Tag: brand authenticity

The African diaspora is one of the fastest-growing communities in the world. The United Nations estimates that more than 170 million people of African descent live outside the continent. Among them is me, a South African living in the Netherlands. My personal journey reflects how diaspora identities continually reshape the way brands are perceived across continents.

Digital advertising in South Africa is on the rise, driven by business-oriented trends. The annual report, conducted in partnership with PwC, seeks to accurately measure the total revenue generated by domestic online media, including mobile advertising. While we have witnessed how the digital ecosystem has become a lot more creative, driving performance and connecting with audiences to build trust, the power of generative artificial intelligence (AI), retail media and social communities continue to provide opportunities for marketers and business growth alike.

With the public influence of online as an atomic conduit of marketing, Word of Mouth Marketing (WOMM) is no longer reserved for the offline arena. Digital integration has made online an adrenalised distribution channel that bullet-trains references, commodities, recommendations and reviews through communities and economies.

The events of the last few years have hit the fast forward button for the South African e-commerce industry. According to Geopoll, e-commerce grew by 66% YoY (Year over Year) in 2020, while brick and mortar retail fell by 30%.

Consumer behaviour is ever-changing, but several changes we’ve recently seen have and will alter the way brands do business and approach advertising. For one, consumers now have very high expectations for brands, especially when it comes to social, environmental and political issues.

Humans create ideas and technology helps us share them. Finding a team that can marry the two, will give any brand a competitive edge. The human behind the tech always has to ensure that their ideas are culturally relevant to the audience and that the tech used is accessible to their market.

As traditional media strategies faltered, 2020 highlighted the growing relevance of social media marketing and the need for businesses to relook customer engagement. Social media usage soared – both in number of users and amount of time spent on social media platforms.

The role of brands in society is constantly shifting, but they’re becoming an ever more important part of our lives. This article explores holistic brand building and how to stay true to your principles as you evolve. The role that brands play in society has changed dramatically over the decades.

Technology enabled Local Marketing Strategies (LMS) help leading franchises grow at a rate three times faster than competitors. One of the great challenges facing franchise businesses is to maintain their group brand identity while enabling LMS at branch level. Those that do, grow at a rate of about three times than that of their competitors.