by Mandy de Waal (@mandyldewaal) If you’re chowing down on some nyama choma (barbecued meat) in Kenya and you’re offered a beer, the chances are that it will be a Tusker. The oldest beer brand in that market, Tusker remains East Africa’s best-loved beer because of product excellence and the smart marketing that backs this brand.
Category archives: Marketing
Green Sky Thinking: Being human is being on trend
by Colwyn Elder (@colwynelder) Reading Trendwatching’s 10 trends shaping consumerism in 2015, it seems ‘sharing is caring’ and being human is ‘being on trend’.
Media Redefined: The fallacy of engagement
by Martin MacGregor (@MartMacG) Is the hashtag in fashion or what? It has been building momentum since the launch of Twitter, but in 2015 we seem to be drowning in a constant stream of #weare’s, #noto’s and #mustfall’s.
The Word: Uzzi unceremoniously meets “Arfica”
by Mongezi Mtati (@Mongezi) Two brands recently took centre stage to add some unintentional yet much-needed humour to South Africa’s social web. The reactions (or lack thereof) of Uzzi and Cricket South Africa (CSA) made conversations spread through social media timelines — with different outcomes for both brands.
Homegrown: Reinventing reasons to believe
by Lynne Gordon (@lynne_gordon) The ‘Reason to Believe’ — that building block of classical marketing concepts — has long been a topic of debate among brand-builders. Does my brand need one? What’s the most convincing choice of Reason to Believe (RTB)? And how should I communicate it in a compelling way?
You’ve probably shopped at Design Partnership
by Herman Manson (@marklives) If you’ve walked into a Hungry Lion or a Standard Bank branch, MTN, Tile Africa, Nando’s, or even a Shoprite Liquor store, you would have experienced a retail environment designed by Design Partnership, the specialist retail-and-hospitality design consultancy.
Tuned: Frank reality — inspiration in a perfect world
by Thabang Leshilo (@Thabang_Leshilo) There is a global cultural shift in social perceptions and behaviours which is expected to have a powerful impact upon the future. The glossy world is being discarded, the reality of people rejecting perfection and abandoning their immaculately curated online selves. Instead, the gritty is becoming aspirational — genuine candour valued as people seek out interactions that are authentic and open.
Dissident Spin Doctor: Business lessons from Masterchef
by Emma King (@EmmainSA) Slumped on the sofa, glass of wine in hand, watching a handful of frantic Aussies desperately spill and burn things while the clock ticks — one wouldn’t think it was the ideal place to learn life (or business) lessons. But life is funny like that and sometimes the greatest little gems of insight pop up when least expected.
Fair Exchange: Let the signatory beware — but what of the brand’s responsibility?
by Erna George. How are brands behaving to allow consumers to feel partnered and covered against legal consequences of their signatures on seemingly innocuous agreements?
Brand Politics: How to work with powerful personal brands
by Alistair Mackay (@almackay) Helen Zille’s news last month that she would not be standing for re-election as the leader of the Democratic Alliance surprised almost everyone who heard it. With no obvious replacement with her kind of stature or experience, it makes you realise how risky it can be to have such concentrated brand power in the leader of an organisation.