BRANDING: DOWN MEMORY LANE
BRANDING: DOWN MEMORY LANE
Tuesday, 02 December 2008 07:07
“Products are made in the factory, but brands are created in the mind.” Walter Landor
Kenya ’s brand terrain is littered with many brands. Some are as old as Kenya while others are relatively new having made it to the scene in the 21st Century. Amongst these thousands of brands, there are those that boast of having a special place in the hearts and minds of Kenyan consumers - brands that when mentioned, bring nostalgic memories of the good old days.
Some of the ‘good old days’ brands are still around and enjoy a significant market share despite growing competition, others in a bid to keep up with dynamic consumer needs have repackaged, then there are those that have changed ownership and rebranded while others simply disappeared quietly from the market never to be heard or seen. Amongst the ‘dead’ brands, a few have resurrected and managed to get a bit of life back courtesy of the legend of their first life.
When history is written, the success of a brand is mainly judged by the legend it created. Kenya has brands and Brands - those that are part of being Kenyan. Take Elliots for example. The brand rings a loud bell especially for those who went to boarding school. Those days, bread was a precious commodity. “We probably didn’t even know it was a little stale by the time it got to those of us who lived outside Nairobi . When people started acquiring a taste for fresh bread, things started to change,” notes Francis Wachira - General Manager, Marketing Society of Kenya.
Changing times
Yes, times have really changed. “I only buy Supa Loaf. If I had an option to buy fresh baked bread, I would buy it and won’t necessarily go for the (Supa Loaf) brand,” notes Liz Tapawa - Assistant Marketing Manager, Jacaranda Hotel. Al Kags - Programme Officer, ICT Board observes that back in the day, ones social class was rated by their ability to buy sliced bread. “Now, consumers don’t just buy fresh baked bread, but also specify which one for example Whole wheat etc.”
Growing up in Kenya included interacting with brands like Voice of Kenya (VOK), Kimbo and Cowboy (cooking fats), Tree Top (juice), Blue Band (margarine) and Omo (powder detergent) and soaps like Lifebuoy, Rexona and Asprol.
Kimbo, a household name in Kenya has passed through many owners from the Kenya Industrial Estates, Unilever to its current home - Bidco Oil Refineries. Until the mid-eighties, Kimbo enjoyed almost 100 percent market share in East Africa as it was the only locally manufactured cooking fat. “At that time, shopkeepers were prepared to bribe in order to stock limited supplies of common goods like Kimbo. When other (cooking fats) like KAPA, Bidco and Joma came into the market, their power was probably underestimated,” says Wachira.
Over the years, Kimbo has not changed much in terms of look and feel. Apart from the packaging and a few additions, it (Kimbo) has probably not changed much in the way it cooks. It has lived to its slogan of being at the ‘heart of every meal’ and minds of consumers.
Waning attachment
Wachira notes that consumers have lost the attachment, passion and loyalty they had for brands. In the fast moving commodity segment, competition is furious. For a long time, the Zesta brand has been synonymous to jam but along the way, the manufacturers decided to ride on the success of the brand and ventured in the crowded cooking fats segment. Zesta was extended to include Zesta cooking fat. Other players in the market include Fresh Fry and Rina cooking oils which are targeting an emerging and growing health conscious consumer market. This has become a major threat to old players like Kimbo which is now being marketed as being cholesterol free and having Vitamin A fortification.
Because of growing consumer awareness and an array of choices in the market competing for consumers’ attention, some brands fell by the wayside. Some like the Kenya Meat Commission (KMC) were lucky to get a second life. KMC meat products are now being marketed as high end at various retail outlets. Uchumi, another old brand that also died and resurrected, is struggling to survive despite growing competition. Shoppers’ attachment to Uchumi is believed to be based on heritage. When Uchumi reopened, it rode on its past heritage and used the slogan tujenge Uchumi yetu (let’s build our Uchumi). This was an emotional call to consumers to come to the aid of an indigenous supermarket chain that was part of Kenyan history. Many people identify with Uchumi because back in the day, it was the place to shop.
A Kenyan beer
It is said when Kenyans go abroad, they talk about three things; the warm weather, rich culture and Tusker beer. Even teetotallers always put in a good word for Tusker, the Kenyan beer. Such is the pride of Tusker, one of Kenya ’s oldest brands that has been around since 1925. The beer has remained the same in taste and packaging a quality that has earned it massive fans. Such is the loyalty of Tusker consumers that bar owners would rather not stock sodas but ensure they have ample stock of the beer. In neighbouring countries, Kenyans are easily identifiable by the beer they consume.
The impact of social and economic factors on the success or failure of brands can not be ignored. Over the years, consumers have become very demanding. Take Blue Band margarine for example, it is over 50 years old and nothing much seems to have been done to it but it still continues to enjoy a significant share of the market. At some point, Unilever introduced Blue Band Choco which apparently did not do very well and midway, Unilever had to change tactics. Before it was targeted at the family now, the target seems to be children.
Then there is Ugali (maize meal), a staple food in Kenya . Who ever thought we would have flavoured Ugali? For brands, the issue of choice is becoming more interesting. The changes are too many that it has become almost impossible to keep up.
When it comes to fuel, consumers are concerned about one thing - cost. The bells and whistles at fuel stations like charming attendants and services are secondary. A difference of two shillings is enough to make motorists queue for fuel. Since oil marketers have no control over price because it is influenced by international crude markets, they mainly differentiate themselves in the services and provision of none fuel related services.
Monopoly brands
There are brands that have enjoyed monopoly for years. Pepsi is preferred in blind tests yet, Coke continues to lead in many markets in the world including Kenya . The tables seem to have been turned after the entry of Alvaro a product of East Africa Breweries Ltd. Are some brands there because the market is not optimal? Has coke been having it easy for too long? It is likely that old brands survive because consumers have no other choices. However, Kenyan consumers are into fads and the lifespan of Alvaro will depend of whether consumers like it long enough to keep it in business.
The future of brands is uncertain. A new broom sweeps clean. Old brands are struggling to survive as new ones sweep the market. In markets like Kenya , international brands continue to dominate the market. “Poverty is perpetuated by the success of international brands and the non existence of local brands. Looking at the 2008 Interbrand’s 100 best global brands, there is none from Kenya or even Africa ,” notes Wachira. In a few years, the brands that are shinning today will be part of the history archives. Life is short - even for brands.
Copyright 2009 Brandscape Africa Foundation.
