Understand my culture, build successful brands

Power of radio

Seeco, who said he was shocked to find so-called upmarket brands in poor rural homes - which some marketers believe can only be found in LSM 7-10 urban homes - reiterated that the power of radio is unchallengeable in the countryside.

He said radio presenters, who seem to be well-known more than ministers and other politicians in the countryside, are powerful out there, and have the potential to play a big persuasive role in purchasing certain brands.

He pointed out that in a country where 51% of the population is female, the issue of gender equality is still a sensitive debate in many African rural homes. Therefore, as the man refutes this 'un-African' philosophy, he makes purchasing decisions without consulting anyone.

"People are cultural beings; we belong to communities and speak various languages," Seeco said, adding there is a distinct consumer behavioural pattern within the members of communities.

Cannot create without understanding

"Advertising with a wrong spelling and pronunciation of a people's language can backfire," he said, explaining that you cannot create an advertising campaign without understanding a community's culture. Simply put, marketers should have a sense of understanding of cultural and traditional behaviour of consumers before conceiving an ad.

He emphasised that language, as the heart and soul and an expression of a culture of a particular community, does not only describe events, but shapes them.

"Brands are not excluded from the cultural issue. If you are a marketer, don't annoy a certain culture by wrongfully portraying a certain ethnic group or people in a certain way," he advised. "There are brands that have a specific stranglehold in a certain area. There shouldn't be a universal way of marketing. Every area should have its own strategy.

"Are education and financial progress disconnecting certain people from their traditional and cultural practices? Is this a myth or a fact?" he asked.

"Let the facts speak"

Seeco said: "It is a bad idea to believe that rural people are unsophisticated and unhygienic; let the facts speak. As marketers, we have the obligation not to judge people, but to understand them and their dynamics of life. We should redefine the concept of rural markets and communities.

"Do marketers know what is happening? No. Let me tell you that it is not always about LSM.

"Is poverty a barrier to brands? No," he said, adding that in certain rural areas or urban impoverished locations, street vendors have expensive cellphones, sometimes two or three. "Do you want me to know how they got it? No, I am not a policeman; I am a marketer. The most important thing for me is that they buy airtime."

"Some homes look very poor from the outside but have DStv, because their expenses are re-aligned. It is amazing. People can build their own homes anytime they are ready. I still believe that the government's idea to build homes for people was a bad one and has destroyed the South African cultural landscape."

Expression of achievement

Furthermore, he said brands are the expression of many people's achievements.

"Great brands have nothing to fear and great brands are highly mobile. The financial revolution is coming. Markets dynamics are changing. Who said there is no market? Avoid common misconceptions and know how to interact with consumers."

For more:

• The Daily Maverick: The verdict is finally in: Language informs the way we think