Yellowwood African Attitudes Feb 2015

© 2015 YELLOWWOOD. All rights reserved.PAGE i www.ywood.co.za
FEBRUARY 2015
African
Attitudes:
Marketing
Beyond
The
Numbers

© 2015 YELLOWWOOD. All rights reserved.PAGE ii www.ywood.co.za
Contents
Introduction
The African opportunity
Busting a few myths
about Africa
Understanding African
consumers
Part One:
Some Regional Truths
Part Two:
Understanding African
Attitudes
Part Three:
Connecting with
African Attitudes
10 Things to do differently
Conclusion
1
2
4
9
9
12
19
30
31

© 2015 YELLOWWOOD. All rights reserved.PAGE 1 www.ywood.co.za
In 2011 The Economist produced a now-famous
chart that highlighted the fact that seven of the
world’s ten fastest growing economies were in
Africa and that African economic growth had
overtaken that of Asia.1
This surprising statistic
caught the attention of almost every company in
the world, many of whom were more accustomed
to reading about Africa’s humanitarian crises
than its economic opportunity. In the years
since, the “Africa Rising” narrative has become
commonplace – a meme that is expounded on at
conferences and in articles across the web.
Africa is rising, and while there has been some
controversy of late2
regarding the reliability of particular
GDP statistics and growth rates, the rankings aren’t
really the point. There is no denying that African
economies have been booming for a good few years
now, albeit in many instances off relatively low bases.
Africa is more politically stable than ever before,
African middle classes are swelling, and its consumer
industries are stretching their legs. We’re witnessing
the growth of African entrepreneurialism and
innovation, of increasingly regional and multinational
African brands and businesses as well as the parallel
increasing interest from global brands hoping to
participate in this land of new opportunity.
Introduction
FEBRUARY 2015
African
Attitudes:
Marketing
Beyond
The
Numbers
Source: Accenture: The Dynamic African Consumer Market
1990
Eastern Hub Southern Hub Western/Central Hub
0
400
200
600
800
100
500
300
700
900
1,000 1990 - 2000
$Billions
3.2% CAGR
3.9% CAGR
4.3% CAGR
Figure: Sub-Saharan African Consumer Expenditure* ($ Billions)
Historic / Forecast - US$ mn - Constant 2010 Prices - Fixed 2010 Exchange Rates*
Source: Euromonitor 2011
2001 - 2010 2011 - 2020
20061998 20141994 20102002 20181992 20082000 20161996 20122004 2020
1
“Africa’s Impressive Growth” Daily Chart (January 6th 2011), The Economist. Available:
http://www.economist.com/blogs/dailychart/2011/01/daily_chart
2
Jerven, M. (2014) “Why saying seven out of the ten fastest growing economies are in
Africa carries no real meaning”, African Arguments. Available: http://africanarguments.
org/2014/08/26/why-saying-seven-out-of-ten-fastest-growing-economies-are-in-africa-
carries-no-real-meaning-by-morten-jerven/

You would imagine that many of the things said
about the opportunities in Africa are obvious to
those with an interest in or home on the continent,
but sadly many of us seem blind to the business
and marketing opportunities on our doorstep.
Africa is an enormous and largely untapped
market. 1.13 Billion people live in Africa – that’s
about one in every six people on earth, and
second only to Asia.
With rapid urbanisation and economic growth off
a low base, African cities are dynamic melting
pots where the traditional cultures of newly
arrived residents blend with the value systems of
the emerging middle and upper classes. This is
spawning new sub-cultures, unleashing creative
energy that is fuelling the arts and ensuring the
work of researchers, strategists and futurists
is never dull. Many consumers are first-time
consumers, participating in the market economy
with very little baggage or old competitor brand
loyalties to overcome.
Africa is a continent of continents – both
geographically and culturally. The USA, China,
India and Western Europe could all fit into
Africa with some space to spare. It is the most
linguistically diverse continent on earth, with more
than 2000 languages spoken at home and dozens
spoken as official national languages.
Africa is the birthplace of humanity. It has the
longest human history of any continent, and the
oldest stories. It’s therefore no wonder that it is so
awe-inspiringly diverse.
And yet it is so often misunderstood and portrayed
in the most simplistic ways. It’s important, first
and foremost, to shatter a few commonly held
misconceptions about Africa.
The African opportunity

UNITED STATES
EASTERN
EUROPE
INDIA
INDIA
PART 2
CHINA
ITALY
GERMANY
FRANCE
SPAIN
NETHERLANDS
BELGIUM
PORTUGAL SWITZERLAND
JAPAN
CHINA
PART 2
UK
The True Size
of Africa
China
Usa
India
Mexico
Peru
France
Spain
Papua New Guinea
Sweden
Japan
Germany
Norway
Italy
New Zealand
United Kingdom
Nepal
Bangladesh
Greece
Total
Africa
9.597
9.529
3.287
1.964
1.285
633
506
462
441
378
357
324
301
270
243
147
144
132
30.102
30.221
x 1000km
2
Country Area

Have you ever heard of ‘the European consumer’? The world has
a strange habit of generalising about Africa. Research by The
Guardian newspaper found that a majority of news articles mention
“Africa” in general rather than any specific countries within it (with
the exception of South Africa). This is unlike any other continent,
where stories will feature Japan / China / India rather than Asia, for
example, or Brazil / Argentina / Chile rather than South America3
.
This propensity to treat the whole continent of fifty-five countries as
one amorphous mass is not limited to news stories. This is also true
in literature and the arts, the business world and marketing.
It makes no sense. African markets are very different from one another.
Aggrey Oriwo, COO of Ipsos Kenya, points out that the culture shift
between Francophone and Anglophone Africa is enormous, let alone
that between individual markets. A consumer in the DRC, for example,
will likely be interested in elegant high fashion where Tanzanian
consumers may likely want something authentically local and down to
earth. What works in one market may well not work in another – whether
it’s a neighbouring country or even a different city in the same country.
African consumers are as diverse and complex as consumers in
any other region, and the contexts that shape them are significantly
different – from expensive suburbs to sprawling megacities, to the
rural, traditional, poorer areas. In fact the difference between African
markets is perhaps greater than in any other continent – in terms of
economic development and language and because intra-African trade
is still so insignificant. Kenya’s biggest trading partners, for example,
are the UK and China – not Tanzania or Uganda – and so products,
tastes and ideas don’t yet travel well across Africa. Nigerian novelist
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie has commented that it was easier to
get American and British fiction when growing up than it was to get
other African fiction. All of that is changing now, but there remains
what Oriwo calls “compartmentalised nationalism.”4
You can’t have
a marketing strategy “for Africa” unless you understand the different
kinds of consumer segments in each market that you’re interested in.
1. There’s no such thing as ‘the African consumer’
Busting a few myths about Africa
3
Kayser-Bril, N. (2014) “Africa is not a country” The Guardian
Online. Available: http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/
jan/24/africa-clinton
4
Interview with Aggrey Oriwo, January 2015
Africa Generica: works of African fiction get shockingly
stereotypical treatments

With 60% of the continent still living below the
poverty line, it’s common for marketers to approach
Africa as a volume game: selling the highest
quantities at the lowest prices. The term ‘bottom-
of-the-pyramid’ is widely used and misused as
new entrants seek to replicate models that have
worked in other continents. The irony is that the
more corporate business treats consumers as
target segments from which they can extract value,
the less these target consumers will be able to grow
socio-economically and create new wealth that will
in turn realise more spend. It’s a colonialist mindset
presented as good business for shareholders.
This traditional approach is short-sighted. If
the only business aim is to pull $10 out of the
consumer’s wallet when sadly there isn’t $10 there
in the first place, the resulting sick magic trick is
to ‘displace’ spending. I’ve heard many marketers
Nigerian-based wecyclers
runs a fleet of cargo bicycles
through densely-populated,
low-income areas to help with
waste removal. Wecyclers
incentivises people to recycle
by offering sms points that can
be redeemed for airtime, food
or household items. People
receive collection reminders on
their mobile phones when the
bicycles are moving through.
2. It’s not just a volume game
Paying the
customer
ask how we can help them switch consumers from
spending $10 on their pay-as-you-go airtime to
spending it on their products. The real question
they should be asking themselves is how to put
$10 in the consumer’s wallet while also making a
little for themselves (For more on this approach,
see Yellowwood’s white paper: Transformative
Innovation – an African path to success).
A better approach for the ‘bottom of the pyramid’
is to offer opportunities rather than just products.
Brands should look to collaborate with the
communities they are hoping to sell to, find out
what their pressing social needs are and invest in
some social innovation that makes them materially
better off while cementing the brand in their lives.
It’s about relooking the traditional value chain and
moving to a shared-value model, rather than seeing
social investment as something for the PR team.
Every country defines “middle class” on its own terms. It is a relative term within a country, based on a
number of factors such as income, lifestyle and assets, and denotes those who are roughly in the middle
of a country’s socio-economic spectrum. This is as it should be, but “middle class” is often used as if
it has universal meaning. In absolute terms, the African Development Bank estimates that 123 million
Africans are “middle class” in that they earn between $1,440 and $7,200 a year5
- with 10% of those
consumers in Nigeria, the continent’s largest economy. In the USA, by way of contrast, the middle class
is defined as having an annual monthly household income of between $50,000 and $600,0006
. It is clear
that the Nigerian and US middle classes do not have the same spending power.
3. Middle class does not mean the same thing to everyone
5
Gupta, R. (2014), “Nigerian middle class: a myth?”, Business Day Online (Nigeria). Available:
http://businessdayonline.com/2014/01/nigerian-middle-class-a-myth/#.VCqwRvmSySo
6
Data on middle class income (2014) US Department of Labor Statistics

It is a shallow and tired generalisation to think
that the emerging middle classes across Africa
are only motivated by status. It is common for
newly wealthy consumers around the world to
enjoy flashing their wealth to indicate that they
have made it and differentiate themselves from
the kinds of people that they used to be. There
certainly is plenty of that going on in Africa too,
but our work on the continent has revealed that
4. New money’s not all bling
there is a community-mindedness in Africa that
persists even amongst the newly middle class.
They don’t just want to look good; they want to
contribute to the success of their community,
family, village and even country. The opportunity
is there for brands to help accelerate Africa’s
upward mobility not through materialism, but
through purpose.
Brands that enter Africa with products and services geared for
a Western “middle class” will struggle to find scale or relevance.
Simply producing cheaper, lower quality versions won’t win over
many of the continent’s aspirational consumers either. There is no
short-cut. Portfolios, marketing, business models and processes
need to be designed with African realities in mind from the start.
$2 trillion
0.54 billion
North AmericaNorth America
Africa
Africa
$20.3 trillion
1.2 billion
Median Age: 18.6 Median Age: 29.8
People GDP
Source:
UN Statistics Division, Wolfram-Alpha
Source:
IMF Data Mapper, 2014

Although perhaps only the first part of the quote
is true in this case, it’s important to remember
David Ogilvy’s famous words that “the consumer
is not a moron. She is your wife.” There has been
an unspoken assumption made in the past that
because African markets are underdeveloped,
consumers can be treated like fools. Joe
Njeru, CEO of Nairobi-based digital marketing
agency Zilojo believes that one of the most
common mistakes global brands make when
entering Africa is “to believe that the customer
is dumb. We have a sophisticated market and
audience but often advertising is dumbed down.
It needn’t be.”7
McKinsey says that “despite
the predominance of informal retail across the
continent, urban African consumers have modern,
sophisticated tastes and in many ways are no
different from urban consumers elsewhere.”8
5. The Consumer isn’t ignorant
Entering African markets with an air of superiority
is bound to end in failure. No one likes to feel
disrespected and, in a continent with a recent
colonial past, it is particularly enraging. Marketers
hoping to make it in any of Africa’s opportunity
markets need to learn to take their cues from
the consumers in those countries: listen to
the people on the ground and act on their
suggestions and advice. Confront and question
any preconceptions or prejudices that you may
hold, even subconsciously, and ensure you treat
the customer with the utmost respect. Most
Africans are warm, engaging and welcoming if
you approach them as equals not targets for your
products and services.
Many businesses look to expand in Africa by
taking their existing products, models and
marketing and seeing how they can bend and
twist it to fit African market conditions. Make once,
sell many times is a production-based marketing
mindset which is losing relevance in developed
economies. First World consumers are looking for
customisation and personalisation and consumers
in Africa are looking for products and services
that meet their real needs and are relevant to their
culture and context. No one is interested in barely-
localised generic products, even when dressed up
as this year’s fashion.
Consumers across most African markets
increasingly have choices as to which brands to
buy and the era of being successful just because
you are there is over. Marketers need to start with
the African consumer and work backwards to the
products, services and marketing to develop. It’s
important to understand the unique context, points
of view and needs of African consumers.
Only brands that understand African attitudes and
archetypes will survive.
An inside-out approach
It’s not easy
7
Interview with Joe Njeru in Mozambique, October 2014
8
Hattingh, D., Russo, B., Sun-Basorun, A. & Van Wamelen, A. (2012) The Rise of the African
Consumer, McKinsey & Company
Carol Abade says that “people often think you can
just waltz right in and wow people.” You can’t.
Succeeding in Africa isn’t easy. It takes hard work
and perseverance.
Infrastructure challenges are very real, and
add costs to everything from distribution to
telecommunications. Although it is rapidly in
decline, there is still corruption in many markets.
There are cultural and linguistic barriers between
every market, and particularly between the
Anglophone / Francophone blocs. Marketing
budgets are not as big and consumers have less to
spend. Marketers who bring in products, services
and campaigns from other parts of the world will
struggle to really grasp the African context and
consumers. It’s better to start from the inside.

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Only brands that understand
African attitudes and
archetypes will survive.

Me
Africa
income
Ex Africa
Me Me
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Understanding
African consumers
While generalisations are never completely accurate and Africa, in particular,
is hugely diverse, there are a few human truths, needs and contexts that are
common to many African consumers and that marketers should be aware of
if they hope to create products, services and marketing that are relevant.
Community-mindedness is ingrained in most
African cultures and important to most African
consumers. The philosophy of Ubuntu states that
we are only people because of other people (in
isiZulu, umuntu ngumuntu ngabantu), and that
compassion and care for others is what makes us
whole. This philosophy is common in many other
African countries besides South Africa – known as
unhu in Zimbabwe and uMunthu in Malawi.
African people often live close to their families,
maintain close bonds with extended family and
often use their income to support others. Middle
class consumers are less financially secure than
they would be in other regions due to the support
they provide to family. The importance of social
structures and sociability can be seen in a number
of industries and innovations. For instance,
collective informal saving schemes are common
on the continent. Called stokvels in South Africa,
these schemes work by groups of people pooling
their savings together and paying out to each
member once a year.
The trust that many Africans feel for their
community can be seen in the power of word-of-
mouth marketing. McKinsey has found that word
of mouth “plays a more central role in the decision
journeys of emerging-market consumers than
for those in developed markets.”9
In particular,
92% of Egyptians and 49% of Nigerians receive
brand recommendations from friends and family
before purchasing, compared to just 29% in the
UK. According to a 2007 global study by Millward
Brown, 80% of South Africans spread brand stories
to friends and family – the highest score of any
country.10
While in other continents people have moved
from community-mindedness to individualism
as income and wealth increase, we believe that
in Africa the two are inseparable and that even
as priorities shift to the individual, one is still
inextricably part of a community.
The strength of these communal ties varies by
market, of course. As Victor Ikawa, Head of Market
Research and Consumer Insights at Safaricom,
told us: “In East Africa it’s becoming a bit more
individualistic. In West Africa they have managed
to keep sociability pretty tight.”11
Others Others Others
You cannot break a bunch of sticks
Part One: Some regional truths
9
Atsmon, Y., Kuentz, J-F., Seong, J. (2012), “Building brands in emerging markets”, McKinsey
Quarterly
10
Van Loggerenberg, M. & Herbst, F. (2010), “Word-of-Mouth Marketing to a Female Emerging
Market: A South African Perspective”, Journal of Digital Marketing.
11
Interview with Victor Ikawa, September 2014, Nairobi, Kenya

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Religion plays an important role in many African
societies and is a priority in many consumers’ lives.
From traditional African beliefs, to Christianity and
Islam in the north, marketers need to understand
how influential religion is and how prominent it is
in consumers’ social lives and priorities. Unlike the
increasingly secular West, most Africans are religious
and this shows no sign of reversing. Charismatic
mega-churches with celebrity pastors are on the rise
across the continent, for example. Places of worship
are often central to how and where people socialise
- it is not uncommon, for example, for families to
spend the whole day at Church on Sundays.
The prominence of religion and religious values
influences marketing in these markets and results
in many African consumers being conservative and
traditional and mistrusting of brands that encourage
a decadent, flashy or “Western” lifestyle. It’s
surprising for most outsiders to learn that a majority
of Africans do not drink alcohol, for instance.12
Religiosity is not restricted to poor and rural
consumers either, as many middle class consumers
maintain strong religious ties without necessarily
being resistant to upward mobility and social change.
Kelechi Nwosu, MD of TBWA Concept in Nigeria,
says that Nigerians “like to be seen as pious and in
accordance with God, even if behaviour does not
always match that.”13
The influence of faith is increasingly felt in branding
and social media. In 2011, for example, Pastor
Oyakhilome of Christ Embassy launched Yookos
(You Own Your Kosmos) - a Nigerian social
networking site. It now has over 10 million ‘believers’
on it, and they use it to “share prayer points and
fellowship with other Christians in over 160 countries
worldwide”.14
The CEO of Keroche Breweries in
Kenya ends her note on their corporate website with
“God bless you all and this nation.”
Many developed markets are grappling with an
aging population and shifting their product and
service offerings to cater to wealthy and retiring baby
boomers. Africa, on the other hand, is a continent of
young people. The youth are such an enormous and
important bulge in the population that it doesn’t really
make sense to talk of a “youth market” segment: the
market is the youth. The median age across Africa
is 19 years; in the US it’s 37 and in Europe it is 40.15
When up to 70% of the market is under the age of
25, it makes keeping up with what’s cool very difficult
Financial strain is a reality for most African people.
A decade of solid economic growth has not
eradicated poverty and a number of pressing social
problems remain. Infrastructure is poor in most
of the continent, making starting and running a
business difficult and contributing to the cost of
living for consumers – from corruption to the cost of
distribution and mobile data.
However, because of the tangible sense of progress
in many countries, most Africans are optimistic about
the future. Research by McKinsey found that 84% of
Africans believe their lives are going to get better in
the next two years – and this figure is as high as 97%
in Ghana.16
Africans believe their countries will make it and many
are motivated by the idea of contributing to that
success. There is widespread belief in the power
of education to bring a better life, and investing in
education is seen as an important thing to do.
Faith like potatoes
Youthful exuberance
Happy is hard work
In most African markets, heritage is being defined
and redefined every day as people urbanise and
come into contact with different technologies,
tribes, languages and people. Heritage is not
something found in text books or museums; it
is crafted by innovators and trailblazers and the
conservatives and traditionalists who fight back.
Brands have the opportunity to participate in this
dynamic relationship and play a part in defining
local pride and culture – something that can be
incredibly exciting for marketers, provided it is
done with authenticity and respect.
Carol Abade, CEO of EXP, believes there is an
increasing pride in local culture across Africa.
“It’s not a nationalistic pride, it’s about ownership
and relevance,” she says. This can be seen in
the growth of the African artistic industries, for
example. A decade ago, radio stations would have
primarily played Western music. Now, people are
listening to as much, if not more, Nigerian music
and South African music. The lyrics and style are
relevant and are finding an audience in clubs,
radio stations and homes. Nollywood, Nigeria’s
film industry, produces twice as many movies as
Hollywood every year.
Heritage in the making
for marketers. And it means many channels, tastes
and technologies will leapfrog into African markets
with local twists and none of the slower, older
versions that dominate elsewhere.

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Africa finds itself in an interesting position given
our time in history. Citizens of relatively new
democracies are entering the working world at a
time when information and knowledge on ‘how not
to do things’ abounds and is freely available on
the internet. Tools and techniques are there on the
shelf and are available for appropriate application,
not formulaic replication.
Borrow then build
This is being borne out in brand choices across
the continent. Research by Mckinsey confirmed
that most Sub-Saharan Africans prefer local to
international brands (whereas 60% of North Africans
prefer international brands).17
This puts brands from
other parts of Africa in an interesting position where
some are regarded as local and trusted and others
are seen as foreign and neo-colonialist. It is risky to
believe that the political rhetoric of pan-Africanism
applies to consumer tastes; many African consumers
feel no particular affinity for Nigerian or South African
products, for example, and brands from these
markets would need to invest as much time and
energy localising as brands from elsewhere.
Keroche Breweries is a 100%
locally owned beer and spirits
manufacturer in Kenya. They have
risen to prominence on the back
of a “truly Kenyan” positioning
and with affordable products that
are healthier and purer than the
home-made brews of many low-
income earners.
East African Breweries’ Tusker
beer, likewise, wins consumer
loyalty by tapping into rising local
pride in Kenya.
Africa’s
time to
shine
12
This figure varies enormously from country to country, but on average, 57% of Africans
are lifetime abstainers according to the World Health Organisation. Nigeria has the highest
per capita drinking rate on the continent, but this is only slightly higher than the European
average (12.3 litres versus 12.18 litres) – see Wilkinson, K. (2013) “Is Africa the drunk
continent? How Time Magazine ignored the data”, Africa Check: Sorting Fact from Fiction,
Available: http://africacheck.org/reports/is-africa-the-drunk-continent-how-time-ignored-
the-data
13
Interview with Kelechi Nwosu, October 2014
14
“Ten African Trends for 2015”, Trendwatching.com
15
Population Age Demographic Figures, Africa vs. USA & Europe, WolframAlpha.
16
Hattingh, D., Russo, B., Sun-Basorun, A. & Van Wamelen, A. (2012) The Rise of the
African Consumer, McKinsey & Company
17
Hattingh, D., Russo, B., Sun-Basorun, A. & Van Wamelen, A. (2012) The Rise of the
African Consumer, McKinsey & Company

18
Feist, J. & Feist, G.J. (2009), Theories of Personality, New York, McGraw-Hill
In our pan-African segmentation
and market clustering projects
that we have completed over the
past few years, we have identified
more than 50 consumer segments
across the continent. While each is
Based on the work of Freud and Jung, archetypes
are universal, not regional. They are the
unconscious behaviours and roles that humans
have evolved as the “psychic counterpart to
instinct”.18
We all instantly recognise and relate to the ‘mother’
archetype, for example, regardless of time, place
or culture. And we all shift into various different
archetypal roles and needs in different contexts,
though we generally have a primary type that feels
most natural and is our default setting in the world.
Archetypes are translated into reality through
individual and cultural characteristics and different
contexts will result in different kinds of behaviour.
Our work on the continent has revealed that
there are a few key attitudinal segments that are
common in African markets, though their particular
expression will be localised.
We believe the two key axes that define how
attitudes segment in most African markets are a
person’s relationship with change – whether they
seek improvement and excitement or security
and stability – and the relative focus they give to
themselves and their community.
Towards African
archetypal
consumers:
Part Two:
Understanding African Attitudes
unique in that they are dependent
on the culture, history, language and
specific context of that market, a
number of common themes started
to emerge – attitudes that unite a
number of segments across Africa.
My Community
Me

GO GETTER
INVENTOR
BOSS
SURVIVOR
OPTIMIST
MENTOR
TRADITIONALIST
CAREGIVER
The
UPLIFTERS
The
AGITATORS
The
ACCUMULATORS
The
STABILISERS

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Survivors Traditionalists
Life is still very hard for many, many people in
Africa. The majority of people can’t afford to
pay much attention to the esoteric world of
brands and marketing. Whether subsisting off
the land or living in slums, they are concerned
with how to make it to the end of the month,
and how to get by day to day. Survivors
struggle for the mere basics and are anxious
about safety, job security and being able to
look after themselves. They take comfort in
small things such as their friends and they are
not overly concerned with being fashionable.
Survivors typically fall into two camps: those
who focus on today and make the best of
what they have; and those who have become
frustrated and despondent. They can’t join
the middle classes or achieve their dreams
because of a lack of opportunities, a lack of
education and having to support extended
families with meagre earnings.
The rapid changes to African society in recent
decades have not been universally well
received. Traditionalists are sceptical of outside
influences and dislike the arrogance of Western
and foreign brands. They are proud of local
culture and customs, whether these be national,
tribal or religious.
Traditionalists would like to preserve the
way things have always been done and take
comfort in the stability of knowing the rules.
They are sociable, value their community and
are likely to be religious. They are often closed
to new experiences but will engage with
brands that respect their culture and offer clear
benefits to their life, rather than those that
position themselves as ‘cool’ – they are not
interested in keeping up with trends.
Kelechi Nwosu comments that “the darker side
of [Africa’s] diversity is tribalism.” He believes
the best approach for brands to take is to
“recognise diversity but seek opportunities
to create unity out of this diversity, to find the
common ground.”
Segment size:
Large
Demographic epicentre:
20 - 40 lower income
Segment size:
Large
35 + lower income
Key needs:
Security, control, assurance, escapism, having
enough to survive.
Key needs:
Belonging, good value, local relevance,
cultural respect, stability, familiarity.
How to win:
Affordable, durable, more for less.
“Help me survive.”
How to win:
Functional, affordable, relatable.
“Help my community out.”
Key attitudes:
Resilient, no-nonsense, resourceful, tenacious,
focused on today. Life is hard.
Key attitudes:
Conservative, responsible, modest, cautious,
West is not best.

© 2015 YELLOWWOOD. All rights reserved.www.ywood.co.zaPAGE 15
Carers Mentors
Carers are highly sociable and extensively
networked. They are warm and kind and like
to help out in the community. As with most
African consumers, they are usually supporting
a large extended family but they get enjoyment
from providing for those they love. They like to
feel that they have contributed to the wellbeing
of others. They are traditionally the matriarchal
figure, but many young, urban middle class
Africans exhibit this behaviour in volunteering,
or in the ways they spend their money and time.
With down to earth family values and a no-
nonsense approach, carers are looking for
good value so that they can provide for the
people that are important to them. They are
motivated by helping to make their community,
group or country a success.
Once carers are satisfied with your brand, they
are very loyal customers.
Mentors are the wise, respected members of
the community. They come in many forms in
Africa, from respected community elders, to
important figures in the Church and at mosque
to the traditional healers who advise and heal
and prophesise on the future. Mentors are full
of advice and understanding. They are not
swayed by trends and fads and represent a
kind of cultural continuity in the chaos.
The community is hugely important to mentors.
They are protective of the people in their
communities and want to see them succeed,
and for this reason younger mentors can take
on an activist role in certain markets. They
are guardians and advocates, fathers and
shamans. Mentors wield their influence for the
common good and work to ensure that the
good is preserved and any changes in society
benefit the people in their care. They are
typically conservative and traditional but differ
from traditionalists in that they won’t resist
change for the sake of it. They do what they
think is best for the community.
Segment size:
Large
35 + lower to mid income
Segment size:
Small - medium
45 + mid income
Key needs:
Belonging, community, being able to provide
for loved ones.
Key needs:
Community, continuity, respect, purpose.
How to win:
Reliability, affordability, generosity
“Help me provide for others.”
How to win:
Trustworthy, honest value, no-nonsense
“Make a positive contribution.”
Key attitudes:
Sociable, Loyal, generous, supportive,
conservative. Family comes first.
Key attitudes:
Humble, wise, community-minded
Remember what’s important.

The jesters, jokers, dancers and lovers of life.
Africa is an optimistic and often celebratory
continent. Many Africans are quick to express
joy and laugh. They believe that life is
improving and that there is nowhere else they
would rather be.
Whether it’s a Ghanaian taxi driver telling his
passenger how Ghana is the best country in
the world or a Kenyan teacher who believes
that her class will grow up to be great leaders,
optimists are proud of where they come
from and believe in themselves and their
community. They are outgoing and sociable
and always looking for a reason to celebrate.
Optimists will connect with brands that give
them a reason to smile. They love to see their
community succeed. Brands hoping to win
over the optimists should celebrate the sports,
music, passions and activities that they love and
make them feel special for their achievements in
life. Osibo Imhoitsihe, Business Director of TBWA
Concept in Lagos says of Nigerians in particular
“we are very happy people. Positivity and humour
are key to communications for Nigerians.”
These young, energetic and confident consumers
are on the way up. Not all of them have much
money yet, but they like to feel recognised for their
potential as much as for what they’ve achieved .
They are in touch with what’s going on in the rest
of the world and appreciate international brands,
but they are also very proud of Africa’s place in the
world and resonate with brands that pioneer new
and modern ways to be African. They have access
to information and trends through technology
and spend a lot of time on their phones. They are
the drivers of youth culture, with tastes that are
constantly evolving. Whether it’s the music they
listen to, the celebrities they want to meet or the
brands they buy, it’s hard to keep up with these
consumers and marketers need on-going research
and on-the-ground immersion to stay relevant.
Go-getters are ambitious but they are also sociable
and fun-loving. They go out often to parties, enjoy
new experiences and spending time with friends.
To win with go-getter customers, tap into their
ambitions and aspirations and get customer
service right. New entrants to categories won’t
remain new entrants, and how you treat a
customer today affects how they respond to your
products and services tomorrow.
Segment size:
Medium
35 + low to middle income
Segment size:
Small - medium
20 + lower income
Key needs:
Hope, conviviality, a sense of progress,
enjoyment.
Key needs:
Recognition, status, vitality, the latest tech,
progress.
How to win:
Affordable, simple, joyful.
“Help me enjoy my life.”
How to win:
Aspirational, fun, affordable, trendy and cool.
“Help me look good and achieve my goals.”
Key attitudes:
Sociable, optimistic, spirited, positive,
humorous. Always look on the bright side.
Key attitudes:
Hard-working, ambitious, determined,
fun-loving, energetic.
I will make a success of my life.
Optimists Go-Getters

Necessity is the mother of invention, as the
saying goes, and so Africa is buzzing with
inventors - from the tech entrepreneurs in
Kenya’s “Silicon Savannah” to street traders
who pioneer new distribution models for
Nollywood DVDs and Coca-Cola to the artists
who make and sell wire and wood creations by
the side of the road.
Inventors are the artists and creative spirits of
Africa. They have an indomitable energy and
determination to get things done. They thrive
on the hustle and bustle and chaos of Africa,
turning their restlessness into creations and
spotting opportunities in the gaps.
Though this resourceful creativity is alive
and well in the consumer societies of African
markets, the marketing industry often fails to
keep up. Joe Njeru, CEO of Zilojo in Kenya,
says that marketing’s biggest challenge in
Africa is that “nobody wants to be adventurous.
Everyone wants to do something safe.”
From the traditional “Big Men” of Africa
and the captains of industry to the middle-
income and not-yet-at-the-top, bosses
have an attitude of power and privilege.
They have stable incomes and are no longer
financially insecure. Their attention is focused
on themselves and their immediate family,
but they are often influential in their field and
respected in their circles of friends and their
community. They expect to be recognised for
their success.
Younger bosses are typically looking to reach
the top, where older bosses are looking for
a relaxed life, free from tension and stress.
Many wealthier bosses have travelled to other
countries and know, first hand, what to expect
from quality brands. They won’t fall for fake
status or accept inferior service from global
brands operating in Africa. They appreciate the
finer things in life and are opinion-leaders and
influencers in premium categories.
Their faith is important to them and they are often
high-profile figures in their churches or mosques.
Segment size:
Medium
20 - 30 mid income
Segment size:
Small
25 - 40 mid to high income
Key needs:
Inspiration, choice, innovation, opportunity.
Key needs:
Power, respect, influence, discernment.
How to win:
Useful, generous, creative, passionate, new.
“Help me create something new.”
How to win:
Quality, attention to detail, luxury.
“Reward me.”
Key attitudes:
Resourceful, energetic, creative, indomitable.
There’s always a way to make it happen.
Key attitudes:
Confident, secure, informed, commanding,
demanding. Only the best will do.
Inventors Bosses

Businesses entering Africa may be tempted to expand
regionally; starting in one market and spreading to its
neighbours. Logistically, this may sound easier, but it makes
little sense when African nations are at such vastly different
levels of development and require different strategy and
skills to market well. Two neighbouring countries may have
less in common than two countries at opposite ends of the
continent. Carol Abade believes “culture is at a country level.
There may be some cross-over in region, but it’s not as much
as people think.” McKinsey, on the other hand, advocates
for targeting cities rather than countries. However you cut it,
brands looking to expand in Africa should undertake a market
clustering exercise so as to avoid spreading themselves too thin.
Analyse all potential African markets on their levels of
economic development, infrastructure, language, culture and
consumer needs. Once you have found the commonalities,
group similar markets together and develop a strategy to
connect with consumers in that cluster. The strategy will
require some localisation in each individual market, but the
similarity in context for the cluster will mean that consumers
are driven by broadly similar needs, goals and aspirations.
Understanding African markets through their people, common
needs and attitudes helps with many marketing decisions.
Importantly, it demonstrates that:
It’s about attitude, not proximity.

OthersMe
Attitudes that Resonate: Positioning Opportunities
Part Three:
Connecting with African Attitudes
GenerosityJoy
Optimism
TogethernessAmbition
ConservatismTenacity
Pride

Africa does not need neo-colonial marketing. It needs businesses
with a generosity of spirit, that want to help ensure that the markets
they operate within succeed. If marketers set themselves the primary
objective of making things that customers want rather than making
customers want things, they will find many opportunities in Africa and
resonate with the attitudes of the locals.
Customer needs and wants in Africa are broader than the traditional
category thinking of developed markets and for brands to really
matter to these customers, they need to rethink the pyramid. Pay
your taxes, find ways to contribute to the most pressing social ills,
offer opportunities and paid collaborations to customers and transfer
skills to staff on the ground.
It’s critical for marketers to build capacity at a local level. There is a
shortage of skills to overcome and importing skills can only achieve
half of what needs to be done. Expats cannot hope to offer the kinds of
deep cultural insight that is required for relevant and effective marketing.
Capacitating local offices is a good investment. It means more effective
teams and a better understanding of local innovation needs.
Aliko Dangote, for example, attributes the success of his business to
the simple fact that he was willing to invest rather than holding out
for more stability. Many businesses in South Africa could learn from
this example, as the private sector is often accused of being on an
“investment strike”.
Spending money on building communities can be done in a way that
embeds your brand in them. From nutrition to education to healthcare,
African consumers are working towards a better place to live, and
brands can play an exciting role in helping them achieve that.
Despite the growth of African middle classes in recent years, the vast
majority of African consumers remain poor and price sensitive. Many
consumers, from survivors to carers, are trying to stretch their meagre
earnings to provide for multiple dependants and so, brands that can
offer them great value (more quantity AND acceptable quality) will
do well. Be careful not to try and achieve this through old-fashioned
methods of cutting corners, though. “Africa is no longer a dumping
ground for average brands and products” warns Carol Abade. There
are too many competing producers now and local innovators will find
ways of doing things more cheaply and efficiently.
Carers
On the wavelength of:
“I would like to be listed
among the great, the
gentlemen who made
good things for this
country, I dream for a
better Congo”
Mentors
Survivors
1. Generosity a. Invest, don’t extract
b. Offer more for less

South African based retailer Shoprite operates successfully in 16
markets across Africa and has become the continent’s largest retail
group off the back of a simple more-for-less promise of “Widest range.
Lowest prices.” Shoprite also invests in and seeks to stimulate the
markets in which it operates. Their Nigerian operation, for example,
supports more than 300 local businesses in the form of suppliers,
farmers and local brands.
Dangote Group is a large, diversified conglomerate with interests in
sugar, cement, salt, flour, pasta, telecommunications, fertiliser and
real estate. It operates across 16 African countries and employs over
21,000 people. Dangote’s founder, Aliko Dangote is vocal about the
fact that he “believes in Nigeria” and believes part of his success comes
from investing when others “wait and see.” Fuelled by a dream of
making Nigeria proud and self-sufficient, building local manufacturing
capacity and providing employment, he has built a business empire
on meeting the unmet ‘basic needs’ of the market. Dangote is now
the continent’s wealthiest man.

19
Interview with Kelechi Nwosu, October 2014
PAGE 22 www.ywood.co.za © 2015 YELLOWWOOD. All rights reserved.
Innovation in Africa doesn’t take place in white lab coats with huge R&D
budgets – it takes place in a million little experimentations driven by
necessity and an understanding of what people need. For this reason,
Africa is leading in convergence. Technology, telecommunication and
financial services are rapidly pulling together and blurring into one
another, spurred on by African innovations such as mobile money
players. And many other industries will do the same.
Convergence is easy when you start with the customer –
understanding the customer’s unmet needs, priorities and social
context allows you to define new industries, rather than recreating
what exists in other markets. Call it pre-emptive disruption. Victor
Ikawa believes one of the main reasons for Safaricom’s success has
been that they “ignored formal boundaries about what you can do
and can’t do.”
Use intermediate technologies, leapfrog the conventions used in other
markets and partner with local innovators. Ignore traditional category
conventions and boundaries and focus on bringing together the right
business models, products and services to meet real African needs.
Marketing and communications that bring people together have huge
potential in Africa where national identity is still a work in progress.
Many consumers feel excited by brands that can give them a sense of
broader community, that stitch together different ethnicities, tribes and
cultures. Kelechi Nwosu, MD of TBWA Concept in Lagos, advises
brands to “seek opportunities to create unity out of the diversity. Ask
yourself ‘Where is the common ground that will get me some space in
the hearts of people?’”19
An enormous advantage of
operating in Africa is that
businesses get to define the
boundaries and extent of their
categories, rather than simply
replicating old-fashioned
conventions from the developed
world. In financial services, for
example, there have been huge
levels of innovation because
the branch infrastructure of the
developed world was simply
leapfrogged.
GT Bank, one of the largest
financial services providers in
Africa, allows consumers to open
bank accounts via Facebook –
tapping into the power of social
media to get where physical
infrastructure can’t.
Likewise, M-Pesa, Safaricom’s
mobile money innovation
ignores the boundaries between
telecommunications and financial
services. A quarter of Kenya’s
economy now runs on M-Pesa.
Businesses that centre their
innovation and their thinking on
real customer needs won’t be
victims of convergence – they
will be the brands that drive it
and thrive.
Carers
Mentors
Inventors
2. Togetherness a. Embrace convergence
b. Bring people together

Faiba is a high-speed fibre-optic internet service
offering by Jamii Telecommunications in Kenya.
Their animated TV ads, conceptualised and created
by a local animator, use the mannerisms, habits,
language and pronunciation of different tribes in
Kenya in humorous ways. The ads went viral in
Kenya and have resulted in certain phrases entering
into common speech. Viewers have found them
funny and are proud of the fact that the animations
and talent are local.
Cultural Relevance, In-Jokes and Building Community: Faiba

Often getting the marketing basics right – like getting your products
to the shelf – can be difficult when infrastructure is poor. It’s important
to be practical and to do your homework. Ensure you have a strategy
for distribution, sourcing, product quality and pricing before any grand
promises are made. Understand your constraints and know what you
can’t deliver. Functional benefits may be good enough if you are the only
business who can actually deliver them or if you can deliver on them in
a more competitive way. Many consumers would prefer a brand that is
reliable, of a decent quality and trustworthy rather than one that tries
to be clever with its positioning. African consumers have suffered from
poor product quality and poor customer service in the past and are
willing to reward those that offer consistent reliability.
Show respect to the consumers in your market. Don’t assume you know
best. Listen and respond to genuine needs and be honest if those needs
are not ‘sexy’. It’s more important to add value to consumers rather than
to try and force-fit the latest trend. From a business operations as well
as a consumer brand point of view, there are few things as likely to put
backs up as an expat attitude of superiority.
Traditionalists
Mentors
3. Conservatism a. Walk before you run
b. Listen before you speak
Coca-Cola is one of the most successful companies
in the world and is available in every country in
Africa. Part of the reason for their success is their
pragmatism and willingness to tailor their operations
to the context of each market. In the late 1990s
Coca-Cola dropped their traditional distribution
model in many African markets with particularly
bad infrastructure, opting to create or utilise micro-
distribution businesses. Whether pushcarts, donkey
carts, bicycles or being carried by hand, these
distributors get Coca-Cola to the places where
roads don’t go. It’s good for the community too. In
fact Bill Egbe, the President of Coca Cola’s SA unit
believes “Multinationals cannot operate in Africa
without ensuring that the communities in which they
do business benefit and have a significant stake in
those businesses”

West is not necessarily best. The provenance of certain brands can
be advantageous if that country is already associated with positive
attributes: German luxury cars, for example, or Scottish whisky. But
there is nothing inherently better about being a global brand and African
consumers are particularly proud of local culture and success stories.
Certain brands are doing exciting things with traditional culture; remixing
it, reinventing it and celebrating it with a modern twist. Africans are
proud of their heritage but heritage is not static. Collaborate with local
artists, musicians and designers to create marketing that is culturally
relevant and celebrates the market you are trying to enter.
One of Carol Abade’s Ten Commandments of Marketing in Africa is
“Though shalt not judge. If you chose to live in Africa, don’t spend your
expatriate social life moaning about the people and countries that host
you.” Whatever you find strange about the market you have entered
could be a source for fresh marketing ideas.
Traditionalists
Mentors
4. Pride a. Don’t change the culture
Brands can find huge inspiration in the traditions and
cultures of Africa.
South African fashion brand MaXhosa has
captivated audiences both locally and internationally.
Laduma Ngxokolo, the creator and designer of
MaXhosa says his inspiration came from wanting to
“create a modern Xhosa-inspired knitwear collection
that would be suitable for Xhosa initiates, prescribed
by tradition to dress up in new dignified formal
clothing for six months after initiation.”
His dream is to celebrate and preserve his culture
and heritage, which he believes is dying out.
Collections are named after traditional Xhosa
phrases and customs. Maxhosa is available in
South Africa and London.
African Cultural Renaissance: In 2014 construction
began on the Zeitz Museum of Contemporary
African Art in Cape Town. The museum, hollowed
out of an abandoned grain silo building, will have
more than 9,500 square metres of space over nine
storeys. It will be the largest gallery in Africa, set to
celebrate and exhibit rising contemporary artists
from across the continent.
Diageo in Ghana invests in local raw material
sourcing. They are increasingly “looking at
alternative raw materials which are more resilient
and better adapted to their local climates.” Ruut
Extra is a premium beer that caters to local tastes.
Instead of using barley, Ruut Extra is made from
Cassava, one of Ghana’s most abundant crops and
a traditional African staple.
• ••• • ••••• •••• • •• • ••••• •• •••••• • ••• ••• ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
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•• • • • • ••••••••••

The sense of optimism in many African markets is palpable. Even as
oil prices drop and foreign investment is expected to slow in 2015,
many African markets are utterly transformed from a few years ago and
citizens are optimistic and excited about the future. Brands that can tap
into the celebratory mood, give consumers something to look forward to
and enable them to do more with their lives that will generate significant
levels of goodwill. The narrative of Africa has shifted from aid to trade in
the past decade, and this applies at an individual level as well.
Founded by Ugandan entrepreneur Ashish J. Thakkar, Mara is a multi-
sector group with operations in 22 African countries. Mara Foundation
is a social enterprise that supports emerging African entrerpeneurs.
Mara Foundation launched mentor.mara.com, a social network and
multi-lingual online portal for mentorship and entrepreneurship. It
connects young African entrepreneurs with established and successful
businesses and business leaders who volunteer their time and expertise
to help the youngsters build something remarkable.
Optimists
Go-Getters
5. Optimism a. Build something to believe in

Don’t overthink things and hesitate for too long, or you’ll miss the
opportunity. Local competition is increasing rapidly and is not to be
underestimated. Local competitors have the insight, the agility and
the life-or-death determination to make things work. Victor Ikawa
believes “you need 80% action and 20% thinking. Move quickly, get
things done. Have a simple direction and go with speed to resolve
the issues that exist.” It’s good to have an iterative and experimental
approach to brand marketing – see what works and adapt quickly.
With rapidly changing consumer contexts and increasing access to
information, youth culture and tastes are changing all the time and
are different from even three or four years ago. The kind of music
and pop culture references that you’ll need to connect with young
consumers evolves all the time. Brands need to adapt quickly and be
bold and decisive in creating relevant marketing that resonates.
With so much restless energy in markets like Nigeria, brands need to
focus their energy on helping consumers attain their aspirations. This
requires market insight as not all aspirations are for bigger, better and
more bling. Whether it’s access to unique experiences, a chance to
meet celebrity preachers and DJs or adult education, marketing that
connects with consumers’ ambition and aspiration is increasingly
common across Africa.
Marketing that connects with consumer aspiration and ambition is on
the increase across Africa’s alpha markets.
Guinness Nigeria’s “reach for
greatness” campaign taps into
Nigeria’s strongly aspirational
culture by telling the story of a
village boy dreaming of life in the
city and his brother, a strong,
proud man who has made it big.
The commercial ends with his
brother offering him a bus ticket
to the city, saying “you know, a
boy dreams, but a man does.
Are you ready to drink at the
table of men?”
Go-Getters
Bosses
6. Ambition a. Be bold, decisive, quick and creative
b. Get them where they’re going

To survive and thrive in the frontier markets of Africa, you’ll need a
sense of humour, fun and adventure – both in the marketing that you do
and in your attitude towards business. There will be huge challenges.
There will be setbacks and misunderstandings and deliveries that don’t
arrive. Things may well take longer than you expected and happen in
very different ways. While we don’t advocate settling for mediocrity,
it is important to let go a little. Lighten up and roll with the punches of
Africa. Being able to laugh at your situation and yourself will keep you
sane and help you understand the people of Africa better. Most African
consumers have put up with much worse than you are dealing with, and
they do so with their sense of humour and joy intact.
Recognising that most emoticons in the world
represent white faces, Oju Africa released a series of
African faces for download. The faces (“Oju” means
“face” in Yoruba) cover the whole range of human
emotions, with some humorous additions thrown in
for good measure – such as smileys that are missing
teeth, Rastas and mad love for Africa.
While it met with controversy for replicating instead
of challenging the patriarchal attitude of traditional
Optimists
Inventors
Go-Getters
7. Joy a. Lighten up
Nigerian culture, MTN’s “mama na boy” campaign
was hugely popular among Nigerian consumers
because it was relatable and celebratory. The ad
featured an ecstatic new father rushing out to call his
family in the village and tell them that the baby is a
boy. The celebration and dancing that ensues proves
that they could not have hoped for better news.

Kenyan non-profit Ushahidi
created the BRCK, a self-powered
wi-fi device that is designed for
African countries with irregular
electricity supply. Describing itself
as “rugged internet”, the BRCK
runs off its own eight-hour battery
during power cuts and switches
between Ethernet, wi-fi and 3G or
4G networks depending on which
signal is available.
Africa is a hard place. It takes guts and perseverance. Channel the
tenacity of Africa’s survivors, stay in the game, and create products,
services and marketing that will withstand the stark reality of the
markets you operate in.
Survivors
Bosses
WE
CAN
IF
6. Tenacity Don’t give up
Innovation from Africa’s Beautiful Constraints
Constraints have a bad rap. They are, by definition,
negative things that prevent us from acting as we
would like to. “Don’t fence me in,” the old song
says: if you want me to show what I can do, then
leave me unconstrained.
You are bound to come up against many constraints
when setting up shop or expanding in Africa – from
power supply to distribution infrastructure to skills.
Fortunately, a new book by Adam Morgan and Mark
Barden of eatbigfish shows that constraints can be
fertile, enabling, catalytic forces to stimulate new
approaches and possibilities.
In the book they show that banning the phrase
“We can’t because” forces people to respond to
the question of “How” with “We can if ...” It keeps
the focus on how it might be possible not whether
it might be possible, generating solutions rather
than more problems, and keeping the oxygen of
optimism alive in the process.
We Can-If
The Can-If map turns this approach into a usable
tool that identifies nine different responses to
‘we can’t because’. Working round the map
encourages creative thinking and innovative
solutions to seemingly intractable problems. It’s a
very handy skill to have in Africa!
The Can-If approach is explored in more detail
in A Beautiful Constraint: How To Transform
Your Limitations Into Advantages, and Why It’s
Everyone’s Business (Wiley 2015).
We think
of it as ...
We fund
it by ...
We
introduce
a ...
We use
other
people to
...
We mix
together
...
We
access the
knowledge
of ..
We
resource
it by ...
We
remove ...
to allow
us to
We
substitute
for ...

10 Things to do differently
Assume nothing – only in Africa
Many things that are taken for granted in
global markets are unheard of or simply not
done that way in Africa. Whether it’s local
customs dictating how things work, or make-
do solutions that have grown up around poor
infrastructure, you will need to spend time
on the ground to get a feel for the context in
each market.
Put away your pyramids
Africa may be the home of the pyramids,
but they are a blunt marketing tool for
understanding the continent. “Bottom-of-
the-pyramid” economic status does not
define the market. Take the opportunity to
define a new way of marketing beyond the
numbers that transforms the ‘pyramid’ by
Including customers in the distribution chain,
for example.
Re-think the impossible
Don’t import the conventions that ‘hold
you back’ in your home market into Africa.
Disrupt the conventions before they exist.
Innovate. Springboard off social and
infrastructural challenges to define new
products and services that meet real needs.
Nothing is impossible.
Ban the word ‘consumer’
You are marketing to people, not consumers.
With a scarcity of quality insight and a
propensity to generalise about Africa, it’s
important to remind oneself of the real job
at hand; to understand and delight people.
Research for the nuances but empathy for
what is common to all of us.
Create your own uniquely African story
With local pride on the rise and cultural
identity changing rapidly, it’s a good time
to celebrate the Africa in your brand. Play
a part in building the unique stories of the
markets that you’re in, rather than exporting
your home market’s idea of “Africanness”.
Be authentic, sensitive and respectful of
local stories and avoid the stereotypes (no
acacia trees and sunsets!)
Don’t rely. Defy convention
The best practices and case studies that
worked in other regions will often not be
relevant to your context. Don’t play it safe
or follow the established methods and
messages from other parts of the world.
Think African solutions to African problems.
The market is being created not replicated
– let go of the conventions.
Never underestimate the power of local
knowledge
No two African markets are the same. You
may have better infrastructure and skills
in your home market, but that doesn’t
mean you know better. Did you know, for
example, that open-plan living is unpopular
in Nigeria because preparing Nigerian
cuisine is hard, sweaty work and people
prefer their guests not to see it?
Tastes, habits and cultural practices
are local not pan-African. Be sure you
have local people on your teams that are
plugged in and vocal.
Relate, relate, relate
The differences between markets in Africa
may be staggering and so finding the nugget
of human insight that helps you relate to
and identify with the people there is both
difficult and is crucial. This to ensure your
communications are authentic and your
product and service offering is relevant.
Tips for Foreign entrants Tips for African Brands

Conclusion
There are huge growth opportunities for businesses and brands in Africa, and the chance to really do things
differently and reinvent some of the more damaging practices of the past. We hope that exploring and
exposing the more common attitudes and consumer typologies across the continent will help marketers
devise strategies that put human insight and values at their core.
To be successful in pan-African brand building and regional growth, strategy should focus more on attitude
than on proximity, since two neighbouring markets may have less in common than markets at opposite ends
of the continent. Very few brands are yet able to get under the skin of consumers in most African markets,
relying as they do on superficial insight or irrelevant solutions from other parts of the world. We hope this report
starts the journey to smarter market clustering, more useful segmentation models and more effective brand-
building for the marketers who read it.
Get neck-deep or don’t bother
There has been interest in Africa’s bigger
markets for long enough now that just “being
there” isn’t going to cut it. Have a good
strategy in place for each market cluster
and customer segment, and then throw
yourself in - to the market research, the
experimentation and learning, and the rapid
action. It is no place for a timid approach or
for “waiting and seeing”.
Use outer-directed human nature to your
advantage
The sociable and community-minded
aspect of human nature is strong in Africa.
This provides wonderful opportunities
for brands to earn goodwill and loyalty
by bringing people together, helping to
build communities and supporting local
ambitions. Celebrate the heroes of each
community – from the caregivers to the
bosses – and you’ll embed yourself in the
community with positive word of mouth as
your reward.
Nigeria
South Africa
Angola
Kenya
Ghana
Tanzania
DRC
Zambia
Gabon
Malawi
Hustling ambition
Frustrated impatience
n/a - polarised
Serious & striving
Cheerfully active
Proud & hardworking
Hungry for success
Humble generosity
Making it work
Content & easy-going
$521.8 billion
$350.6 billion
$121.7 billion
$ 55.2 billion
$ 47.9 billion
$ 33.2 billion
$ 30.6 billion
$ 22.4 billion
$ 19.3 billion
$ 3.7 billion
1
2
5
9
10
Getting into the headspace of some of
Sub-Saharan Africa’s largest economies
Tips for Foreign entrants Tips for African Brands
AFRICAN ATTITUDES
Sources:
GDP ranking: World Bank, 2013
Attitudinal attributes: Yellowwood projects

References
Acknowledgements
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of Altitude Advertising Zambia, October 2014
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September 2014
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Consumer Insights at Safaricom, September 2014
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Concept Nigeria, October 2014
Interview with Joe Njeru, CEO of Zilojo Kenya,
October 2014
Interview with Osibo Imhoitsike, Business
Director of TBWA Concept Nigeria, October 2014
Special thanks to
Kelechi Nwosu, Victor Ikawa, Carol Abade, Aggrey
Oriwo, Aloysius Chiluba, Joe Njeru and Osibo
Imhoitsike for the interviews
Catherine Bensard and Johanna Pentecouteau
from TBWAAngola and Eugene Omolo and
George Ojing from TBWARedHouse Kenya for the
consumer vox pops videos
Graham Cruikshanks for helping us access the
TBWA Africa network
Paul Drawbridge for putting archetypes front and
centre of our thinking
Gerhard Reinecke for the excellent photography
Toka Moshesh for designing the beautiful
document you are holding in your hands
All of the analysts, strategists, insights teams and
designers at Yellowwood whose work this builds
on and the clients who keep us thinking and
exploring

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Yellowwood market clustering, segmentation &
consumer typology projects, 2012 – 2015

Get in touch
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David Blyth, Group MD
Email: davidb@ywood.co.za
www.ywood.co.za
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info@ywood.co.za

Yellowwood African Attitudes Feb 2015

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