Consumer Influences
Pop culture, religion and community culture are the biggest influences. Family and friends, as well as social media, are also influential.
PURPOSE-LED MARKETING
Why purpose-led marketing is a must for African brands
By our News Team | 2022
Do consumers care how a company behaves, if the product and price is right? Research shows they do favour brands with a social purpose.
Any marketer worth their salt knows that change is good and based on the permanent flux of human evolution. A seasoned marketer embraces this and the ethos that marketing is a service to others; not the opportunistic entity that it is sometimes portrayed to be.
Purpose-led marketing is, by definition, when a brand and its audience connect on a mutual cause that both believe in. In a perfect world, purpose-led marketing would be an extension of a purpose-driven business model.
The latter goes deeper than simply aligning with a cause, which in itself is a good thing. However, when the business model is built on a purpose, it makes people, their experiences and their well-being the primary aim of what the organisation does.
Why brands need to be more purpose-driven
The old adage of ‘do my customers actually care as long as my prices are competitive and my products or services provide the desired quality?’ is fast becoming redundant.
Several marketing surveys in recent years have revealed the ascent of purpose-led business and why consumers support certain brands. Business magazine Forbes published a comprehensive list of many of these surveys and the overarching message was clear: The purpose-led business model is on the rise and for good reason.
Photograph via Strategic Marketing for Africa magazine
Consumers are changing and so are their choices. Consider that Generation Y or Z consumers will likely be a large part of a company’s current customer base and most/all of its future customers.
Several recent studies also reveal that the aforementioned generations not only choose to support brands that align with their beliefs but, where possible, prefer to work for brands that do so!
To read more about how purpose-led marketing strategies are being implemented, go to page 39 of the latest digital edition of Strategic Marketing for Africa, the official publication of the African Marketing Confederation (AMC) here: https://africanmarketingconfederation.org/publications-2/
Brand Strategy
Long-established sports brand launches ‘Adidas Sportswear’ line to take on Nike for a bigger share of the global Generation Z audience.
Influencers
Consumer commission investigating misleading testimonials and endorsements, as well as failing to disclose affiliations with brands.
Consumer Preferences
Companies spend fortunes on tracking changing customer preferences and then adapting to them. But is seems brands like Disney may be exempt.
Sports Sponsorship
Marketing deal would cost around US$51.8-million over three years and aim to boost international tourism. But critics are unconvinced.
Customer Experience
Changing consumer expectations mean many CX strategies won’t win and retain customers in this new business environment, study finds.
Retail Industry
Organisation’s mission is to offer education, insights and events that help drive the evolution of the retail industry around the world.
Travel and Tourism
Sector must take advantage by finding fresh routes to traveller engagement and new ways of building customer experiences.
Conferences and Exhibitions
More than 300 exhibitors representing 15 African countries are already registered, along with 275 buyers from 45 countries.
E-commerce
Global e-commerce giant is said to have postponed SA launch to late 2023 and paused Nigerian market entry until further notice.
Podcasting
On a continent where huge numbers of young people are embracing non-traditional mediums, the rise of podcasting seems assured.