
Search is fragmenting – credibility and trust create the new visibility
Online search behaviour has changed significantly with the rise of AI. How can African brands adapt to this new marketing landscape?
ONLINE STRATEGY
By our News Team | 2023
Ogilvy Africa and Savannah Labs will collaborate and share complementary skills and competencies to bring Web3 tools to marketers.
Brand communications network, Ogilvy Africa, has announced a strategic partnership with Kenyan-founded blockchain company Savannah Labs. The aim is to become a leading developer of Web 3.0 (Web3) solutions for brands and marketers in sub-Saharan Africa.
According to the two companies, their joint vision for a more democratic version of today’s online world is one where “Web3 will reduce the control of data by the few, empowering individuals to connect, collaborate and transact peer-to-peer”.
Mowgli Dodhia (left) and Vikas Mehta. Photo credit: Ogilvy Africa/ Savannah Labs
The duo add that Web 3, underpinned by blockchain technology and the Metaverse, will change our relationships with the online world profoundly.
Through this agreement, Ogilvy Africa and Savannah Labs will collaborate and share complementary skills and competencies currently available in the two organisations.
Ogilvy Africa brings its solution expertise in marketing and a deep understanding of the continent, while Savannah Labs brings technology expertise in blockchain and other Web3 technologies.
A great leveller for developed and emerging markets
“The recency of Web3 could prove to be a great leveller for developed and emerging markets. We believe the most valuable marketing use cases of Web3 are yet to be established. Through this partnership with Savannah, we wish to bring the tools to marketers and brands in Africa to explore the potential of Web3 for their businesses,” says Vikas Mehta, Chief Executive Officer at Ogilvy Africa.
“Together with Savannah Labs, we are creating a sandbox for leading marketers and bold brands to play with Web3 and shape their future with our help,” he adds.
The offerings will be available to clients in all 39 countries across sub-Saharan Africa where Ogilvy Africa operates, with the company claiming that this is the first of its kind in East, Central and West Africa.
Mowgli Dodhia, CEO and co-founder of Savannah Labs, notes: “Our aim is to help brands and enterprises navigate the emerging world of Web3 by forging strategic alliances between organisations. Our partnership is tech and blockchain-agnostic, so we can help people find the perfect solutions for their business strategies, existing tech stacks and ambitions in Web3.”
“There are immense opportunities to deliver innovative and exciting experiences for brands, businesses and their audiences across the continent over the coming years.”
According to Wikipedia, Web3 is an idea for a new iteration of the World Wide Web which incorporates concepts such as decentralisation, blockchain technologies and token-based economics.

Online search behaviour has changed significantly with the rise of AI. How can African brands adapt to this new marketing landscape?

Researchers propose a framework for packaging that senses, learns and acts – making packaging an active, AI-powered tool against food waste.

Country needs marketers to build recognition and consumer trust around Malawian products and national brand, says Deputy Minister.

Fashion brand suspends giant lingerie high above the city’s streets, using shadows to create a moving billboard for pedestrians and motorists.

Researchers describe AI influencers as having a ‘dual identity’. Consumers evaluate both ‘person’ and ‘technology’ identities at once.

Reputation and trust, once modest influences on hotel choice, have become some of the strongest predictors of patronage, study finds.

South African brands are increasingly setting the global benchmark for customer loyalty strategies, organisers say.

Global influences among younger consumers are still present, but they are being filtered through a distinctly Zambian lens.

Researchers find that lack of perceived ‘genuine care’ is the mechanism connecting AI involvement to lower trust ratings.

Explore the 2026 AMC Conference speaker line-up. Top African marketing voices gather in Zambia to tackle AI, AfCFTA, and brand power. Register today.

New industry currency will bring South African television and online video audiences together in a single measurement system.