Airline body urges African governments to act on opening market access
‘Strategies don’t move people. Now it is time to make the difficult decisions and execute them,’ senior executive stresses.
BRAND ACTIVATIONS
MTN Uganda and Nissan come to the aid of struggling fruit vendor
By our African Marketing Confederation News Team | 2025
Last year MTN gifted a vehicle to a single mother of five to replace her ‘death trap’ pickup. This year, they again came to the rescue.
One of the more eye-catching brand activations of 2024 was arguably MTN Uganda’s surprise handover of a new pickup truck to Night Ampurire, a struggling market fruit vendor and single mother of five who made headlines over the ‘death trap’ vehicle she was driving to make a living and feed her family.
Night Ampurire cried tears of joy when presented with her new vehicle last year. Photo: MTN Uganda
After learning of her plight via a TV news report, MTN Uganda arranged a Nissan double-cab for Night and then ‘ambushed’ her with the gift when she made her regular stop at Kitooro Market in Entebbe.
Night’s excited reaction and tears of joy on receiving her new vehicle made headlines across the country. You can read all about that brand activation in the current issue (Issue 4 2024) of Strategic Marketing for Africa, the magazine of the African Marketing Confederation.
A twist to the tale
Recently, though, there was a twist to the tale when the vehicle broke down and Night withdrew her savings to pay a mechanic to repair it. When, after two weeks the vehicle was not returned to her, she feared it had been stolen and made a public appeal for its return.
Hearing of the situation, MTN Uganda intervened and recovered the vehicle. It was then repaired and returned to a grateful Night Ampurire.
In a press statement, the telecommunications company said the vehicle was retrieved from the mechanic and transferred to Nissan Motorcare.
“Nissan Motorcare completed all necessary repairs at no cost to Ms Ampurire and returned the vehicle to her on Friday, 24th January 2025. We would like to clarify that the vehicle was never stolen, as previously alleged,” the statement reads.
“MTN Uganda is grateful to its partner, Nissan Motorcare, for their fast and efficient work in ensuring the vehicle was repaired and handed back to Ms Ampurire in excellent condition.”
Uganda Tourism Board partners with major European ice hockey league
UTB says its ambition is to turn the visibility into interest, bookings and more visitors choosing to explore Uganda.
Researchers explain why 10-second micro ads outperform longer spots
Short ads shown on TV increased website visits within five minutes of airing by 10-40% compared with longer advertisements.
Competition continues to grow in the Moroccan supermarket sector
Supeco’s rapid expansion shows how the discount model is becoming a bigger part of grocery retail in the North African country.
Study identifies harmful paradox behind well-meaning green efforts
Consumers reward visible eco-friendly additions such as reusable bottles, but give little credit to businesses that reduce or remove products.
President Mahama commissions expanded evaporated milk facility in Ghana
Nestlé believes Ghana will continue to play a leading role in the future of Central and West Africa.
Momentum beginning to build for 2027 ACCS gathering in Addis Ababa
Ethiopia’s marketers gather to celebrate hosting next year’s conference – but with an eye on the hard work ahead.
PwC report examines the future of African entertainment and media
Tech is creating more ways for audiences to connect, but lasting value will come from understanding the people behind those connections.
Unilever investment expands its Vaseline production capacity in Africa
The new production line at the historic Maydon Wharf facility in Durban will address growing international demand.
World MICE Awards in Jamaica honour best African and global achievers
Tanzania, Kenya, Zimbabwe, Ethiopia and South Africa all feature in the African meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions awards.
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.