experiment with new methods and means to create demand, reach their target audience, and develop offers that resonate. African consumer markets can provide the perfect laboratory for new solutions to the global disruption of traditional marketing. Also, African consumers reward brands they trust, and a brand that wins them over can thrive in the market for decades to come.
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This article was first published on 19th October 2017

ebukaeze

Ebuka Ezeji is an analytical digital strategist who has implemented end-to-end digital strategy solutions for several international and Nigerian brands. Ebuka was recognized by the CEO of Google Sundar Pichai at the just concluded Google For Nigeria event for his contribution to the Google Digital Skills for Africa project.

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