How to win in Africa: go local, go mobile and participate

Krysia McKechnie

This article looks at how marketers can successfully do business in the African market, across its many countries and languages.

When thinking about doing business in Africa one of the most important things to remember is its diversity – 54 countries and 1,996 languages mean it's impossible to treat it as a single bloc. "It's a continent, not a country," emphasised Gillian Benneh and Rachel Mwakule from Digitas LBi when speaking at Dubai Lynx 2016.

Localise

Africa is all about context and if you understand the context you can tailor your message to suit the audience, they said. For example, a well-known global brand had a campaign about healthy living with the message to "live positively". While western consumers understood...

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