BRAND OBAMA - GRAND OPPORTUNITIES FOR KENYA
BRAND OBAMA - GRAND OPPORTUNITIES FOR KENYA
Thursday, 19 February 2009 07:47
Kenya might as well be the 51st state of the United States of America. After Barack Hussein Obama won the 4th of November 2008 US presidential election, Kenyans were overjoyed. It did not matter that the 44th president of the world super power has visited Kenya only twice - first as a student and second as the Senator of Illinois. He is a man with paternal roots in Kenya that is all that matters...
After a rather short 2008 (because we started the year in March), the discussion topic for the Brandscape workshop was about the Obama brand vis a vis Kenya. Respected newspapers and magazines could not exhaust him, Time and Newsweek had several issues with Obama as a cover photo. During the Brandscape forum, participants had a lot to say about Obama - the brand and whether Kenya has seized the opportunity by riding on the immense fame of one of its sons who is now president of the world super power. Yes, in the African culture a son is the pride of the home and Obama should rightfully be the pride of Kenya.
Obama-mania
As soon as Obama was announced the winner of the presidential election in November 2008, over night, most Kenyans became Obama’s immediate, distant and associate relatives. It did not matter if one did not come from the lake side (the native home of Obama’s further), the Obama bug had bitten. Mary Njeri-Obama, Festus Wambua-Obama, John Wanyama-Obama... Everyone wanted to have the Obama name. People went further to joke that to get a visa to the US one only needed to evoke the Obama name and an automatic visa would be granted.
That is the immense power of a brand. Some would call it euphoria but brand Obama is much more than that. According to Keith Reinhard, chairman emeritus of DDB Worldwide, Obama has three things you want in a brand - new, different, and attractive. Has Kenya taken advantage of this new, different and attractive brand?
Blind Kenyan marketers
Sadly, the answer is no. “I even thought one of the mobile companies would introduce an Obama calling tariff,” noted Moses Mwaura, Regional Director Enablis East Africa. Marketers in Kenya seem blind to the immense opportunities the Obama brand could open. They have failed to see opportunities to capitalise on the Obama brand. The 47 year old president of America convinced Americans he was the change they could believe in. Despite an economic recession, job cuts and a credit crisis, Obama managed to convince millions of Americans and the world that it is possible to turn things round for the better. Obama has made history as the first black American president of America. This is one brand that will go down history books and will remain talked about for generations to come. This is the brand that traces its parental roots to a rural village in Nyanza province. “We should have fun with the Obama brand,” said Tom Sitati.
However, Sitati was keen to wonder if Kenya is able to live to the Obama brand promise. “The Obama brand has the ‘yes you can’ spirit. Which means for Kenya and Kenyans, everything is possible.”
Liz Tapawa, Jacaranda Hotels assistant sales and marketing manager wondered if Kenyans should start inculcating the Obama virtues in children and in business so that we live up to the brand attributes of Obama. On the impact the Obama brand would have on the tourism industry in Kenya, Tapawa said it would take time before Kenya started feeling the effect. “American holiday makers plan their holidays and with the recession in their economy most people are likely to cut on the holiday budget. However, the Obama brand means travellers will have Kenya as a travel circuit when planning for their holidays.”
“We will most likely get curious tourist eager to see where the father of the first black American president was born. Americans are very keen on history,” added Sitati.
Global brands
Despite being one of the vibrant economies in Africa, participants noted that there are no indigenous Kenyan brands with a global presence. In Kenya, no Kenyans own majority shares in many leading companies. For example, the East African Breweries Ltd - brewers of the globally known Tusker brand is majority-owned by Diageo of the UK and 40 percent of Safaricom - East Africa’s profitable company is owned by Vodacom. However, Kenya Airways the country’s flag carrier and a local brand has put Kenya on the global map.
The team noted that there is a big opportunity to market Kenya but there is no one to take Kenya to the world and trade with the name. Brand Obama has set the stage and the time is ripe for Kenyan brands to get a share of the global market. “How many brands have ventured into Asia? Most leading US companies are already in China, what about the Kenyan brand?” pondered Mwaura.
All in all, it was clear that everything possible should be done to capitalize on the brand that is Obama.
By Carole Kimutai
