Annansi Chronicles

S. Africa Tourism launches URL shortener for World Cup marketing

As part of the marketing around the upcoming 2010 FIFA World Cup, the South African Tourism authority has launched a new branded url shortening service at http://mzan.si. Developed for the government agency by Quirk eMarketing, the Mzan.si service is so named  for the word Mzansi (m-zun-zee), a popular word used to refer to South Africa. The marketing effort is an attempt to brand South Africa as “a country teeming with exquisite sights, natural splendours, adventure attractions and culture”.

Because URL shorteners are easier to remember, faster to type and less likely to break when they are shared, this shortening craze might just become a new kind of language for all internet users….Not only is http://mzan.si designed to shorten long cumbersome URLs, but it also allows South African Tourism to market South Africa as a destination through unobtrusive, geo-targeted advertising within the shortener itself. All URLs that have been shortened using the http://mzan.si will start with mzan.si making them instantly recognisable. The objective of the URL shortener is to reach people in an alternative way to educate and entice them into visiting South Africa hence the name msansi which means South Africa. It is also aimed at enabling all South African’s to ‘fly the flag’ and acknowledge their homeland online with every link they create.

More info here

If you like what you read, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed or my email alerts. Thanks for visiting!

FELA! musical hits Broadway with rave reviews

If you haven’t already heard FELA! The Musical has opened on the Broadway in New York City. For many people, myself included, this marks a milestone in African culture’s rise to global recognition. Nigerian musician and activist Fela Anikulapo Kuti has been an major inspiration for many young Africans looking to re-define what it means to be African in the West. Ever the African icon, Fela’s music and ideas have been at the cornerstone of the growing Afropolitan culture in New York and other metropolitan areas around the world. He has inspired many creative expressions of African culture including my own early foray into Africa-influenced business. After many years as an Afropolitan lifestyle inspiration, now the essence of what Fela has defined for modern Africans has brilliantly been captured in this new musical.

In it’s glowing review of the new musical The New York Times writes:

There should be dancing in the streets. When you leave the Eugene O’Neill Theater after a performance of “Fela!,” it comes as a shock that the people on the sidewalks are merely walking. Why aren’t they gyrating, swaying, vibrating, in thrall to the force field that you have been living in so ecstatically for the past couple of hours?

The hot (and seriously cool) energy that comes from the musical gospel preached by the title character of “Fela!,” which opened on Monday night, feels as if it could stretch easily to the borders of Manhattan and then across a river or two. Anyone who worried that Bill T. Jones’s singular, sensational show might lose its mojo in transferring to Broadway can relax.

FELA! The Musical features the Afrobeat music of Fela Anikulapo–Kuti, a book by Jim Lewis and the direction and choreography of Tony® Award winner Bill T. Jones. The musical is co-produced by Jay-Z, and Will and Jada Pinkett Smith among others.

Watch the opening night and behind the scenes videos below.

If you can’t see the videos above, click here

Microsoft, GE look to emerging markets for reverse innovation and profits

When GE chief executive Jeffrey Immelt wrote in this month’s Harvard Business Review that GE’s “Success in developing countries is a prerequisite for continued vitality in developed ones” and as a result the company was full on adopting the reverse innovation model, he sent shockwaves through the US-based business world. Looking at the numbers though, who could argue. The HBR article explains that “GE’s revenues outside the United States soared from $4.8 billion, or 19% of total revenues, in 1980, to $97 billion, or more than half of the total, in 2008.” all while the global economic crisis surged on.

… (business leaders) are shifting their energies from managing the present—surviving the financial and economic meltdowns—to creating the future. But we worry that too few U.S. business leaders have recognized that the future is far from home. Indeed, many of the innovations that propel global economic growth over the next few decades will originate in the developing world. – BusinessWeek

While the idea of reverse innovation – or trickle up innovation as the business practice is sometimes called – is nothing new, the business climate is ripe for it’s large scale adoption. With the global economy in peril, and waning consumer confidence particularly in the west, multinationals are increasingly seeking alternatives to old revenue and product development models. Reverse innovation – creating entry-level products for developing nations and then repackaging them for sale in richer nations – solves many problems for multinationals including reducing product development costs and increasing revenue by diversifying globally. But to truly see the gains of a reverse innovation business practice companies must make an honest effort to observe what makes it profitable; most importantly, understanding how emerging markets like China, India, Brazil and Africa, have become politically stable, more self reliant, and how innovation is now driven locally.

In a Businessweek article, C.K. Prahalad, author of the newly reissued The Fortune at the Bottom of the Pyramid: Eradicating Poverty Through Profits gave 5 tips for trickle up business innovation:

• Affordable Products – Emerging nations can’t afford goods priced for the U.S. and Western Europe, which pushes companies to find inexpensive materials or manufacturing options.
• ‘Leapfrog’ Technologies – Developing countries lack 20th century infrastructure and so have fast-forwarded to newer technologies such as mobile phones or solar energy.
• Service ‘Ecosystems’ – Entrepreneurs in poor nations often must rely on others for help, creating new partnerships like video-game cafés where gamers test offerings such as online identity verification.
• Robust Systems – Emerging markets require products that work in rugged conditions. A gadget sturdy enough to survive monsoons can handle spilled coffee in Boston or San Diego.
• New Applications – Customers in poor countries have few product choices, providing market openings for add-ons that update and extend the lives of existing merchandise.

More on Reverse Innovation / Trickle Up Innovation

Interview: Microsoft’s Trickle-Up Strategy – (Businessweek audio)
Microsoft is looking to developing-world audiences for inspiration on new products for the U.S. Now it is also increasingly hunting for R&D talent among students in emerging markets. The company’s Amit Mital explains.

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Feature: Innovation Trickles in a New Direction – (Businessweek video)

Designer Ozwald Boateng on dressing President Obama and his Made in Africa wealth initiative

In this three part series fashion designer Ozwald Boateng talks with CNN about outfitting President Obama for his recent Ghana visit and the designer’s new initiative “Made in Africa”.

Part 1: Tailoring for the President
CNN’s Monita Rajpal talks British-Ghanaian tailor Ozwald Boateng about his rise to fame and tailoring for President Obama’s Ghanaian visit.

Part 2: Made in Africa Ozwald Boateng talks about ‘Made in Africa.’ An organization designed to promote wealth and self sufficiency in Africa

Part 3: Designer to role model
British-Ghanaian tailor Ozwald Boateng explains his plans to help tailor Africa’s image problems.

Obama and Hillary Clinton visits a boom or bust for African business

As President Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton both prepared to make visits to Africa recently there was a sense of excitement and anticipation. While the excitement was primarily within the African diaspora, other communities around the globe also began to share in the excitement. But as Obama and Clinton have come and left the continent, many have questioned if the “historic event” had a big enough effect on investment and perception the African continent. It may be too soon to tell but if the statistics are any indication, heightened global interest in Africa may already be starting to wane. So might African countries have missed an opportunity to move the continent’s re-brand efforts to another level and capture global attention in a BIG way?

According to Snapstream.com’s TV trends tracking service, between October 2008 and the months up to Obama’s visit to Ghana, the average mention of the word Africa on the primary American television networks was about 20 to 30 mentions per day with mentions reaching the highest of 169 in any one day. In the first two days of Obama’s arrival in Ghana, mentions of Africa on US television jumped to about 719 mentions on July 11th, the day Obama gave his speech in Ghana. Also Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s recently concluded tour of Africa and the momentary controversy in Congo, has kept Africa in the news for the second month straight in 2009.

By all standards, and considering the context, these are enormous global opportunities where African countries could heighten awareness and promote any partnership opportunities they have. While some might say that the attention was only regulated to political forums, an analysis of the overall mentions of Africa across social media media platforms shows the contrary.

An analysis of Google search trends shows that global search for terms associated with Africa have begun to climb as the continent stays in the news. As both President Obama and Sec. of State Clinton went on tour in Africa, the countries they visited have seen an increase of search activity, another great opportunity to the tourism industries.

But with all the possibilities of global business, I still wonder how much sustained business opportunities are really being made available for African entrepreneurs and non-governmental businesses.

In their reflection of Obama’s visit to Ghana the Daily Kos writes

In Cape Coast where the Obamas visited the slave fort – Cape Coast Castle, and the palace of the Oguaa Chief (of Cape Coast), the crowds were similarly excited yet disappointed that they had no opportunity to see President Obama’s remarks given while there. Nevertheless, the mood remained upbeat with local residents stating that they understood the need for all the souped up security arrangements for this particular US President. At the airport later in the early evening, prior to departure, the crowd that gathered there did finally get the chance to see and hear Pres. Obama. Everybody else simply stayed glued to their teevee sets all day. My other beef was that not a single local Ghanaian journalist was granted an interview with President Obama, yet Anderson Cooper of CNN gets one. Yes, Obama had an interview with AllAfrica.com prior to his arrival in Ghana, but a local interview would have helped cut through the physical security cordon and enabled the US president to directly hear from the local media that he praised so much in his speech for their critical work in advancing democracy in Ghana.

Certainly tourism to Ghana and possibly Africa in general is going to rise as many in the west will associate the country with a presidential visit, stability, and democracy, but will that be the end result? Could the Ghanaian government have done more to secure long term more widespread attention to Ghana? Could Secretary Clinton’s visit have been more impactful to everyday Liberians or Kenyan’s beyond the prestige factor? Neither Obama’s or Clinton’s trips were merely for entertainment and there are policies in the works, but if Africa is to truly benefit from them the attention and information exchange must be sustained by Africans over a longer period of time. Only through synchronized planning between African entrepreneurs and governments, could such high profile events truly be maximized for the rapid growth of African countries.

What do you think? Were the President Obama and Secretary Clinton visits a boom or bust for African business?

Bono on Obama’s 1st Africa visit as President and rebranding the continent

But as the example of Ghana makes clear, that’s only one chord. Amid poverty and disease are opportunities for investment and growth — investment and growth that won’t eliminate overnight the need for assistance, much as we and Africans yearn for it to end, but that in time can build roads, schools and power grids and propel commerce to the point where aid is replaced by trade pacts, business deals and home-grown income.

President Obama can hasten that day. He knows change won’t come easily. Corruption stalks Africa’s reformers. “If you fight corruption, it fights you back,” a former Nigerian anti-corruption official has said.

Corporate America’s Changing Views on Africa

Baird, the management consulting firm, recently asked senior officers of 30 American Fortune 100 corporations about their current attitudes on investing in Africa. While some of the results showed that not much had  changed, the study also revealed that corporate America was increasingly optimistic about Africa’s role in their future business strategies. Three of the key points of the study, “Inside the Boardroom: How Corporate America Really Views Africa” are:

• USA Inc. is more interested in Africa than before, because the African market appears increasingly attractive, but Africa has tough competition and high hurdles for US investment. Education is at the top of the US corporate wish list for Africa; “educate your people so that we can employ them”

• The African countries that hold most interest are South Africa and some countries in the North, like Egypt; there are also some pockets of interest in West Africa, most notably Ghana, Nigeria and to some extent Angola; while some in the South (Botswana and Mozambique) and East (Uganda and Kenya), are also being watched

•To make itself more attractive for US investment, Africa should:

• Invest in education , health and infrastructure
• Ensure the rule of law and a business-friendly climate for all investing companies
• Show it is serious about attracting foreign investment
• Market itself as aggressively as other regions of the world
• Demonstrate opportunity cost of not investing

A recent CNBC broadcast from Lagos, Nigeria (video below) also expounded on what Africa has to offer corporate America.

L’Oreal sets sights on African women

There’s no shortage of criticism of the fashion and beauty industry for not recognizing the diversity of what is considered beautiful. Cosmetics giants in particular have had it hard, trying to accommodate skin tones. In their effort to generate more revenue and gain market share globally, L’Oreal has announced plans to expand their product line and – most notably – make an effort to cater to African women’s beauty needs. Not being a cosmetics industry veteran myself it’s hard to tell if L’Oreal is trully addressing some of the issues it’s diversity critics have.

..the company, which has 26 international cosmetics brands and a presence in more than 130 countries, already has a presence on the continent upon which it aims to build. A key market is the African woman, and L’Oréal is seeking growth and expansion into this market, that will require balancing technological innovation with the need for prudent spending. – L’Oréal South Africa MD Philippe Raffray, more

What do you think?

photo by epicharmus

Prada space captures rural Congo experience

Influx Insights points us to an interesting marriage of Congolese and Western culture in the form of an art and entertainment experience space. The Double Club, a 6 month project collaboration between Fondazione Prada (Prada’s art foundation), and German artist Carsten Höller opened in London. The space, which is literally spit in two – is a “bar, restaurant and dance club where the Congo meets the west; A bar,
restaurant and dance club where the west meets the Congo.” The project is meant to spark dialogue between Congolese and Western contemporary culture and will feature. All profits are slated to go to The City of Joy charity, which provides
shelter and services to women who have been targets of violence during
Congo’s long running civil warIf you’re in London before May 2009, check out this culture mashup.

• Video tour/interview
• Location/times

Ethiopia adds luxury coffee to brand identity

Whether you’re religious about your coffee or just a casual drinker, you’ve no doubt seen mention of Ethiopian coffee on some sort of packaging or marketing. Well beginning this month the brand identity and marketing of Ethiopian coffee will finally be regulated and controlled by the Ethiopian government. After a long fight with coffee giant Starbucks, in early 2007 the Ethiopian government won the the rights to trademark it’s coffee beans which account for about 2% of Starbucks’ coffee purchase. In a effort to use Starbucks as leverage and re-position the country Ethiopia within the luxury lifestyle so many of us attempt to live out by drinking our premium coffee, the Ethiopian government recently hired UK-based design firm Brandhouse to create a series of new brand logos to use in it’s upcoming coffee marketing push. The new logo featuring a letter “E” in the form of a coffee bean over the name of the countries most popular coffee varieties Harar, Yirgacheffe or Sidamo, accompanied by the slogan “Ethiopian Fine Coffee.”, was designed to “establish Ethiopia’s reputation for high-quality coffee around the
world, like French wine, Russian caviar, or Cuban cigars.” No doubt the Ethiopian government have realised how their country’s natural resource is a coveted commodity around the world and is using Starbucks’ marketing techniques to try to get a larger share of the revenues from their number 1 export. Hopefully the marketing plan for Ethiopian coffee tells the story of how Ethiopia has long been considered the birthplace of coffee. Stories sell products and brands, and if done well a story from the originator of coffee should sell foreigners on the image of a bountiful, resource-rich Ethiopia, a stark contrast to the current story of Ethiopia resounding in tourist and consumer minds.