trends in africa
TRANSCRIPT
by Hannah LawVice President, Ogilvy & Mather
T R E N D S I N
S U B - S A H A R A N
A F R I C A
“You’re going to Africa?! What’s the capital there?”
“Make sure you go on safari!”
“Will you have a security guard?”
“Why?”
- Most people after I told them I was going to Africa
I N T R O
It’s fair to say a lot of people did not understand why I wanted to go to Kenya to establish Ogilvy & Mather’s Sub-Saharan Africa social media teams.
And rightly so. There’s a lot of confusion, misinformation and stereotypes about the continent. The best way to dispel them? Take a look at and keep reading.
Africa is a continent of 54 countries with many more tribes, languages (42 in Kenya alone) and cultures which makes it difficult to generalize trends and behaviors. Nevertheless, here is an outline of the macro behavioral/business and digital marketing trends that are affecting the sub-Saharan African markets I have worked with recently (most learnings come from Kenya, Ghana and South Africa).
I can’t claim to be an expert on Africa. I spent several months in Sub-Saharan Africa last year to establish Ogilvy & Mather’s social media capabilities in the region. My observations have been reinforced with research, discussions, examples and data to ensure these are trends worth noting.
I’m a Regional Strategy Director at Ogilvy & Mather, and have worked in more than a dozen countries around the world on global brands such as Coca-Cola, IBM, Yum!, Intel, Barclays, Huawei and Canon. I believe we should look to emerging markets to find innovation and growth.
Sub- Saharan Africa’s eCommerce sector is struggling to manage the advent of social commerce combined with tough economic conditions and pressure from investors. Quartz reports were recent shake-ups and layoffs at Nigeria’s Konga.com, the country’s top online retailer, and Jumia. E-commerce companies are tackling the lack of trust in online shopping and old behavioural habits preferring face-to-face transactions. Social commerce could offer a more personal solution for the challenge of face-to-face transactions.
That’s a lot of trends to digest. So as it all sinks in, I’ll leave you with this:
On my first trip to Kenya, I was in a taxi late at night when the driver got lost. It was dark. We were on a quiet, eerie back street. He pulled over onto the curbside and got out of the car. My mobile phone battery was flat. The driver’s English wasn’t great. My Swahili was worse. I had no way of calling for help. My mind was spinning with worst case scenarios. But how wrong I was. The poor taxi driver was legitimately lost. He soon found someone to ask for directions, quickly navigated us back to a main road, and I made it to the hotel safe
and sound. This taught me to drop the stereotypes and instead keep an open mind, regardless of the situation. I encourage you to learn what Africa is for yourself.
If you remember nothing else, remember this:
“It always seems impossible until it’s done.” Nelson Mandela
#TheAfricaTheMediaNeverShowsYou
MACRO CONSUMER & BUSINESS TRENDS
c
• Africa is not one market
• Scarcity is a secret weapon
• Everyone is a (serial) entrepreneur
• Mass migration you don’t hearabout
• Seagull management is not welcome
M A C R O C O N S U M E R
A N D B U S I N E S S T R E N D S#1 AFRICA IS NOT ONE MARKET(NOR A COUNTRY)
When I worked in Asia, we used to tell clients that it’s very difficult to create one strategy for an entire region as local cultures, languages, behaviours and best practices need to be considered in order for it to be effective. The same applies in Africa.
, Africa is the most culturally diverse continent in the world with Chad, Cameroon, Nigeria, Togo and the Democratic Republic of the Congo taking top spots for countries with most cultural diversity. We have a double whammy of diversity: in-country and across continent.
To illustrate the complexity of working across a massive region, let’s use an advertising example: a campaign for Barclays might work in Johannesburg but will often not work effectively in Nairobi, let alone Lagos. Why? The people in adverts are not relatable: language, even if
English, has a different expression and pronunciation (local slang in Nairobi is Sheng: a mix between Kiswahili and English); conservative cultural and religious norms need to be adhered to in Nairobi more than in Jo.berg; and user behaviors around saving money are vastly different (in Kenya they save in peer groups called Chamas and often don.t have bank accounts). Not to mention the different media channels available, currencies used, industry regulations and competitive environment.
Africa is the most culturally diverse continent
Localize marketing to be effective in sub-Saharan Africa
WHAT THIS MEANS
• Don’t let the complexity diversity scare you off. Sub-SaharanAfrica is rife with opportunity. But do your research before diving in: be aware of the stereotypes ( ); spend time on the ground; avoid making assumptions and falling into the trap that, as : “People go to Africa and confirm what they already have in their heads and so they fail to see what is there in front of them.”
• When doing your research you will undoubtedly come acrossthe lack of reliable data for Africa, especially
. Look to well-known institutions like The World Bank, non-government organizations (e.g. Code for Africa), and industry conferences (e.g. Design Indaba) to find what data does exist.
• When it comes to marketing, create guidelines, policies,processes and strategic direction at a Pan-Africa or global level. Then create, or at least adapt, strategies in-market to maximize efficacy. For example, at Ogilvy we run a Pan-Africa content studio for a global FMCG brand using local teams to listen for insights and create content according to regional strategic guidelines that is then approved through regional processes and measured according to standardized metrics so we have ‘apples for apples’ comparisons across all countries. * Image source: https://info.internet.org/en/story/innovation-challenge/
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“People go to Africa and confirm what they already have in their heads and so they fail to see what is there in front of them.” Chinua Achebe, Nigerian novelist
Image: http://nationalmirroronline.net/
#2 SCARCITY IS SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA’S SECRET WEAPON.
Research shows scarcity drives creativity. Why? According to a recent Oxford Journal paper and FastCo author Charlie Sorrell:
“People are more creative when they are forced to make the best of a situation, or to come up with alternative uses for objects with specific uses (this last is called functional fixedness, and is "defined as a cognitive bias that limits a person to using an object only in the way it is traditionally used.").”
To illustrate making the best of a situation, we can be inspired by the
. Ian Brennan, a music producer, discovered that inmates "would do these amazing tribal songs to lift their spirits for the hours they were allowed outside." Brennan gave them an opportunity to record some tracks and the has been nominated for the “Best World Music Album” category in the 2016 Grammy Awards, a first for a record out of Malawi.
In terms of functional fixedness, if consumers are unable to purchase a new product to meet every need, then they resort to creating solutions from existing products or materials. Think
made famous through a campaign by Ogilvy Asia in 2014 or check out this
and
Necessity has led to invention and creativity across Sub-Saharan Africa.
that everyday life in Africa requires innovative responses to unexpected challenges: “You have to be able to think on your feet and develop creative workarounds to get things done.” A huge percentage of Africa’s population is young – 43% of the Kenyan population is under age 15 – so many,
, see youth as key to the continent’s future. From what I saw, young Africans are poised to reinvent the region’s culture and traditions; they want to be fast and first – at home and abroad.
Image: Bloomberg, MANDEL NGAN/AFP/Getty Images
“The opportunities are extraordinary.” President Barack Obama during Africa visit 2015
WHAT THIS MEANS
• Look beyond the heavy traffic, political instability and unreliable power because Africais well poised to become the next hotbed of creativity (not there yet according to the 2015 Martin Prosperity Global Creative Index). Watch continental trends and creative outputs carefully to see talent and opportunities you could be inspired by, utilize for in-market growth or export to the world stage. Train yourself to see opportunities instead of challenges.
• If you have business in Africa, nurture and motivate talent to tap int creativity. People are excited to learn, adapt for their local market and push the boundaries further. Takeinspiration from the IBM Africa Skills Initiative that supports technologically-savvy graduates.
Could you move African talent around the world to hasten growth and creative outputs?
• If you 're in the advertising world endeavor to include Africa teams in major briefs. Theirthink outside the box style of problem solving will be a refreshing addition to traditional teams and processes.
#3 EVERYONE IS A (SERIAL) ENTREPRENEUR.
Young people in urban cities across Africa are part of a prosperity movement to achieve more and earn more.
As a result of this status seeking, almost everyone is an entrepreneur. For example, a young woman in Nairobi, Kenya will work as a Marketing Manager by day and sell handbags or sunglasses on the side. In Accra, Ghana, you will easily find a banker who then goes on to drive a taxi after work, or even becomes a taxi driver on the commute to multi-task. Uganda, on the East Coast of Africa, came in as the most entrepreneurial country in the world (not just within Africa!) with “A massive 28.1% of the [Ugandan] population are entrepreneurs, capitalizing on
the freedom that comes with shirking off decades-long rule by dictatorship. Many of the self-employed are seeing their businesses expand because of the country's recently laid fiber optic cables that connect even remote villages to the Internet.”
Cameroon (13.7%), Angola (12.4%) and Botswana (11.1%) also make the top ten most entrepreneurial countries in the world, with the index calculated by the percentage of adult population that owns or co-owns a new business and has paid salaries or wages for three or more months. Across the region’s urban centers, traffic jams help street sellers – called ‘zungeiros’ and ‘zungeiras’ in Angola – push their products which could be anything from children’s books to mirrors to car seat protectors to snacks to second hand clothes.
While the serial entrepreneur trend applies across Africa, the work ethic in different markets varies drastically. Abuja, Nigeria and Nairobi, Kenya reflect the chaotic pace and long hours of New York or Shanghai, whereas Zambia, Ghana and Tanzania enjoy a slower pace of working life.
Countries with the most entrepreneurship:
1. Uganda 28.1%
2. Thailand 16.7%
3. Brazil 13.8%
4. Cameroon 13.7%
5. Vietnam 13.3%
6. Angola 12.4%
7. Jamaica 11.9%
8. Botswana 11.1% (pictured)
9. Chile 11%
Source: Approved Index 2015 UK Image: BusinessInsider.com and Flickr/IICD
WHAT THIS MEANS
• Consider how your brand could: empower thisentrepreneurial spirit; develop new products and initiatives that support their multi-faceted lives; make their life easier, faster, or more efficient. Maybe they will be a new target segment for your company.
• Know your audience, the challenges they’re facingand the gaps you can fill. Ultimately, if you find the balance between quality and price you’ll have success amongst this discerning urban group.
• Understand the true drivers of the entrepreneurialspirit in your market or segment: whether its individualistic pursuits of wealth and materialistic goods, or community-centered and nationalistic pride or something different altogether. While the sense of entrepreneurialism is a trend, the motivating factors behind it seem to vary significantly.
* Image source: Thandiwe Muriu. http://www.prokraft.co.ke/talent/thandiwe-muriu/
#4 MASS MIGRATION YOU DON’T HEAR ABOUT.
International media is buzzing with stories of Middle East migration to Europe. The migration story you don’t read about is the one happening in Sub-Saharan Africa. Here the movement is two-fold, taking place from regional towns to cities, as well as from western countries back ‘home’.
The first type of migration sees regional villages and towns being deserted for the promise of employment, medical care or protection against human rights abuse in major cities like Lagos, Accra and Nairobi. This migration, or urbanization, is growing faster in Sub-Saharan Africa than anywhere else on earth, as UN World Urbanization Prospects data reveals. estimates millions of youths and young people in Africa “risk everything, including their lives, to take on the perilous trips across borders.”
The other migration is Africans living abroad (often the USA and UK) returning to their home countries to establish businesses and contribute to the growing local economies. The combined forces of these migrations are triggers for many people joining social networks because it is a cheaper and easier way to stay in touch with family and friends than phone calls or visits across countries.
WHAT THIS MEANS
• Globalization is in full effect withAfrica’s labor force rapidly expanding; join in and keep an open mind. Companies with initiatives to hire local talent and reduce unemployment will build brand affinity.
• In marketing, understand thecontext you’re operating in and be sensitive to local experiences and history when determining messaging. Make your media dollars work harder for you by focusing on media in urban areas with dense populations.
East Asia& Pacific
World
Urban Population* Growth (Annual %)
Europe& Central Asia
LATAM &Caribbean
Middle East& NAM
South Asia Sub-SaharanAfrica
ource:
#5 SEAGULL MANAGEMENT IS NOT WELCOME.
Urban Dictionary has an apt (if a bit crude!) definition of this: “the seagull manager flies in, makes a lot of noise, craps on everything then flies off again leaving a big mess behind.” Africans don’t warm to companies or management that operates remotely without a real understanding of life in Africa. Nadja Bellan-White, CEO of Ogilvy Africa, is always reminding clients:
“You have to be here, on the ground, to truly understand what’s happening in Africa. It’s obvious if a brand or technology platform is managing their Africa presence remotely; and locals don’t appreciate it.”
Major technology and marketing corporations are setting up offices on the ground: Google has teams; Facebook has recently appointed a new senior leader in Nunu ; and Twitter realizes they need to roll out an on-the-ground presence via their ad network partners. Outside of our industry,
is also largely attributed to their significant on-the-ground presence at a time when Western countries decided to withdraw their support.
In a similar but separate response to seagull management, there is a push across the continent to cultivate a new breed of leaders who are critical thinkers, socially responsible and ethical. Patrick Awuah, the founder and president of an innovative liberal arts college Ashesi University, embodies this initiative. A Ghanaian by birth, Awuah spent years away from the continent establishing a successful career at Microsoft. Still, he traded his comfortable middle class American life to establish a University in Ghana that is teaching the next generation of African leaders.
on educating the next generation of African leaders.
* Nadja Bellan-White, CEO Ogilvy Africa
* Image source:https://www.flickr.com/photos/64607715@N05/25212903155
WHAT THIS MEANS
• If you’re serious about developing a presence in Africa, puta team on the ground, and spend time there personally. It will be tough and ineffective to properly manage it from NYC, London or any other global hub. Good ‘gateway cities’ to start an African presence are: Johannesburg or Cape Town in SA; Nairobi in Kenya for the East Coast; and Accra, Ghana or Lagos, Nigeria on the West Coast. Andrew Geoghegan,
“You can’t adopt a Western mindset to doing the research and finding the insights. You have to immerse yourself in the consumers’ culture and in the environment.”
• Avoid comparing Sub-Saharan African countries with othermarkets because it’s a trap that will result in missed opportunities. Start your planning with a clean slate. Listen carefully to consumers and local research.
• emphasizes the importance oforganizational agility: “There will be surprises. Your organization’s ability to adapt and respond is a source of competitive advantage.”
B E I N S P I R E D B Y T H I S W O R K
A N D T H E S E P E O P L E
• Lucky, a 13 year oldfrom the Kibera slum in Nairobi, who has learned journalism skills and
(DIY magazine) so her community’s voice can be heard.
• Ogilvy and Squad Digital’s recent work, featuring
local karaoke experts(!) and filmed in an Accra shopping centre.
• , Ghanaian actorwho
for his role as a child soldier in Beasts of No Nation.
* Image source: http://www.zinester.org
• Yodit Eklund, the brainsbehind the surf lifestyle brand that crafts each piece of clothing in Africa by local artisans with sustainable materials.
• , theself-taught Kenyan beauty photographer known for bold colors and striking images.
• , the SouthAfrican comedian who now hosts America’s The Daily Show.
• Paul-Miki Akpablie, aninternational student and founder of , a micro-business startup aiming to reduce the pain of African power outages through their long-lasting, portable energy storage battery that can be solar-powered.
* Image source: http://bantuwax.com
• whosees design as a crucial part of the solution for urban planning in the Ivory Coast.
• Nigeria’s who hasstormed onto the international music scene.
• Chimamanda Achie,Nigerian novelist who’s
was so impactful Beyonce sampled it in “Flawless”.
• in Nairobi is thegathering place for the emerging tech community with many startups being launched each year.
* Image source: Coca-Cola Ghana. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u9aAYmvPvkc
DIGITAL MARKETING TRENDS
• Mobile as the first screen
• Social media is for the wealthy and young (for now)
• A beacon of hope for Facebook and Twitter
• “What’s in it for me?” Utility wins
• The Elusive Transparency
• Social Commerce Surprise
#1 MOBILE AS THE FIRST SCREEN (NOT SECOND).
With Africa’s , the mobile has become the primary device for a majority of people. According to the
, cell phones are as common in South Africa and Nigeria as they are in the United States, mobile phones are most frequently being used for: communication via text messages, taking pictures or video, consuming information (e.g. political news, health info) and making or receiving payments.
Somewhat surprisingly, the majority of mobile internet activity in Africa is spent on web pages, not apps, according to . This is due to the popularity of low-end, cheap feature phones, combined with the high cost of data, and consumer aversion to downloading apps even if they own a smartphone.
Practicality of what can be done on a mobile device (feature phone or smartphone) dictates the success of social media platforms and advertising or PR campaigns. Low data bandwidth has resulted in the popularity of Twitter and WhatsApp compared to Facebook, YouTube and Vine in many locations. Facebook has just hit back with a
that focuses on text and link-posts instead of photos and videos. In other markets, like Kenya and Ghana, the telecommunications companies (e.g. Airtel, Safaricom) and social networks (e.g. Facebook, Twitter) partner to offer free mobile data usage of the social networks which increases our opportunities for social media marketing. Mobile data consumption is growing rapidly across Africa, especially when compared to the growth of voice calls, so we’ll see rapid advancements in how we can use this technology. For now though, keep it simple.
No matter how they are using it, one thing is clear: mobile is the first screen that Africans use and rely upon. Sure, mobile is used in conjunction with other mediums – most frequently radio and TV – but it helps everyone from
via a virtual marketplace to
D I G I T A L
M A R K E T I N G
T R E N D S
• Cell phone growth is growing quickly.
• Feature phones are most common.
• The majority of mobile internet activity in Africa isspent on web pages, not apps.
Adults who own a phone
Source: Quartz, 2015
WHAT THIS MEANS
• Mobile and Internet infrastructure investmentwill be crucial to Africa’s development. If investment continues, the impact upon GDP will be exponential. A slightly dated (2013)
estimates the Internet could add a potential $300 billion a year to Africa’s GDP.
• Africa is opening up a new market form-commerce and mobile/social marketing. Every campaign should be a ‘mobile first’ communications approach with consideration of the user experience on a mobile device – feature phone and smartphone. A key aspect of the user experience is to recognize the high cost of data in Africa that limits people’s desire to engage with data-heavy content and campaigns. Optimize your mobile website because that pretty app won’t be so widely used on the continent.
• Those videos and gifs you just created in aglobal campaign aren’t useless, but only a few people in Africa will actually be exposed to them - let alone engage with them. Reset your expectations about what online media success looks like on the continent and be sure to include low-fi ways to view or interact with your content. For example: creating memes by taking stills from your video or micro-targeting text only versions of your posts to people with a feature phone.
Free Basics by Facebook provides people with access to basic mobile-optimizedwebsites (news, job postings, health etc) for free.
Image source: https://info.internet.org/en/approach/
#2 SOCIAL MEDIA IS FOR THE WEALTHY AND YOUNG (FOR NOW).
Social penetration is not as high as the hype suggests (with the exception of South Africa and Kenya). But ignore it at your peril because the trend is growing exponentially. The charts to the right reveal the low social network penetration in several African countries. Facebook and YouTube are the most popular platforms.
What the charts don’t reveal is that internet connectivity and (see chart) have resulted in the social networks being enjoyed primarily by Africans living in major cities, people of a , technology savvy people or young people. There is an emerging middle class in Africa who will be the drivers of social media adoption.
545.5M 42%
TOTAL POPULATION
ACROSS LEADING MARKETS
INTERNET
PENETRATION
POPULATION & INTERNET PENETRATION
BY COUNTRY
Pop. Penetration
Kenya 45.9M 64%
Mauritius 1.3M 60%
Egypt 88.5M 55%
Nigeria 181.5M 51%
South Africa 54.8M 49%
Zimbabwe 14.2M 47%
Uganda 37.1M 23%
Ghana 26.3M 20%
Botswana 2.2M 19%
Zambia 15.1M 18%
Tanzania 51.1M 15%
Namibia 2.2M 15%
Mozambique 25.3M 5%
PLATFORM USAGE of the above countries
71.7M
USERS
6.8M
USERS
7.3M
USERS
11.2M
USERS
YOUTUBE
2.9B
VIEWS/Month
Broadband prices as percentageof gross national income per capita
•Europe•Americas•Arab States•Asia Pacific•Africa
Source: ATLAS. Data: International Telecommunication Union.
Average %1.37.49.216178.3
WHAT THIS MEANS
• Social media and online campaigns are likely toonly reach higher socio-economic groups directly so adapt messaging accordingly. This group has a higher disposable income ($4-$20 per day). The
expects the emerging middle class will grow to 42% by 2060 with consumption on the continent currently growing at
. This target market is appealing for large international companies so you’ll need a marketing strategy to deliver cut-through.
• states that“people in Africa love US and UK brands” so leverage any international heritage or international spokespeople.
• Review how this trend evolves on an annualbasis as it’s likely to change in the next year or two as smartphones become more affordable and ubiquitous.
19
#3 AFRICA’S POPULATION IS A BEACON OF HOPE FOR TWITTER AND FACEBOOK.
Social networks are scrambling to grow in Africa to rescue their declining user growth. During my time in Africa, I went to events where senior representatives from ,
, and presented their plans for growth and development. There is about to
be a lot more investment and focus on Africa as the behemoth platforms, with stagnating user numbers, seek to reverse the trend by converting Africa’s giant population. Why do you think Facebook and Google are so keen to get blimps and drones into the sky to issue internet in remote parts of Africa? Let’s not be naïve: the platforms see the business benefit of converting the population into active users – it’s a giant advertising pot of gold.
Facebook’s focus on developing markets is evident in their recent rollout of a special
combined with a initiative that gives Facebook employees very slow internet speeds every Tuesday so they better understand the way consumers in countries like Madagascar might be experiencing their platform.
The “Netflix of Africa”, iROKO, and the similar service ShowMax, are not anticipating that expensive and slow internet access will stop the growing consumer class from consuming video content.
The Connectivity Lab at Facebook is developing ways to make affordable internet access possible in communities around the world. The team is exploring a variety of technologies, including high-altitude long-endurance planes, satellites and lasers.
Image source: https://info.internet.org/en/approach/
WHAT THIS MEANS
• Expect social media to continue to growexponentially across the continent. The user growth will bring a more advanced usage of social networking including social media marketing for brands.
• Africans are withNielsen explaining that nearly half (48%) of consumers interviewed said advertising has significant influence on their purchase decisions, while 38% say promotional activities motivate them to buy more of a particular product. The best media approach is to incorporate online and social advertising into your traditional advertising marketing mix because Africa’s consumers are still most aware of advertising on broadcast (83%) outdoor (78%), and print (65%).
• Advertisers, you should brainstorm how you canpartner with the social networks to bring innovative advertising formats and techniques to Africa. Maybe you could co-create a new style of 2G advertising for sub-Saharan Africa?
* Image source: Thandiwe Muriu. http://www.prokraft.co.ke/talent/thandiwe-muriu/
#4 “WHAT’S IN IT FOR ME? UTILITY WINS.
This might sound like a cliché but life can be hard in Africa. Someone living in a remote village in Nigeria may travel for two days to visit their closest hospital; while someone living in Lagos might travel four hours to get to their bank due to traffic. Simple tasks we take for granted in the West can be time consuming and exhausting in parts of Africa.
“People are surviving within a context of constant change, few guarantees, limited or non-existent social protection, informal infrastructure and a history of power struggles between military and civilian governments.”
The Futures Company, Africa’s New Consumers, 2014
Brands that have provided useful technology solutions are winning. Safaricom, Kenya’s main telecommunications company (an Ogilvy PR client), introduced mobile money solution mPESA. It transformed money, the role of banks, and transactions: Kenyans don’t need a bank account; they simply need a phone and mPESA account to pay for goods or transfer money.
Uber Kenya is another example: it was met with resistance and protests from local drivers, curiosity from potential passengers, and enthusiasm from expats. Uber is likely to (continue to) position as transport for the people but is this appropriate in a culture where people most commonly walk or take small-scale private transport like Matatus (pictured)?
WHAT THIS MEANS
• Consumers see options where we, as brands, seefragmentation. Let’s learn from them and look for opportunities instead of challenges.
• Put the focus back on consumers - consider whatyou are offering them. Make campaigns be about them, not you as a brand. Acknowledge the state of eternal change consumers are operating in and don’t be afraid to push emotional messaging in your campaign.
• Global tech brands such as Uber will need tore-evaluate their positioning as being ‘for the people’ when they actually will be a very elite service. Local versions of these services are likely to spring up and these could potentially better serve consumer needs, as is the case with iROKO, the “Netflix of Africa” (see Social Commerce Surprise for more information).
#5 THE ELUSIVE TRANSPARENCY.
(Online) influence is bought in Africa. It is difficult to find influencers who are transparent and genuine brand advocates so we must change expectations, value exchange and cultivate more meaningful relationships over time. During my time in Africa we spent countless hours brainstorming how to engage bloggers and Twitter stars to become genuine brand advocates through unique experiences, instead of sums money. I had to laugh when a scandal erupted between a Kenyan businessman and his New Zealand business rival who was allegedly paying online influencers to trash talk. The Kenyan bloggers were caught on tape admitting to being paid to defame, they asked company representatives for 50 million Ksh (approx. $500k USD) to delete the tweets and ‘walk away!’ The
could have been straight out of a Telenovela script.
In a similar push for transparency, Twitter is under pressure to uncover terrorist activity despite their focus on freedom of speech. While twitter cooperates, it is easy to imagine how trying to destroy all terrorist-supported social media accounts could be compared to a game of whack-a-mole.
* Image source: http://www.pocket-lint.com/news/131699-the-internet-space-race-is-on-google-loon-vs-facebook-drones-vs-spacex-satellites
And as mainstream media frequently reminds us, transparency is an issue offline too. That is such a big topic I won’t cover it here aside from sharing this outrageous story about Kenyan government officials paying
WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?
• Brands that value transparencyand live by their values will win in Pan-Africa. Stay consistent and deliver on your brand promise to grow a loyal customer base. Warning: it won’t be as easy to live by these values in Africa.
• Prevent a crisis by planningfor what happens if/when your brand values or transparency is compromised. Consider how you will respond, how you’d deal with corruption and maintain authenticity and build trust.
• Don’t believe everything youread. Social media and mainstream media outlets can
create a frenzy about factually incorrect stories, like this recent example about forced
. Brands should resist the urge to feed into stereotypes and hype unless they have done the necessary fact checking.
• Brands may want to step upand support Sub-Saharan economies, progressive initiatives, or anti-corruption movements if local governments do not improve. Trendwatching suggests brands should initiate
to “encourage or even enforce good behavior or better living.”
Sir Andrew Whitty, CEO of Glaxo SmithKline says:
“The transformation of Africa into a successful growth region is one such area that we need to focus on. There is a great opportunity for business to play a role, alongside governments and other agencies, to help deliver improved infrastructure in Africa and create prosperity to lift people out of poverty for good.”
#6 SOCIAL COMMERCE SURPRISE.
The entrepreneurial Africans who are on social media are often using it for business purposes; however social commerce is not happening as we’d expect it to with the flashy new ‘Buy’ buttons the social networks have recently rolled out. Nope. It happens plain and simple with pics of the merchandise uploaded to Facebook/Twitter/WhatsApp groups with details like price, size (if relevant), and a phone number to call to purchase. Can’t drop by to pick it up or maybe the business doesn’t even have a shopfront? No problem, the businesses often offer delivery to your door.
One of my favourite examples of Sub-Saharan commerce was in the
“In May 2015, South Africa-based mobile app GoBeauty launched on WeChat. Via the move, customers can automatically book services for free in real-time using the mobile chat app. Once users have added GoBeautySA to their WeChat contacts, they can book services such as hairdressing, manicures and spa treatments.”
Sub- Saharan Africa’s eCommerce sector is struggling to manage the advent of social commerce combined with tough economic conditions and pressure from investors. were recent shake-ups and layoffs at Nigeria’s Konga.com, the country’s top online retailer, and Jumia. E-commerce companies are tackling the lack of trust in online shopping and old behavioural habits preferring face-to-face transactions. Social commerce could offer a more personal solution for the challenge of face-to-face transactions.
B O N U S M I N I - T R E N D
WHAT THIS MEANS
• Experiment with social commerce, even if eCommerce isn’t effective. Socialcommerce can be more human and personable. Furthermore, it doesn’t have to be the ‘official’ platform method of social commerce, instead be creative with how people in Africa might like to use the technology and complete a transaction.
• Learnings from America and Europe probably won’t apply here. Look to APACand their use of WeChat for more relevant examples you could learn from and adapt for Africa. Whatever you do, make it easy for people to purchase given the hurdles around financial infrastructure.
• Keep an eye out for new, innovative forms of payments as Africans look tocontinue to revolutionize the finance industry.
Sub- Saharan Africa’s eCommerce sector is struggling to manage the advent of social commerce combined with tough economic conditions and pressure from investors. Quartz reports were recent shake-ups and layoffs at Nigeria’s Konga.com, the country’s top online retailer, and Jumia. E-commerce companies are tackling the lack of trust in online shopping and old behavioural habits preferring face-to-face transactions. Social commerce could offer a more personal solution for the challenge of face-to-face transactions.
That’s a lot of trends to digest. So as it all sinks in, I’ll leave you with this:
On my first trip to Kenya, I was in a taxi late at night when the driver got lost. It was dark. We were on a quiet, eerie back street. He pulled over onto the curbside and got out of the car. My mobile phone battery was flat. The driver’s English wasn’t great. My Swahili was worse. I had no way of calling for help. My mind was spinning with worst case scenarios. But how wrong I was. The poor taxi driver was legitimately lost. He soon found someone to ask for directions, quickly navigated us back to a main road, and I made it to the hotel safe
and sound. This taught me to drop the stereotypes and instead keep an open mind, regardless of the situation. I encourage you to learn what Africa is for yourself.
If you remember nothing else, remember this:
“It always seems impossible until it’s done.” Nelson Mandela
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Global Social Media Specialists.
For more information contact Hannah Law at [email protected] or tweet us @socialogilvy
SOCIAL MEDIA
I N A F R I C A
DEMOGRAPHICS
545.5M 42%
TOTAL POPULATION ACROSS LEADING MARKETS
INTERNETPENETRATION
POPULATION & INTERNET PENETRATION BY COUNTRY
Pop. PenetrationKenya 45.9M 64%Mauritius 1.3M 60%Egypt 88.5M 55%Nigeria 181.5M 51%South Africa 54.8M 49%Zimbabwe 14.2M 47%Uganda 37.1M 23%Ghana 26.3M 20%Botswana 2.2M 19%Zambia 15.1M 18%Tanzania 51.1M 15%Namibia 2.2M 15%Mozambique 25.3M 5%
PLATFORM USAGE
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For more information contact Hannah Law at [email protected] or tweet us @socialogilvy
PLATFORM PENETRATION BY COUNTRY
FACEBOOK71.7M USERS
TWITTER6.8M
USERS
INSTAGRAM7.3M
USERS
LINKEDIN11.2MUSERS
YOUTUBE2.9B
VIEWS/Month
youtubeViews/User
24459
11172137414755
124
UgandaZambia
ZimbabweKenyaGhana
TanzaniaSouth Africa
MozambiqueBotswana
EgyptNigeria
NamibiaMauritius
0 124
instagramUSERS
44K83K33K
1.3M510K
49K2.7M1.5M300K
26K110K610K
59K
ZimbabweUgandaZambiaNigeria
KenyaMauritius
EgyptSouth Africa
GhanaBotswana
MozambiqueTanzaniaNamibia
0 100
0 100
twitter USERS
293K1.2M128K
90K693K168K
55K39K
2.1M41K
1.9M40K55K
GhanaNigeria
UgandaZimbabwe
KenyaTanzania
ZambiaMozambique
EgyptMauritius
South AfricaNamibia
Botswana
LINKEDIN USERS
2.5M1.9M1.2M337K411K427K222K178K783K4.8M164K131K164K
NigeriaEgyptKenya
ZimbabweTanzaniaUgandaZambia
MozambiqueGhana
South AfricaMauritiusNamibia
Botswana0 100
ZimbabweNigeria
KenyaUganda
TanzaniaSouth Africa
ZambiaEgypt
GhanaNamibia
MauritiusBotswana
Mozambique
USERS
870K14.0M
5.1M1.8M2.8M
13.0M1.3M
27.0M3.0M231K580K294K1.2M
Platform Penetration Percentage
0 100
Platform Penetration Percentage
Platform Penetration Percentage
Platform Penetration Percentage
Average Number of Monthly Views per Internet User
Sources: Facebook Advertising Power Editor, Oct 2015 / Twitter Ad Dynamo, June 2015 / LinkedIn Ads, December 2015.