Showing posts with label Kenya. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Kenya. Show all posts
As I write this post, It would be reckless of me not to mention at the onset that organizational success is as a result of team work from all the departments,however for this post I have singled out the marketing profession for mention.
The public mostly associates marketing with the hawking profession not that hawking is bad but such a pedestrian approach dents the image that accompanies the prestigious marketing profession.The rampant misconception of marketing and sales doesn't help either.This skewed perception starts early.In campus it's always seen as the the easy way out.The looks one gets when they say that they are majoring in marketing makes one feel like apologizing.Well,not anymore.
This blog series seeks to achieve two things :
1) Inspire marketing students to reach the pinnacles of the marketing profession.
2) Change the public's perception on the diverse field marketing
Any marketer who shares this vision is free to join this ship by telling their story.
The picture above illustrates what an ideal advert should be like for any firm's brand.It's not enough for consumers to pick you out of from competitor brands whenever they are out shopping because of price cuts, which in the long run will diminish your brand value as well.Your goal is achieved when consumers believe you are the only one with the solution to their problems.Most firms, me thinks are obsessed with the sales they forget the role branding plays in the achievement of meeting quotas and targets .The ads doing rounds on TV some at prime time paint a picture of analog marketing tactics.They are too cliche.The ad starts with the product straight away.This product does this blah blah blah(at this point am almost puking)it's hard to convince anyone that your product is the best when your competitor also runs a similar ad.The consumers are left more confused and you can't guarantee loyalty.Times have changed so should a firm's marketing strategy.Consumers are now smarter and more sophisticated than they were five years ago,blame it on globalization if you may.They now have a wide array of options to choose from.The internet has made it possible to order merchandise from abroad and have it delivered right at your doorstep.Firms are seeking not only to get the attention of consumers but to keep it.So what's the trick to get them hooked on your brand??
The missing link is just Emotional Marketing.Emotional marketing starts with a feeling and then the product demonstrates that feeling.An ad should start with a customers emotional priority not the firms agenda .The product then becomes a means to an end.Take a look at the current ads being done by Coca cola and Guinness and it suddenly hits you that at no point in the advert do they talk about their product .For instance the coke ad is promoting kindness and when people go around doing random acts of kindness they just happen to be sipping on a coke.People now will associate coke with kindness and joy, this forges a much more lasting bond with their clients.They don't feel like its being forced on them(see ad here)The Guinness ad focuses on making a name for oneself in the different fields of expertise.At the end of the day all these people meet at a pub and share a Guinness which is a big name too( see ad here)The most memorable line in the ad that i cant seem to forget is "A man's name finds meaning not in what he says but in what he does."
What firms need to do is research more on what makes consumers tick and get in touch with consumers feelings.If they are going to be interrupting our shows with ads, then they better be worth it.
(image sources:web)
"More can be told
about a nation from its
advertisements than from any other aspect of its high or popular culture what we think of ourselves is one matter which stimuli
we respond to gives a much truer
index of our motivations ,desires and
the kind of magic we believe in."These words penned over 49 years ago by renowned Chicago journalist Sydney Jay Harris
certainly ring true today. A closer scrutiny at adverts which are doing
rounds today juxtaposed against those of
a few years back will reveal to you the true state of the nation.Growing up sex
appeal was limited to ads that promoted
contraceptives.Today it's a different story,Sex Appeal has now taken the driver’s seat.This is a clear indication that Kenyan marketers have not been asleep on the job.They
have noted the trend and adapted swiftly.Much of this can be credited to the the
internet which has made the globe
seem like one neighborhood.
Sex Appeal marketing was a
preserve of the western countries which are perceived as more liberal.Kenya and Africa
at large for a long time were shielded from these tactics by the conservative African culture.However this has since
changed, just tune in to the local radio stations and there you will find the
stimuli to which Kenyans are overwhelmingly responding to.Some adverts have
taken the sex appeal overboard in my opinion from the subtle sexual overtones to outright a case
in point is the radio ad of a
deodorant by a multinational company
which leaves no room for speculation as
to the impression they want to make.
(image sources:web)
The year 2012 can be termed revolutionary in many ways. From the Arab
springs to the revolution of adverts in Kenya .This year saw a
transformation in how companies reach the public through the media
.Safaricom became the biggest spender in the first 2 quarters of the
year although it has been now overtaken by Reckitt .Adverts went from
being quite creative to downright absurd. Adverts took the form of
songs with the most notable one being the Niko Na Safaricom advert.
Below is a list of tv ads that swept us off our feet.
#1) Niko Na Safaricom
#2) Kenya Powers easy pay (baba boi)
This
has got to be the most hilarious advert of the year. Most family heads s
in Kenya face the same predicament that baba boi goes through. It’s so
easy to relate to and the humour makes it unforgettable .for a company
that recently rebranded I think the ads that they did them some good.
It’s no laughing matter though when there’s a black out.
#3)David Rudisha’s KIWI Ad
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The
makers of kiwi certainly know the value of celebrity brand association.
They used Olympic champion David Rudisha in their ad and their gamble
paid off he just won another Olympic gold in London. Of more interest is
the way he says fiatu.this created a buzz of activity on social media
especially on twitter with people coining new phobias such as kofear the
fear of wearing hats among many others. When your ad does this to the
people you’ve done more than jus t hitting your target, you’ve smashed
it.
#4)Pwani Life Ad
This advert was the most intriguing .it was somewhat an enigmatic raised so much curiosity in the first months since everybody had a different idea on what pwani life was (personally I thought they were a real estate company).When they finally unveiled their products deep fry and fry mate cooking oils and diva soap they had already prepared the market for their products.
This advert was the most intriguing .it was somewhat an enigmatic raised so much curiosity in the first months since everybody had a different idea on what pwani life was (personally I thought they were a real estate company).When they finally unveiled their products deep fry and fry mate cooking oils and diva soap they had already prepared the market for their products.
#5)P&Gs Always Ad
The one thing that really stood out was the music the ad and the beautiful dancing ofcourse.It's got this catchy tune that even men find themselves humming to even though they are not consumers of the product.
#6)YU mobile Call Rate Guy Ad
#7)Mortein Doom's Ad
#8)Nation's Utahama Lini Promotion
#9) JTL's Faiba Ad
