BRANDING: A VIEW FROM TANZANIA
BRANDING: A VIEW FROM TANZANIA
Monday, 28 August 2006 01:05
Which brands would you rank highest in the Tanzanian market?
Kilimanjaro beer, SM (Sweet Menthol) cigarettes, Konyagi, Tembo Card, Foma, Vodacom, Tigo and Celtel.
What are your reasons for ranking these brands highly?
Kilimanjaro is the equivalent of ‘Tusker’ in Kenya. The name Kilimanjaro is highly patriotic/nationalistic due to Mt Kilimanjaro the tallest mountain in the country, and the continent. It is definitely a brand designed for the mass market and they easily affiliate to it.
SM in Tanzania is like Embassy in Kenya, in terms of marketing. They are looking at the young hip person, who wants the finer things in life and giving them SM as the ‘cool’ choice to this dilemma. I also feel that SM is in competition with other internationally renowned brands like Dunhill and Benson & Hedges, which are equally elitist but more expensive. SM has more or less the same elitist campaign strategy as B&H and Dunhill but it is much cheaper. SM is also well known to sponsor quite a number of, mostly international, entertainment events that cater for this ‘high class’ image.
Tanzania’s premier gin, Konyagi is a well processed, smooth drink which is marketed for the youth. It is another fiercely nationalistic brand that people, not only in Tanzania but in the East African region, easily identify as Tanzanian. Since it targets the youth, it is cheap and marketing teams use musicians to endorse their products, striking the right accord. It is also the perfect ‘gift’ for any tourist who comes to Tanzania and wants to experience genuine Tanzanian alcohol; which I daresay is used in making a variety of cocktails and shooters in leading pubs all over the country.
Tembo card is the first debit card from CRDB Bank in Tanzania. Just like in communication marketing, banking is quickly maturing in Tanzania and the use of ‘plastic money’ is now being seen as a convenience particularly for security reasons. The fact that Tembo card can be used in almost every facet of one’s life has turned it into a necessity thus making it a very strong brand.
Foma is Tanzania’s leading detergent. Its history dates back to the days when Tanzania had just gained independence and was owned by the government. It is a very strong brand mainly due to the fact that it has such strong national history. There was a time when any different brand of detergent introduced to the market was still called ‘Foma’ by the people. But even with this kind of national following they are shifting with the times and are currently using famous women in the media with the slogan ‘Fahari ya Mwanamke’ to market the product. This is one of the few brands that could live another 50 years in Tanzania.
Since your area of specialization is in publishing, it would be interesting to know what you think about the publishing brands in Tanzania.
I believe that while Tanzania has quite a number of newspapers, when it comes to magazines it is quite obvious that there is a great need which requires satisfaction. There is a need for homogenous consumer based magazines in Tanzania as the market is becoming demanding. There are already a few brands that are trying to make a dent in this area and those I feel are reliable and sustainable (in no particular order) include: Mwanangu, Advertising Dar, Dar Guide, Bang, and Femina.
Mwanangu is the first mother and baby magazine in Tanzania therefore it automatically falls under the homogenous consumer based magazines category. The mother and baby industry in Tanzania is very lucrative and most women have had nightmares trying to get from point A to B when it comes to preparing themselves for motherhood. Since it is a woman’s magazine at the end of the day, the future is bright for this brand as research shows that women dictate the direction the market will take. It is definitely an FMCG product. It goes for TShs 2,000 and is published in English.
Advertising Dar is a magazine that has been in existence for the last year. When it comes to success of magazines in Tanzania, this is definitely a winner! The sole purpose of Advertising Dar is to put up all sorts of advertisements from different industries; ranging from real estate to the sale of cars, in one place. This is something the Weekly Advertiser tried in Kenya and failed. Advertising Dar has proved how reliable it can be when looking for something as simple as housing or even selling furniture to finding out what is happening over the weekend. The magazine is free, and is literally available anywhere.
Dar Guide is an equivalent to Going Out Guide in Kenya but this case is mostly available to tourists. I believe Bang magazine is a cross between a woman’s magazine and an entertainment & lifestyle magazine. There is a chance it could be split into two magazines to cover these areas separately. The target demographic is the hip 25-35 year old and is published in English. However, it needs a strong marketing strategy, as people tend to shun it as too elitist and ‘not Tanzanian’. In other words it does not target the local person. But within their target they are doing well.
Femina has the highest print run in East Africa. This magazine prints 96,000 copies every month! It is based on HIV-AIDS, reproductive health and responsible sexual behaviour. The magazine is in Swahili and is very popular and well funded. It is marketed by a talk show of the same name covering the same subject as the magazine. It is mostly popular with the rural market although is found in the urban market as well.
What advice do you have for Kenyan brands venturing into the Tanzanian market?
First of all, they need to do their research. Tanzanians are fiercely nationalistic and they easily shun products that do no reflect their everyday lives. So if Kenyans intend to introduce a product which will ardently be advertised, they should strongly consider using Tanzanian models instead of Kenyan or Ugandan models. Language is very important as well; anyone introducing a brand should identify their target market first and this becomes the deciding factor in what language should then be used. Awareness and appreciation of Tanzania’s Pop culture is also necessary as it is what most advertisers use to market their products. Lastly, Tanzania is a predominantly an Islamic country. When introducing a brand this should be taken into consideration to avoid any form of publicizing that may be found offensive to Muslims. Some big brands have being forced to cancel heir campaigns especially in Zanzibar as they were deemed as offensive.
