Africa beckons local brand expertise

The Sandton Convention centre was the venue for the most recent Marketing Federation of South Africa breakfast with guest speaker Gary Harwood talking about branding according to HKLM. HKLM took the brand agency of the year in the latest AdFocus awards. The four founders Sean McCoy, Paul Kirsten, Gary Harwood and Graham Leigh, have obviously got the balance right as the agency hit turnover of R20m in their first year.

This success, according to Harwood, is anything but an overnight sensation as all the founders have extensive experience at corporate level internationally. "There are also no hierarchies or titles as everybody is a new brand thinker with the structure moulded and adapted around clients."

This is hardly rocket science as any student of marketing and communications will know, but HKLM seem to have crossed the divide between lip service and action.

HKLM are actively involved in Nigeria with banks, telecommunications and petroleum. Harwood highlighted the Globacom campaign that focused on bringing users on board with a new telecommunications network operator.

The logo and slogan were redesigned to 'glo with pride' on the green national colour background. Much research was done into this Nigerian market and the divide between the daring and cosmopolitan South including Lagos, and the traditional and religious North.

This meant different angles in campaigns and portraying the company as being something for everybody in Nigeria. No mean feat, as Harwood explains that another divide - between the well educated children of the elite, who are extremely brand conscious, and parts of an ill educated population - further challenged their ability to target all market sectors.

Harwood also admits to a bit of scepticism about the Nigerian reputation for cons but realised that perceptions are a two way street as Nigerians were equally wary of South Africans using their power across the continent.

Personal relationship building has played a far more important role than organisational alliances and this, according to Harwood, is the basis for long term branding relationships.

"The challenge in this part of the world is to take a brand from scratch," says Harwood, "whereas in the first world it involves management and maintenance of an existing brand."

This combined challenge is something that HKLM seem to thrive on as, simultaneously with the breakfast in Sandton, Sean McCoy was addressing an IMM conference in the US, thereby positioning the agency in a first world segment of the branding market as well.

Harwood also highlighted 12 brand trends that marketers and companies would do well to consider.

-- Brand evangelists that build a common vision and values
-- Rise of regionalism and anti-globalisation means making product unique for the specific market
-- Experience matters... diversifying away from just the young x and y generations.
-- Brand extensions means diversify or die (ie, a Ferrari laptop)
-- Dream merchants that create a cause not a business.
-- Brand karma is the result of attention to corporate responsibility.
-- Brand rejuvenation means keep changing.
-- Straight talk: "Keep it simple, make it great" – Tom Peters.
-- Has advertising as we know it had its day? The end of manipulation.
-- Ethnic craft and culture
-- Women rule exemplified in the tomboy tools promoted in the US along the lines of Tupperware.
-- Sensory branding increases memorability exponentially.

In closing, Harwood stressed the need for 360 degree branding and looking at everything that effects and influences the building of a reputation.