With Covid-19 emphasizing the human element in advertising, brands should re-evaluate their strategies and reframe their messaging to stay relevant. Saying nothing is wrong too, add experts.



“How do we respond to the biggest global conversation taking place?” asks Robert Grace, Founding Partner: Head Of Strategy, at M&amp;C Saatchi Abel, an integrated advertising agency with branches across Africa. “How are you actually going to match what you’re talking about with action?”



This is where advertising’s role becomes interesting, far from simply acting like a loudspeaker to products, or putting out mushy messages to engender brand loyalty.



How has marketing had to help brands pivot their messaging at this time?



The global pandemic is influencing every aspect of life. “I’ve never heard the word ‘unprecedented’ used so much. We’ve used so much hyperbolic language in this time,” says Grace.



From changing work cultures, to countries in lockdown facing economic crises, Covid-19 is impacting everyone in tangible ways. For agencies and by extension, brands, to pretend it’s not happening or go on with business as normal, reads as tone-deaf at best and disingenuous and ruthless at worst.



With that in mind, some brands have opted for silence, fearful of saying the wrong thing at the wrong time. “Saying the wrong thing is unforgivable – the consumer is smarter than they’ve ever been. You could have been in the right place but one wrong move could send you backwards,” explains Khuthala Gala-Holten, Managing Director at Joe Public in Johannesburg.



The risk of saying the wrong thing is paired with the risk of saying nothing at all. “Many brands have paused spending now, which is not the best thing to do, because people expect brands to play a role. 88% of consumers want brands to talk to them now,” says Shaun Frazao, Head of Digital at Wavemaker. The data backs this up – according to email service provider Everlytic, their March 2020 open rate was really high: 55.3 million unique opens.



Others that are still “talking” are dramatically pivoting on their marketing messages and communications.



“Whatever you say has to be authentic and not seen as a marketing opportunity,” explains Grace.



“There are some brands that should be going into quarantine over this period – don’t use this ‘opportunity’ to sell, rather use the time to refine your strategy. So that when you go back into the market, you demonstrate that you’ve understood what consumers will be wanting from your brand.”



Gala-Holten adds: “Strategy first – what are the guardrails? Sometimes clients have several agencies. So you really need to empower them with guardrails. This is now the ‘new normal’ – we will never be the same. From the creative perspective, in a way, it’s very exciting.”



Across sub-Saharan Africa, we’re seeing six key themes in communications and advertising, explains Frazao (see sidebar). “Consumer centricity needs to be first. Brands that are communicating now are looking long-term, to build trust, and not short-term at the sales they could make.”



Every agency interviewed for this article has seen a combination of two trends: contracts shrinking as businesses struggle to make money, and a shift to digital marketing. “The way business has been done will change in the advertising world. We have been moving gradually to a very focused marketing landscape, and this will be the tipping point to push them into that realm at a faster pace,” says Darren Leishman, CEO of Spitfire Inbound.



For digital agencies or agencies with digital service offerings, this shift has been less painful, but agencies with offerings like TV ads (that require crew and a studio to shoot in) and eventing (where large groups of people meet) are the hardest hit.



“People are spending more time online and media figures are reflecting higher views than normal for online ads. Clients are cutting spend in offline channels in favor of online ones. However, most brands remain very cautious with marketing spend in general at this time,” says Brian Carter, Executive Creative Director at Digitas Liquorice.



Clint Paterson, CEO at sport and entertainment agency Levergy, adds: “New behaviors and lifestyles will take root, but it’s critically important to remember, people’s passions won’t die. The role of the brand or event owner becomes one of adaption here, how can relationships be reinterpreted, reinvented and reimagined to generate the kind of connection with audiences appropriate to this new normality?”



Grace puts it another way: “Any cracks you had before Covid-19 will turn into gaping holes.”



Diana Springer, Partner: Head of Strategy for strategic consultancy Black &amp; White, adds marketing as a whole has become increasingly performance-based and goal-orientated. But in unforeseen times, “brands have to reframe what they’re measuring,” says Springer. “Otherwise, they can lose relevance. You have to change how you define success to shift your strategy. This pandemic is really making us consider the fundamentals.”



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‘6 Marketing Themes FOR This Time’



Shaun Frazao, Head of Digital at Wavemaker, advises six key pandemic-driven themes in marketing for Africa:



<ul><li>Supporting the frontline workers</li><li>Repurposing production (instead of making products, brands are making products to help their consumer, such as South African Breweries donating alcohol to make hand-sanitizer)</li><li>Helping the vulnerable</li><li>Health messages (posters on social distancing, Pick n Pay’s message to avoid panic buying, and SA Tourism advising people to travel later)</li><li>Making staying at home easier (brands are trying to be empathetic by making staying at home easier, like Vumatel increasing internet speed for free)</li><li>Distributing positivity (Nandos’ latest ad is all about remaining positive, and Nike did something similar).</li></ul>







&#8211; Samantha Steele

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Why It Must All Ad Up

The coronavirus could mean the end for a number for vulnerable retailers.



With millions of Americans forced to stay home to help prevent the spread of COVID-19, foot traffic to malls and downtown shopping areas is quickly evaporating, a potential deadly blow for those chains teetering on the edge of bankruptcy.



A new monthly report from S&amp;P Global Market Intelligence, which tracks the publicly-traded retailers that are the most likely to default in the next year, offers a glimpse at those most at risk during the coronavirus outbreak. Several large mall-based brands sit atop the list, including: Victoria’s Secret’s parent company L Brands, Francesca’s, Ann Taylor’s parent company Ascena Retail Group, J.Jill, JCPenney and The Children’s Place.



While many of these retailers have been on bankruptcy watch for months—typically due to some combination of falling sales, low cash reserves and too much debt—the coronavirus could fast-track their demise.



In recent days, Victoria’s Secret and Ann Taylor have&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/laurendebter/2020/03/16/coronavirus-store-closing-tracker-patagonia-warby-parker-and-other-chains-temporarily-close-up-shop/">joined a parade of retailers</a>&nbsp;to announce voluntary two-week store closures to help slow the spread of the virus, wiping out any shot at in-store sales. Their best hope is to recoup sales on the web. While more shoppers may flock online while they’re stuck at home, there is no mistaking their reliance on stores. According to the National Retail Federation, 89% of total retail sales still take place at brick-and-mortar stores.



At the same time, retailers are stuck with rent and other fixed costs of running a sprawling fleet of stores. Most retailers have said they will continue to pay employees while stores are closed. However, those who have a meager amount of cash on their balance sheet to fund operations could quickly find they are unable to pay their bills. Large amounts of debt put further strain on balance sheets.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="960" height="723" src="https://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/SPGlobal.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-43263" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/SPGlobal.jpg 960w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/SPGlobal-300x226.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/SPGlobal-600x452.jpg 600w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/SPGlobal-768x578.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 960px) 100vw, 960px" /><figcaption> S&amp;P GLOBAL MARKET INTELLIGENCE </figcaption></figure>



There have already been eight retail bankruptcies this year. Pier 1 has&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/warrenshoulberg/2020/02/17/wholl-buy-pier-1-as-it-files-bankruptcy-and-puts-itself-up-for-sale/#5adea2d21aee">put itself up for sale</a>&nbsp;and will permanently close 450 of its stores. Art Van Furniture, which was purchased by a private equity firm in 2017,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/neilstern/2020/03/09/art-vans-furniture-from-powerhouse-to-liquidation-in-just-three-years/#322921e16384">will close all of its stores</a>.



“We haven’t seen any bankruptcies tied to coronavirus yet because it’s fairly new,” says S&amp;P data analyst Chris Hudgins. “However, we might see more as time goes on. The ones that have more cash on their books and less leverage are going to be the ones that do better in times like this.”



&#8211; <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/laurendebter/">Lauren Debter</a>, Forbes Staff, Retail

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These Struggling Retailers May Suffer Their Final Blow From The Coronavirus Lockdown

If eSports seems as misplaced in business as CS:GO (Counter-Strike: Global Offensive) and DOTA (Defense of the Ancients) do on 24-hour sport channel SuperSport, then you&#8217;ve been missing the big picture – this is one of the fastest growing sports in Africa that experts say could be worth a whopping $874 million by 2021.
Just ask Barry Louzada, a computer nerd who turned his childhood hobby into profit. Now this 37 year old is riding the wave of success as the man, and idea, behind Mettlestate, an eSports events hosting company shaking up the industry from Johannesburg, South Africa.
&#8220;When I started out, it was a case of people driving around going to each other&#8217;s houses [barbequing] and LANing (network gaming). The internet wasn&#8217;t workable in this country for us to actually do any sort of online competing or playing. Now you have got thousands of people coming to conventions,&#8221; says Louzada.
eSports has now become a lucrative $1.48 million market in South Africa alone. By 2021, PwC&#8217;s Global Entertainment and Media Outlook: 2017–2021 reports it will be worth $4.15 million.
&#8220;eSports is a pretty exciting field at the moment. There is a significant scope for growth. I remember in high school when people started LANing over the weekend. There would be cables and computers everywhere. Everyone would have their boxes stuffed into their mother’s car. I was one of those people,&#8221; says Chantal Marx, Head of Research at FNB Securities.
<div id="attachment_35389" style="width: 210px" class="wp-caption alignleft"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-35389" decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-medium wp-image-35389" src="https://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Chantal-Marx_JC-1-200x300.jpg" alt="" width="200" height="300" />Chantal Marx (Photo by Jay Caboz)</div>
The concept that you can play games professionally has caught the attention of more than just gamers. Marx says manufacturers of motherboards, consoles and even cell phones all stand to benefit from the rigorous demand of games.
&#8220;The games require significant memory and the reaction speed of your computer needs to be very quick. It&#8217;s also the internet providers. Data and broadband companies are interested because the amount of data that these games are using these days are massive,&#8221; says Marx.
Newzoo&#8217;s Global Games Market report says games have now become the number one favorite pastime; in just five years the industry has grown 56%, illustrating how gaming companies have not only pioneered new ways of engaging and entertaining consumers, but have also led the way in innovating business models to suit the digital age.
Mettlestate is just one of the many new companies that have shown green shoots. In 2017, Louzada says he gave R1.5 million ($111,000) in cash and prizes. Before 2016, a R1-million ($74,000) prize pool was unheard of in South Africa.
Louzada is often called the South African godfather of eSports, having slogged it out for 10 years as a competitive gamer around the world. As a player he was exposed to the international eSports industry firsthand and wanted to bring it to African shores.
&#8220;Before I even started playing competitively I felt this unquenchable thirst to make this thing that I love so much bigger and more readily available to people. Where we used to have competitions once a year or every six months, we now have competitions almost every month,&#8221; says Louzada.
<a href="http://www.forbesafrica.com/technology/2014/11/01/the-nerd-herd/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">READ MORE: The Nerd Herd</a>
&#8220;The real spark happened when I went overseas for the first time in 2006. I went to Taipei and competed in the Asia Pacific finals for Battlefield 2142. It was like being in a dream where we were picked up in these private limousines and had our own hotel floor. We were being treated like rock stars. The question came to me, ‘why wasn&#8217;t this happening to our own eSports stars, maybe not on this same level but microscopically, why wasn&#8217;t this happening?’&#8221;
<div id="attachment_35394" style="width: 561px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-35394" decoding="async" loading="lazy" class=" wp-image-35394" src="https://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/eSports-Rush_JC-3-e1519379283754-300x200.jpg" alt="Rush eSports" width="551" height="367" />Fans demo games on PS4 consoles at Rush in the Sandton Convention Centre (Photo by Jay Caboz)</div>
For Louzada, the ‘E’ in eSports means entertainment – which is key to what he puts on the table. He wants the players to feel like the rock stars on the international scene. Raising the profiles of local players is one of the biggest challenges facing the local industry which is often seen to be a few years behind the international arena.
&#8220;It&#8217;s the guys on stage, the guys training for nine months of the year, working tirelessly. We need to make it professional, to have a place where [players] can sit and wait to play their games, so they don&#8217;t have to loiter and sit on the floor with the spectators.&#8221;
<div id="attachment_35390" style="width: 210px" class="wp-caption alignleft"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-35390" decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-medium wp-image-35390" src="https://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Barry-Louzada2_Supplied-200x300.jpg" alt="Barry Louzada Mettlestate" width="200" height="300" />Barry Louzada (Photo supplied)</div>
Not only does Louzada want to make rock stars out of the top players, he is also looking to grow the industry by helping to bring prizes to those who compete in the lower leagues, where the majority of fans come from. His plan includes hosting shoutcasting competitions and tournaments specifically for amateurs to come and play on the center court to get a feel for what it can be like as a pro.
&#8220;We need to grow the smaller guys who are at the bottom. They are just as important as the guys at the top. We need to give them exposure to step out onto a bigger arena,&#8221; says Louzada.
Louzada is also an advocate for gender equality. He hosted the Valkyrie Challenge, partnered with Evetech, an all-girl gamer Counter Strike event, where the winners took home $3,700.
There’s a reason for this. In a space where few women-based teams compete, the past five years have seen a significant increase in the number of female casual gamers; 41% of gamers are now women, according to the Entertainment Software Association&#8217;s 2016 Essential Facts About the Computer and Video Game Industry.
Globally, PwC reports eSports could reach $874 million by 2021. As interest rises worldwide, tournaments and leagues have become more sophisticated.
&#8220;If you want to run a successful tournament you are looking at a ball park figure or R3 million ($222,000) to R5 million ($371,000) before you&#8217;ve even put your prize money down… as a tournament organizer in South Africa I&#8217;m buying my own chairs, we don&#8217;t get those huge sponsors.&#8221;
<a href="http://www.forbesafrica.com/woman/2017/08/31/female-gamers-new-sport-stars/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">READ MORE: Female Gamers: The New Sport Stars</a>
South Africa has shown signs of its ability to become a hub for eSports. One need only look at the success of the Really Awesome Games Expo (rAge), in Johannesburg. Now in its 15th year, it attracts thousands of fans to watch Africa&#8217;s rising eSports stars live.
The success of local live events is representative of something much larger. The real revenue comes from online viewership. While international viewership reached a staggering 292 million in 2016, South African tournaments are lucky to reach 400 viewers.
<div id="attachment_35395" style="width: 561px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-35395" decoding="async" loading="lazy" class=" wp-image-35395" src="https://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/eSports-Rush_JC-4-e1519379510378-300x200.jpg" alt="eSports Rush" width="551" height="367" />Jean Louis Potgieter of Pulse Gaming celebrates after a round of Counter Strike at Rush (Photo by Jay Caboz)</div>
This is one of the reasons why Gareth Woods, a comedian and eSports commentator, and Ryan McFadyen, a marketer, started their own business, Good Game Well Played. They believe large prize pools in South Africa’s eSports industry have become a poisoned chalice.
&#8220;eSports is all about viewership. You don&#8217;t want brands throwing their money into a tournament and you only have 400 viewers – that&#8217;s charity not business,&#8221; says Woods.
<div id="attachment_35391" style="width: 210px" class="wp-caption alignleft"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-35391" decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-medium wp-image-35391" src="https://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Gareth-Woods_JC-1-200x300.jpg" alt="" width="200" height="300" />Gareth Woods (Photo by Jay Caboz)</div>
&#8220;Gamers get gaming but don&#8217;t get marketing. Marketing doesn&#8217;t get the gaming market. Which is why we essentially got together,&#8221; says McFadyen.
Together they want to bridge the gap between corporate and eSports.
&#8220;A lot of brands want to get into eSports, but they don&#8217;t know why they want to get into eSports. They think it&#8217;s the next buzzword… While all this money is being thrown into these massive cash prizes, where is the money in terms of content, in terms of raising player profile, in terms of digital amplification of any tournament or money in terms of the event infrastructure?&#8221; says Woods.
The pair believe this means companies should look at growing the ecosystem around it. In South Africa, the popular sport rugby took years to foster its following.
&#8220;In eSports what is happening is we are saying let&#8217;s host a Super [Rugby tournament], without any of the infrastructure and ecosystems in place,&#8221; says Woods.
Woods and McFadyen have found that companies that engage with the community from an authentic level are wholeheartedly accepted. eSports fans want long-term commitment to grow the sport, not flashy once-off prize pools.
<a href="http://www.forbesafrica.com/focus/2016/10/01/cant-get-kids-off-computer/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">READ MORE: You Can&#8217;t Get The Kids Off The Computer</a>
One industry that has tapped into this is sports franchises, like football teams Manchester City and West Ham United, and basketball teams the Philadelphia 76ers and Miami Heat. Rather than sponsoring tournaments, they bought their own eSports teams. South African football clubs Kaiser Chiefs and Orlando Pirates have sought to mimic this worldwide trend but it&#8217;s too early to tell whether the investment pays off.
<div id="attachment_35392" style="width: 210px" class="wp-caption alignleft"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-35392" decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-medium wp-image-35392" src="https://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Ryan-McFadyen_JC-1-200x300.jpg" alt="" width="200" height="300" />Ryan McFadyen (Photo by Jay Caboz)</div>
Whether you spend money on buying your own team or sponsoring players, the ticket to influencing this market is upping the view counts.
&#8220;We are talking about bespoke activation. The way brands should view eSports is by piggybacking off someone else&#8217;s event. You should provide an experience of an event through the brand. Once you have done that you&#8217;ve got your toes into the eSports market without having to spend R20 million ($1.5 million) to do the same thing everybody else has done,&#8221; says McFadyen.
Even the success of the most lucrative eSports tournament in the world is down to the fans. The International 2017: DOTA 2 Championships ran with a prize pool of $24.7 million this year. Since 2013, crowdfunding has allowed it to reach year-on-year jaw dropping record breaking figures and turn players into millionaires overnight.
&#8220;We&#8217;ve tried to inherit too much of the European market, which is mainly PC driven. If I was to start an eSports team I would go after mobile and console, because that&#8217;s what people play in this country,&#8221; says Woods.
Good Game Well Played are also concerned that African eSports is too obsessed with trying to legitimize itself as a sport. Being broadcast for the first time on SuperSport has helped expose it to mainstream South Africa, but it&#8217;s a short-term talking point. The ultimate goal is fostering entertainment.
&#8220;If rugby was to lose its legitimacy as a sport, do you think it would lose any viewership? It will still hold the entertainment viewership. Let&#8217;s be honest, we&#8217;re not here to watch these players because they are the embodiment of human athleticism, we&#8217;re watching because it’s entertaining. It&#8217;s the politics and drama off the field, the injuries and the player rivalry off the field that we want to watch,&#8221; says McFadyen.
Alongside poor local viewership, where brands fall short is assuming traditional forms of marketing will work in eSports. It caters toward the emerging millennial market and brands need to create content differently.
&#8220;There is a huge entertainment value [in eSports], especially amongst the millennial market which is not consuming TV, radio or print, but are engaging in social media and other forms of content,&#8221; says McFadyen.
&#8220;Millennials consume more than 10 hours of content per day. I often think to myself ‘how is this even possible?’ But, it&#8217;s because they are consuming it on two of three different screens at once. Watching it on their iPads and phones,&#8221; says Woods.
<div id="attachment_35396" style="width: 560px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-35396" decoding="async" loading="lazy" class=" wp-image-35396" src="https://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/eSports-Rush_JC-12-e1519379786628-300x200.jpg" alt="eSports Rush" width="550" height="366" />Events, like Rush, host a number of games on various platforms (Photo by Jay Caboz)</div>
For some, the transition to online is easy. Marx, who is a millennial, grew up with a computer in her home from the age of seven; had access to the internet from nine years old and had built her own website before she was 12.
&#8220;It’s intuitive for us [millennials] to be able to play these sorts of games, and even more so for the people even younger than I am. Gaming becomes an extension of yourself, that you are doing in your free time. So instead of meditating when lying on the beach, you are playing on your phone addicted to Candy Crush,&#8221; she says.
The bottom line is brands need to step-up their game or miss the eSports train.

The Geeky Hobby Blooming Into A Lucrative Industry

How words can hurt.
Four years into her graduate course studying property law at Kingston University London, Cheryl Ankrah-Newton was tritely told, to her utter dismay, that she may have to give up her dream.
“I am not sure this is the route for you,” said her personal tutor at their final career-planning meeting.
“It is not the type of industry that is suited to a woman.”
The lecturer’s words, though hurtful, were not entirely misplaced. Ankrah-Newton was one of only five females in a class of over 100.
Fast forward a few years, and Ankrah-Newton is glad those words didn’t dissuade her from her chosen path.
She now owns a property consulting firm and has played a role in recognizing the importance of – and helping bring – big brands, like international clothing giant ZARA, to South Africa.
“I was quite naïve in the beginning. I did not realize the challenges that come with this industry is that it is a very male-dominated industry, especially a white male-dominated industry,” says Ankrah-Newton. There was no way she was going to give up.
The eldest of three children, she had to set an example for her siblings. Born in Britain to a mother of East Indian heritage from Trinidad and Tobago, and a father from Ghana, Ankrah-Newton spent 10 of her formative years in Trinidad and Tobago and visited Ghana at least twice a year from the age of 16.
Africa was always on her mind – even though she says in passing she was once crowned Miss Trinidad and Tobago.
Her parents told her no matter what she chose to do, she must do it to the best of her ability.
“My uncle was the one who gave me the advice to be a surveyor. So I looked at the top schools for property law. Kingston was number one for surveying and they also had a decent law school. So I thought that if I go there and do surveying and I don’t like it, after a year I will just switch to law.”
Ankrah-Newton enjoyed the course so much she decided to do it full justice. She studied management, tenant law, land law, investment and development. She landed her first internship with Jones Lang LaSalle, a leading commercial real estate development and investment services company.
“I went in very fearful because of what the lecturer had said to me, but when they hired me it gave me confidence because everyone wanted to work for them. It was an amazing experience because it made me realize that the property industry could be fun.”
But Ankrah-Newton’s lecturer was right; the industry was patriarchal. She secured her next position with Land Securities, Britain’s largest commercial property company, to help develop one of Britain’s largest shopping malls.
“The funny thing was the tutor who told me I couldn’t do it, taught me shopping center development but had never worked for such a prestigious company,” says Ankrah-Newton.
She also soon gained experience at another top real estate firm, Hammerson, before deciding to shake things up. She had an interest in retail development, where she developed a passion for being creative, and yearned to be part of something bigger.
“Even though I had worked with such prestigious organizations, I could not really say I built this building in Birmingham, because I was really a small part in such a big engine,” she says.
Her husband, who at the time was moving to South Africa for his new role with Google, helped her decide on making the move to Africa. She took this as an opportunity to explore her entrepreneurial side. She had realized she had it in her when organizing events in Britain to earn extra money.
It led to her starting her own property consultancy firm, Illuminate Africa Group.
“Consumers are still not given enough choice when in Africa. I believed we needed an infusion of some competition and the best way to do that was to bring some international brands into the mix because the African consumer is ready for change and diversity,” she says.
Although South Africa has a market for luxury retail, she says it lacks properties to house formal retail trade. She believes international brands will no doubt provide more choice for high-end shoppers, but she also understands the limitations of this model.
“You will still get the ones who will fly off to London to shop and unfortunately we won’t be able to bring those shops here yet, but there is scope to bring the big international brands, once we get the basics right.”
And where better to build on this hope than in Sandton, Africa’s richest square mile?
Ankrah-Newton currently works with Liberty, the owners of Sandton City, one of the largest shopping centers in sub-Saharan Africa. She was also a part of the mall’s Diamond Walk project, featuring exclusive, high-end stores.
Ankrah-Newton is determined to claim her rightful position in an industry she was told she did not belong in.

Cheryl-etch

All Things Big  And Mall

That Africa is the new mecca of international luxury brands is constantly reiterated by the number of new players in the market. The development of home-grown luxury brands is also more topical. And with these brands have come experts, such as Lola Emeruwa, who has worked for big global brands such as Louis Vuitton, Marc Jacobs, Stella McCartney and Net a Porter in mega cities like London, Milan, Paris, New York, and more recently, with Ermenegildo Zegna in Lagos. As the founder of Le Retail Operations Management, a luxury retail consultancy firm in Nigeria, Emeruwa’s work spans retail operation analysis to buying and merchandizing. One of her key projects is a co-venture with WISH publishing to create a new retail avenue for high-end hotels in Nigeria. We caught up with Emeruwa mid-2015 to discuss the growing luxury market in Africa’s biggest economy.
&nbsp;
Given your extensive background in international luxury fashion, what challenges does the African market face in this regard? How receptive are consumers to luxury in Africa?
Consumers are certainly very receptive to luxury in Nigeria and it is reflective of what I like to refer to as ‘The Nigerian Dream – the pursuit of finer things’. In a superficial assessment, you can see this desire fully expressed in a city like Lagos – in the abundance of luxury cars, upsurge of upmarket hotels, increased development of luxury retail spaces and surprisingly frequent conversations about the charter of private jets.
This is a reflection of great improvements in sub-Saharan Africa’s economic performance since the turn of the century, which grew at an average rate of 5.5% per annum in real terms between 2000 to 2012, compared to 2.54% per annum during the previous 13-year period.
Significantly, this growth has been despite factors such as limited infrastructure, little investment and lack of formal organization. Whilst on other continents this would pose as challenges, these are in fact just accepted here as the norm. In terms of the luxury retail industry, I believe the challenges are the same as in Europe or America: implementing effective marketing, new customer acquisition, logistical problems etc. However, for those trying to enter the Nigerian market and who are used to a more structured means of operating, it will be advisable to partner with a local expert.
&nbsp;
What is your company’s vision for the Nigerian market?
Our vision is to develop a productive synergy for international brands looking to enter the Nigerian market. In addition, Le Retail intends to be the reference point for support and integration of local brands into the global market by ensuring international industry practice standards are met.
&nbsp;
What areas will improve the viability of the Nigerian luxury retail space?
In the long term, improvement of infrastructure and power supply and in the short term, more sector deregulation of restrictions which would encourage capital inflow and increased investment.
Whilst infrastructure and energy projects are already ongoing (our election promise), I believe establishing a more formalized industry will give investors the confidence to diversify into the Nigerian luxury retail space.

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Private Jets, Hip Hotels And Deep Pockets

Kgomotso Mautloa dropped out of college. The nerdy former web-design student says it was not laziness, but the entrepreneurial spirit, that drove him to do it.
“You can’t teach someone to be creative, you can’t say this is how you become creative, it comes from the heart. A lot of guys who are designers are very passionate about their work because it comes from the heart. Every time you design something, you put a piece of your heart in it,” says Mautloa.
It all started with a chat with college mate, Ashley Moetlo, in 2006. Both from Alexandra, a township in northern Johannesburg, the pair saw a niche market for web design in the growing South African music industry. They couldn’t wait another year to qualify. That year, they quit and started a company named Green Robot Design.
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“The first client was a rap group from Daveyton, east of Johannesburg. They were about nine guys, really passionate about their stuff. They paid us for the first project and we bought a printer with the money. It was an awesome feeling,” says Mautloa.
But things did not turn out well, after a year, Moetlo left the company to return to university. Moetlo was the strategist, aligning and planning; Mautloa was the designer.
It was tough for a while and he had to work extra hard, Mautlao says.
“I started juggling both our roles so that the work could still be done. To some extent, that made me much stronger and more resourceful,” he says.
Mautloa took a day job with another company for a year and a half, while building his own business from home.
“I used to work tirelessly during the day and at home I worked on deadlines. It was not easy because I had to try and maintain a certain standard for myself… It’s always difficult to run your own business while working for someone else,” he says.
Mautloa says it was difficult but he made sure he delivered. After a year and a half, things started taking off for Mautloa, he had enough money to revive his own business, Green Robot Design. He then quit his job.
By 2009, Mautloa says more business was coming in. Today, Mautloa is the creative director in his company with seven people working for him, providing services in animation, brand activation, application development, print and online design as well as strategic planning, exploring different mediums of communication.
“For me, being an entrepreneur means being a thinker and a solutions provider. It also means to be a role player in the community, but more importantly, building the economy. We all have a role to play in building sustainable communities and companies that will change South Africa,” says Mautloa.
“We have been able to avoid complaints and we are efficient. That is one constant feedback that we have from our clients,” he says.
Mautloa says Green Robot Design helps small businesses develop their brands. He has also worked with South Africa’s big artists, like popular radio and ‘house’ jock, Mo Flava, and multi award-winning rapper, Khuli Chana.
“With the start-up people, our team can easily exchange views, they are open to our ideas and strategies, and they are hungry for success,” says Mautloa.
For his hard work and determination, Mautloa was nominated for the 2015 Vodacom Rising Star Award. He says there are opportunities to grow elsewhere. His next mission is to branch out on the continent.
“South Africa has an influx of many designers, there are a lot of us who want to get a piece of the big pie and I guess there is enough to go around. But that’s not where our focus is. Let’s look elsewhere, there are other countries that need our services,” says Mautloa.
So watch out Africa, Green Robot Design is coming.

It Was Tough  For A While

These designers showcased memorable collections at two recent fashion weeks in Johannesburg – and could well be on their way to becoming famous among South Africa’s swish set.
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<h3>Rich Mnisi/OATH</h3>
This 23-year-old has already won laurels as a young designer, and his collection is distinct and consistent. This season’s offering from OATH is for the female traveler, who wants to leave nothing behind and wear it all on arrival. A must-have for the stylish working woman this season is the cocoon coat.
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<h3>Celeste Arendse/Selfi</h3>
Having launched her brand only six years ago, this young designer is making waves in the fashion industry. Her apparel is inspired by architecture, and the forms and patterns in nature. Selfi is a Cape Town-based label that wants to capture the essence of the eras.
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<h3>Thabo Makhetha</h3>
Lesotho-born South African designer Thabo Makhetha-Kwinana launched her eponymous label in 2009. The brand has since received a number of accolades, including Nelson Mandela Bay’s Top 40 Under 40; she was also Designer of the Year at the ImpAct Awards (Arts &amp; Culture Trust). Makhetha produces unique functional capes and jackets made out of beauteous Basotho blankets, called Kobo Ea Bohali ‘Blankets of Prestige’. The label made its debut at SA Fashion Week Joburg in March.
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<h3>Nelson Makamo, collaborating with House of Olé</h3>
Though not a designer in the true sense, Nelson Makamo is an artiste you need to know and remember. He recently returned from Venice, where he participated at the annual Biennale. He collaborated with Olé Ledimo of House of Olé, who is known for his Savile Row-style classic-cut suits, but for SA Fashion Week, they added a glorious women’s collection.
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<h3>Natasha Jaume &amp; Carina Louw/Erre</h3>
Theirs is a fashion brand specializing in leather, aiming to provide the working woman quality wardrobe staples and investment pieces that can be worn both on and off duty. But at the Spring/Summer 2015 showing of SA Fashion Week, their fashion philosophy took another turn. Erre presented the Myri dress, which can be worn in different ways – we saw atleast 12 looks on the runway. Jaume says there could be more than 30 ways to wear the dress. This was inspired by the woman with a busy lifestyle who wants a simple dress she can wear in different ways for different occasions.

Selfi-pic-by-Chris-Townend

New  Kids On The Fashion Block

Renowned Nigerian public relations executive Bukky Karibi Whyte has, through her business, The Bobby Taylor Company, represented top local and international brands and managed some of Nigeria’s leading public personalities. She is a regular fixture at some of the country’s acclaimed social events. FORBES WOMAN AFRICA got Karibi Whyte to take a morning off her busy schedule to meet 22-year-old Nigerian celebrity makeup artist, Theodora Mogo, whose company, Dorrane Beauty, counts corporate divas and media personalities such as Toke Makinwa, Mo Abudu and Seyi Shay among its clients. As Mogo worked her magic with the brush, beauty and banter resulted.
Bukky Karibi Whyte
PR professional
<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-medium wp-image-29737 alignleft" src="http://www.forbesafrica.com/app/uploads/2017/05/FORBES-BOBBY-TAYLOR-69-300x200.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="200" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/FORBES-BOBBY-TAYLOR-69-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/FORBES-BOBBY-TAYLOR-69-600x400.jpg 600w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/FORBES-BOBBY-TAYLOR-69-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/FORBES-BOBBY-TAYLOR-69-1024x682.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/FORBES-BOBBY-TAYLOR-69.jpg 1023w" sizes="(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />
Q: Are there enough women in public relations in Nigeria?
A: The industry has undergone feminization globally. Women run most independent PR agencies I know in Nigeria. Women pay more attention to detail.
Q: Tips for being a successful PR executive?
A: It’s important to believe in the brand you represent. Understand your clients’ target audience and be persistent.
Q: The brands you have managed over the years…?
A: Estee Lauder, M.A.C Cosmetics Nigeria, Fela! On Broadway, Walt Disney Africa, D’banj etc.
Q: Why are more international brands penetrating the African market?
A: It’s due to the confidence in the African market. It’s not news that we have a strong appetite for international brands. Africans are some of the top travel consumers too. The brands have noticed we are one of the fastest-growing economies in the world and they want to be a part of that.
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Theodora Mogo
Makeup artist
<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-medium wp-image-29734 alignleft" src="http://www.forbesafrica.com/app/uploads/2017/05/FORBES-BOBBY-TAYLOR-91-200x300.jpg" alt="" width="200" height="300" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/FORBES-BOBBY-TAYLOR-91-200x300.jpg 200w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/FORBES-BOBBY-TAYLOR-91-300x450.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/FORBES-BOBBY-TAYLOR-91-600x900.jpg 600w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/FORBES-BOBBY-TAYLOR-91.jpg 682w" sizes="(max-width: 200px) 100vw, 200px" />
Q: The best part about your job is?
A: Making my clients smile. I come across a lot of people from different backgrounds. It is really motivating for me, when I can, through my makeup, to help them be who they want to be. At the end of a job, when my client picks up the mirror and grins from ear to ear, that’s my greatest high.
Q: What does makeup represent to you and the African woman?
A: What makeup does is project your inner beauty. As humans, once we feel there has been work done on us, we feel transformed, renewed, confident and flawless. Makeup is the little magic wand that reminds us that acne, or an overbearing boss, does not undermine the beauty within us.
Q: How did you get into this business?
A: I have been obsessed with makeup since I was a young girl. I have always been fascinated by how creative the art is – using a human being as a canvas, working your magic and transforming them.
Q: Are African women purchasing more African products as opposed to international brands?
A: As Africans have only started to embrace makeup, this limits the number of local makeup brands in comparison to the international brands; which in turn makes it inevitable for the bulk of the products purchased by African women to be international brands. Thankfully, there are certain brands proving us wrong. Another important factor is pricing. The average woman here does not understand why she should pay the same amount (sometimes even more) for an African brand when she can get a bigger name for the same price or less.
Q: How expensive are good makeup products in Africa?
A: Makeup products in Africa are pretty pricey. Thankfully, there are drug store products that are affordable in comparison. The average woman will need at least $300 for a full starter kit.

FORBES-BOBBY-TAYLOR-26

Her Brush With Fame

<h5>You has had a fantastic 2013, with a gorgeous campaign, an incredibly successful partnership with Mr Price and an emerging designer of the year award. What keeps you inspired in this cut-throat industry?</h5>
I try to keep myself focused as much as I can. I know I am living in a microwave world, successes come and go, and life is fast. So I don’t focus on my short-term goals but instead I focus on my future and how I want my life to be. I have certain rules of conduct from when I started in this career, and that is to involve myself in projects I can handle, to always carry through what I have promised a third party, and to be polite, listen, learn and be mentored by those who have done what I am doing. I have understood that I am not alone in my life and in a small way I am responsible to my community. Like the way I have been inspired, I will inspire. It is not an easy road, so I keep my family and close friends close by.
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<h5>What, in your mind, are the challenges facing designers in Africa? Following that, what are the opportunities that you can forecast for growth within the fashion industry on the continent?</h5>
The challenges facing designers in Africa are the same as the ones that the rest of the world faces, plus the fact that we are not as experienced as the rest of the world. So issues like cash flow, sufficient resources in all levels, and highly experienced workers is always a “juggler’s game”. But having said that, Africa is still in its experimental and growth phase in fashion, therefore, the potential for growth is there. And with the aid of First World technology, we are able to reach certain milestones of our own. First among them is that the fashion and textile industry is a credible industry that can add to the economy. Giant companies like Mr Price or Woolworths, who perform well, have associated themselves with designers by seeing their potential and investing in their brands. Magazines team up with designers to do pop-up stores, we start seeing more collaboration between ourselves too. So the need for progress is really present.
<h5>Are institutions such as AFI creating a large enough platform for all African designers as opposed to a select few, or should designers be doing more to promote themselves?</h5>
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I think what AFI is doing is fantastic and only the beginning. They provide the platform and we participate. At the same time your business is yours, so you do the best you can to promote it and make it successful. Relying on others is not really recommended and can be counterproductive. If these platforms were not there, we would still have to promote our garments, shops, business, etc.
<h5>Are fashion shows outdated? What other avenues would you suggest to designers who don’t have the means to showcase?</h5>
There is an excitement and intrigue in following or attending fashion shows. It’s part and parcel of being in the industry but that does not limit a designer to let their work be known in other ways. Many do private viewings and invite loyal clientele and their friends; there are various media outlets that can advertise your products like fashion spreads that always need new, interesting content; or dressing a well-known personality that fits the ethos of your brand.
<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-5925" src="/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/FWA-2013-Dec-Jan-055-057-FSH-003-200x300.jpg" alt="" width="200" height="300" />
<h5>Following the Samsung show at AFI, where fashion and accessory designers from across the continent collaborated to create complementary ranges, will we be seeing more of this cross-continental collaboration from you going forward? And if you could collaborate with anyone from Africa, who would it be?</h5>
I would love to collaborate again, of course! I would like to work with a brand that is like-minded and stands for progress on this continent. I associate myself with NGOs like RedCap Foundation purely because they believe in investing time in our future leaders.
<h5>You are a great example of hard work and business savvy. What fundamental steps should designers be taking to create growth and ultimately make money from their craft?</h5>
Vision, persistence and support. Surrounding yourself with the right people is my biggest rule.
<h5>How important is keeping your product local, thereby keeping the work and money within the continent, and ultimately giving back to the economy and community?</h5>
It’s very important because everything is generation-based and you determine what people after you are going to stand for and believe in. So if being our own leader is important now, it will be important tomorrow.
<div id="attachment_5922" style="width: 210px" class="wp-caption alignleft"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-5922" decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-medium wp-image-5922" src="/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/FWA-2013-Dec-Jan-055-057-FSH-010-200x300.jpg" alt="" width="200" height="300" />Marianne Fassler</div>

Anisa Mpungwe from Loincloth and Ashes

Before that first cup of coffee and the morning newspaper; you’ve probably checked your smartphone, taken your tablet from the bedside table and logged on. More and more brands are using social media as an inexpensive marketing tool. So, which brands are leading the pack in Africa?
Our methodology considered African brands and international brands operating in Africa. They had to be present on: Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. Initial data from socialbakers.com—a social media and digital analytics company—was compared with howwemadeitinafrica.com and africantoptwitterusers.com. The list was compiled on November 8.
The following indicators were considered, according to a percentage ratio: Facebook likes; the number of people ‘talking about’ the brand, which was also considered as a percentage of Facebook likes; Twitter followers and tweets and the number of YouTube views and subscribers.
Facebook likes are accumulated on an ongoing basis, whereas ‘talking about’ illustrates user-engagement, over a month, without any long-term following. In short, the ‘talking about’ as a percentage of Facebook likes category resolved the temporal discrepancy.
In 2011, Portland Communications and Tweetminster analyzed more than 11.5 million geo-located tweets, unearthing that Africa’s wealthiest countries dominate social media. South Africa, Kenya, Nigeria, Egypt and Morocco make up the top five in order of Twitter activity.
FORBES AFRICA found that although South Africa dominates Twitter activity; Northern Africa is the continental leader, in terms of brands with the greatest social media footprint. Seven of the top 20 brands are located in Egypt; four are located in South Africa and Morocco; three in West Africa and one in both Algeria and Kenya.
Social media was used extensively during the Arab Spring uprising, which erupted in December 2010. The fact that social media usage remains high in Egypt and Morocco and could be the lasting legacy of this historic moment in world and online history.
The telecommunications sector—be they manufacturers or service providers—has latched onto the internet capabilities of most mobile devices; 57% of tweets from Africa, are sent from a mobile phone, according to Portland Communications.
“…Telecommunications are intricately connected to the daily life experience of today’s consumer. Almost everything we do is supplemented by our mobile phones in some way… For this reason, consumers are always looking to get the best value from their telecommunications providers and they’re interested in what these companies have to say,” says Catherine Scott, social media manager at Quirk.
Twelve of the brands on the list were from the telecommunications sector; two from media and finance; one from retail and the food and beverage sector. Surprisingly, the fourth leading brand is a non-governmental organization—One Campaign, which works towards eliminating poverty in Africa.
The question remains: is customer engagement with these brands based on compelling content; mass-media marketing or the opportunity to voice discontent?
The brand with the highest number of Facebook likes and user-engagement by means of the ‘talking about’ category was Vodafone Egypt with 2,071,890 and 153,115 respectively. It also has the highest ‘talking about as a percentage of Facebook likes’ ranking, at 49%. Al-masry Al-youm, an Egyptian media channel, has the highest number of Twitter followers—979,455; yet Safaricom of Kenya had the greatest number of tweets—148,208. Tahrir Channel, of Egypt, has the greatest number of YouTube subscribers (97,782) and views (25,527,629).
Many a dinner table may speculate if social media can kill the mainstream media advertising star; the list indicates such a possibility.
Is the success of social media due to the vision of early adopters; its capability to mobilize social causes or the work of smart agencies, be they advertising or strategic? Could social media mean the death of the billboard? Take a look at the numbers.

#IsTheBillboardDead?

As the recipient of a prestigious fishing award, the chief executive officer of the biggest fishing enterprise in South Africa and the driving force behind the leading canned pilchards brand in South Africa, Francois Kuttel is surely deserving of some accolades.
Recently, Oceana Group Limited, of which Kuttel is CEO, was rated the second most empowered company in South Africa.
Kuttel is inspired by Warren Buffett, arguably the greatest investor in the 20th century, and the CEO and largest shareholder of Berkshire Hathaway.
His ability to embrace some ‘Buffettisms’ might have contributed to Kuttel’s rise from virtual obscurity to the CEO of a big company.
Buffett’s emphasis on value addition, knowing his product and investing in people has had a major influence on Kuttle.
The American billionaire says that nobody should invest in a business they do not understand.
“Whether we’re talking about socks or stocks, I like buying quality merchandise when it is marked down,” says Buffett.
He also claims that it’s better to hang out with people better than you.
“Pick out associates whose behavior is better than yours and you’ll drift in that direction,” he said.
Kuttel’s insight into the truths of these ‘Buffettisms’ contributed to his ability to transform Oceana into an industry-leader.
Kuttel’s father, popularly known as Padda Kuttel, left a career as a lawyer to pursue the fishing industry. He purchased a wooden boat and a fishing rod in the early 1960s and started Atlantic Fishing, which became one of South Africa’s most successful fishing industries in the 1980s.
When his family immigrated to the United States, Kuttel was ready to assist his father with an Alaskan fishing venture.
But his father insisted that he attend the University of San Diego to complete his Bachelor of Accountancy degree.
For several years, Kuttel worked in Alaska with the family business, until he took over operations with his brother.
Now well versed in all areas of the fishing industry, including fishing, steering trawlers and processing and packaging, Kuttel returned to South Africa in 1995 to become the managing director of the family-owned businesses Namsea and Namfish.
When the businesses were sold in 2002, he worked extensively with his brother in the United States and commuted between there and South Africa.
His wife, Kimberley, was not keen to move permanently to the United States, so he moved back to South Africa and took up the position of CEO at Irvin and Johnson (I&amp;J) before he became CEO of Oceana in 2009.
Because of Kuttel’s intimate understanding of the fishing industry, he could easily invest time, energy and money into it—true to the ‘Buffettism’ of knowing your investment.
He joined Oceana six months after they had posted a headline increase of just under 60%. The challenge was to keep growing performance, top and bottom.
Kuttel’s ability to aggressively market and grow the Lucky Star brand, was key to the growth.
At the end of 2012, Oceana, with a 65% canned fish market share, mainly through Lucky Star, had its catch quota increased by 10,000 metric tons to 120,000 tons in South Africa. It imports fish from Morocco, Thailand, the United States and Japan.
Sourcing the raw material from these countries allowed Oceana to grow the market substantially. Already the biggest seller of canned fish in South Africa, the company had a 33% jump in full-year earnings at the end of 2012.
Its net income increased from $33.4 million to $44.5 million a year earlier.
Kuttel, again quoting Buffett, says that when you want to grow a product, you must ensure that the fundamentals of good business are in place. Yet, you have to look at the undervalued investments that have scope for improved performances, and unlock that value.
In June, Oceana announced the acquisition of Foodcorp’s fishing rights, which could give the group the resources it needs to increase its presence in Africa. The Foodcorp deal will enable Oceana to lift its total allowable catch (TAC) in pilchard from 14.3% to 25.6%.
This gain was critical for Lucky Star, with Kuttel noting Oceana recently needed to import as much as 65% of its pilchard stock for the canned fish business. Oceana also increased the TAC for anchovy from 16.8% to 24.7% and hake from 4% to 8.8%.
Kuttle was the recent recipient of the Fishing News International’s 2013 Person of the Year award. It was recognition of his business philosophy of investing in people and being pro-active in sea life management.
As chairman of the Responsible Fisheries Alliance, he has played a part in pioneering a successful program to reduce bird fatalities.
When Oceana closed a plant at Lamberts Bay, on South Africa’s west coast, they did not entrench workers, but looked to create economic opportunities for them. They established a French fry facility that could employ more people than the fish processing facility did.
In Lamberts Bay, Oceana doubled its spend on the skills development of black employees from $600,000 in 2010 to more than $1.3 million in 2011, while spend on suppliers, with a turnover below $3.5 million, increased from $17.5 million in 2010 to $42.4 million in 2011.
Kuttel says Oceana has created a very successful empowerment trust.
“All our black employees are beneficiaries of that trust and it could possibly be in excess of R700 million ($70 million) in terms of accrued capital value when that trust unwinds.”
A staunch advocate of investing in people, Kuttel believes this is one of the keys to Oceana’s success.
“I believe if I surround myself with clever people, I look clever,” he says.

Tag: Brands

FORBES AFRICA SOCIAL MEDIA

Why It Must All Ad Up

These Struggling Retailers May Suffer Their Final Blow From The Coronavirus Lockdown

The Geeky Hobby Blooming Into A Lucrative Industry

All Things Big And Mall

Private Jets, Hip Hotels And Deep Pockets

It Was Tough For A While

New Kids On The Fashion Block

Her Brush With Fame

Anisa Mpungwe from Loincloth and Ashes

#IsTheBillboardDead?

The Buffett Of Southern Seas