WhatsApp, the ‘killer app’ for word-of-mouth in SA’s township economies

Mathabatha Sexwale

Spending a tight budget on reliable goods is crucial in South Africa’s township economies, and research shows that television and word of mouth are tied as top sources of brand discovery. But given that almost everyone has a personal media device (mobile phone) serving them most of their content, today’s ‘word of mouth’ is mediated by channels like WhatsApp. According to Meltwater, WhatsApp reaches 93.8% of active social media users in South Africa in 2025.

WhatsApp is the digital mouthpiece of conversations: its groups, forwards, voice notes, and link shares are the new whispers, gossip and endorsements (or cautions) about brands, products and deals. Forwarding of content is so prevalent that the app has a policy to signal when content has been ‘forwarded many times’.

Why WhatsApp powers township buzz

A few structural and cultural factors conspire to make WhatsApp potent in township economies:

The app’s dominance is rooted in its minimal data footprint, richness of features (text, voice, video, document sharing) and compatibility with legacy smartphones.

The sentiment of its predecessor helps explain the rise: local messaging apps like Mxit once seeded a culture of mobile chat, and we also used to ‘sneak’ messages into ‘please-call-me’ texts. This reliance on almost zero-cost messaging paved the way for WhatsApp’s mass adoption. When Mxit disappeared, WhatsApp filled the gap.

In many communities, communication culture is oral, networked, and referral-based. Word of mouth is central to how communities live and communicate. A classic marketing maxim from SA’s markets holds that “advertising is pushed; word of mouth is earned.”

In an economy where counterfeit goods and spaza shop shortcuts are common, consumers rely heavily on peer checks and recommendations. Rogerwilco’s data shows that counterfeit goods in township spaza shops erode trust.

In this context, WhatsApp becomes a channel where brand authenticity is previewed, tested and vouched for before purchase takes place.

Network geometry: micro-clusters and virality

WhatsApp groups tend to reflect real social networks: family, church, stokvels, friends, neighbours, and community groups. A recommendation in one group can quickly ripple across connected clusters. This is often referred to as the ‘bandwagon effect’: when one trusted node endorses, the message propagates.

But, how can brands and CMOs activate township WhatsApp word-of-mouth?

If WhatsApp is the “public square”, brands need a nuanced strategy to tap it, without being intrusive or inauthentic.

Here’s Brave Group’s playbook for doing just that:

1. Seeding via micro-influencers and trusted nodes

Rather than “mass blasting” messages, brands should seed content through nano- and micro-creators who already command respect in local networks. These individuals can naturally distribute voice notes, short videos, or “show and tell” content in WhatsApp groups, like sharing with friends. Over time, they become catalytic nodes.

2. Enable peer sharing formats

Content must be designed to be shared easily: short video demos, shareable voice notes, WhatsApp “stickers” or image cards with product claims. The simpler the content moves, the more likely it is to cross group boundaries.

3. Local relevance and authenticity

Language should incorporate vernacular, paying attention to formal or informal language in line with your brand persona, referencing lived reality, and embedding local voices. Generic national campaigns rarely survive the first forward or round. The cultural “vibe check” is rigorous. A brand that engages visibly with infrastructure, local stories or traditions tends to be foregrounded in group conversations.

4. Monitoring, listening and response

Brands must monitor public chatter: group sentiment, forwarded complaints, clarifications, Q&A. Using community-based trackers and social listening (plus local field teams), brands can gauge whether their products are being spoken of positively (or negatively) in the “ forum.” Adjustments, corrections, or live responses to issues can stop negative forward momentum.

5. Incentives and referral frameworks

Referral or incentive programmes can work, but only if they’re contextually clever and carefully considered. Incentivised viral campaigns often create over-promotion or backlash. Use incentives that reward genuine sharing, or tiered referrals tied to products, rather than generic forwarding sprees.

WOM’s model depends on local forwarding: drivers become nodes, buyers and sellers share via WhatsApp networks, and cash-on-delivery options stabilise trust in online transactions that consumers often approach with caution. Each transaction is both a purchase and a testimonial within local networks.

Risks, friction points and caveats

Privacy, saturation and fatigue: Constant promotional forwards risk being dismissed or blocked. Brands must respect boundaries.

Miscommunication via voice notes or errors, such as transcription mistakes, mispronunciations, and interpretation errors in voice or group forwards, can distort brand messaging.

Walled groups and closed networks: Some groups may exclude outsiders; the influencer seeding must uncover keys to these clusters.

Data and measurement gaps: It’s difficult to trace precisely which forward drove which sale, despite attribution remaining challenging.

Counterfeit forwarding: Ill-intentioned copies or counterfeit promos can use the same viral paths. Brands must embed authenticity markers, trackable codes, and verification tools.

What CMOs should prioritise now?

• Embed a ‘WhatsApp first’ mindset in their brand communications, not as an add-on channel but as a core activation in townships.

• Allocate budgets for seeding and grassroots nodes instead of just broadcasting.

• Design content for conversational forwarding - not polished ads but peer-like demos, voice notes, short stories.

• Activate listening infrastructure in townships (field observers, community liaisons) to understand live group chatter.

• Integrate authenticity markers (QR codes, ID tags, trackable links) into products to reassure consumers who check before they trust.

So what?

For brands seeking to win real influence and loyalty, the question is no longer how loudly you speak, but who forwards, who believes, and how it spreads.

WhatsApp is the circulatory system of community endorsement. Brands that master the dynamics will amplify reach and earn the trust that underpins deep, sustained brand equity.