AI won’t replace market research. But it will expose weak strategy
Much of the broader conversation around AI in market research assumes conditions that do not consistently exist across many African markets, writes Soyinka Witness.
FASHION BRANDS
Kenyan President helps to take local fashion brands to the US market
By our African Marketing Confederation News Team | 2024
William Ruto opens Vivo Fashion’s first store in the United States during official visit to meet with US President, Joe Biden.
African fashion brands are continuing to market themselves on the global stage, with the latest example being Kenya’s Vivo Fashion Group, which opened its first US store in the city of Atlanta last week.
The high-profile opening event attracted attention in both the United States and Africa, as the official opening was performed by Kenyan President, Dr William Ruto, during his state visit to the country.
President Ruto opens the Atlanta store.
Photo: Presidency of Kenya
Dr Ruto became the first African leader to receive a Washington state visit in 15 years and met with US President, Joe Biden, during his trip.
Other members of a high-level delegation that attended the Vivo Fashion store opening in Atlanta included the US Ambassador to Kenya, Meg Whitman, the Mayor of Atlanta, Andre Dickens, Kenya’s Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment Cabinet Secretary, Rebecca Miano, and Vivo Fashion Group’s founder and CEO, Wandia Gichuru.
Female-led Vivo is a registered limited company in Kenya and was founded in 2011. It claims to East Africa’s largest ladies fashion brand, with 100% of its products designed and produced locally.
Vivo currently has 27 stores: 23 across Kenya, two in Rwanda, one in Uganda, and now one in the United States.
The impact of visionary enterprise
“The powerful story of Vivo Fashion Group demonstrates the impact of visionary enterprise and spotlights the role of women in leadership, business and entrepreneurship,” said President Ruto when speaking at the Atlanta event.
“We are elated to see that Vivo has not ventured into the American market alone; it has brought along other ‘Made in Kenya’ brands. This is an African spirit where businesses find innovative ways to support each other’s advancement as we take the global stage.”
Other Kenyan brands involved in Vivo’s US expansion strategy include Ikwetta Holdings (leather bags and footwear), Essential (everyday fashion basics for women), Anjiru (home décor products, kids’ toys, apparel, footwear and casual bags), Ythera Beauty (skin, hair, body, personal and home products), and Soko (ethical jewellery brand).
Also speaking at the Atlanta opening, Vivo CEO, Wandia Gichuru, said: “We want to keep expanding across the region and internationally, customising what we offer, based on the market.
“We don’t want to assume that we as Kenyans know exactly what women in other regions would wear. We are utilising data to ensure our clients have a sense of ownership of the brand.”
For video coverage of the opening, you can watch news report on YouTube here.
AI search behaviour by SA consumers more than doubled in a year
Consumers are asking AI which retailer offers the best deal, comparing products or researching brands before visiting a website or store.
Port of Mombasa embraces integration and technology-driven solutions
Kenya Ports Authority is working to improve cargo flow and efficiency to support growing trade volumes at vital import-export gateway.
Brands must deliver sustainability through actions, not words
African consumers want ethical, responsible choices. Therefore, brand growth hinges on making sustainable choices affordable and relevant.
Africa’s next competitive advantage isn’t AI. It’s commercial capability
Examining the tech-hype trap and why human judgement, not technology, will pave the way to competitive advantage in Africa.
Former AGB Nielsen commercial lead Hopolang Mothibeli joins Ornico
Strategic senior appointment comes at a time when the local advertising-intelligence landscape is entering a period of significant change.
From inflation to consumption: West Africa’s FMCG turnaround
Ghana has shifted decisively into consumer-led recovery, with Côte d’Ivoire and Cameroon following more gradually.
‘New direction’ for the integration of African marketing and business
AMC President discusses the upcoming conference’s ‘full circle’ and the gathering’s role in navigating marketing’s paradigm shift.
Retailers are re-engineering the checkout – and removing friction
Africa’s retail future may be led not by size, but by those who most effectively remove the friction between customer intent and transaction.
Netflix puts a live actor inside an LA billboard for three days
Out-of-home brand activation above Sunset Boulevard draws attention to a new science-fiction thriller film about a family stuck in a house.
Roxana Ravjee joins Havas as its new CEO for the Africa region
She comes to Havas as a business leader with more than 20 years of expertise across marketing, advertising, transformation and growth.