Tag: branding

Posted on

Vogue, Keira Knightley donate food & Louis Vuitton to African elephant’s rehab

Keira Knightley gives baby elephant Louis Vuitton fro VogueThe concept for the June 2007 Vogue magazine cover story is a diary of British actress Keira Knightley’s “vacation in Africa” – more specifically Kenya. While the idea was probably someone’s eureka moment for an interesting feature, the resulting shoot and story is another re-hashing of Out of Africa. The fashion blogosphere has taken issue with one image in particular where the actress is photographed feeding a baby elephant which has been draped with a leather Louis Vuitton blanket.

After lunch at the Giraffe Manor, a hotel near Nairobi where giraffes roam the grounds, Keira donned a chic gray Bottega Veneta frock to visit the baby elephants at the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust in Mbagathi, the only successful project in the world at rehabilitating orphaned elephants into the wild. Her diary entry for that day reads, “Today everyone tried to catch the baby elephants so we could put Louis Vuitton blankets on their backs. I’ve never seen anything more brilliantly stupid. I hope Louis Vuitton like it; they should definitely give the elephant a modeling contract.” – via Style.com

The fashion spread also includes a photo of the actress “roughing it” with some Maasai herdsmen- how original -, and some other shots of Ms. Knightley living out her rugged Africa dreams (circa 1910). I know Vogue is not the most progressive magazine, however you’d think that with all the resources they have the editors can find a creative way to tie in the Africa theme. They could have at least hired a photographer like Andrew Dosunmu, Marc Baptiste, or Stanley Lumax to lend their unique talent to the idea. But it just goes to prove how the perspective of Africa in popular culture is so limited. We can say that the editors at Vogue are at fault but, the true failure of the whole feature is with the Africans involved in the shoot who perhaps felt they had no choice but to offer their resources up to strengthen an image of Africa which ultimately would limit their ability to grow out of the early 1900’s image of the continent. This is why I place so much weight on the shoulders of those of us who live and work abroad to act as ambassadors and communicate our experiences constantly. One might say that the Vogue spread is just poor execution, however, the underlying theme is the real problem. The campaign to re-brand Africa has to take place both on the continent and abroad in order for it to be a success. It’s a tough job but the alternative is worse.

more images via imnotobsessed
2007VogueKeiraKnightley1

2007VogueKeira Knightley62007VogueKeira Knightley52007VogueKeira Knightley3

Posted on

Five tactics for selling Africa-based products to non-Africans

Annansi Clothing- I Love Africa teeI’ve been having discussions about the difficulties of selling African products to non-Africans for years. As I mentioned in my post about African affluence, and Benin expanded upon in his post on advertisers ignoring Africa, there are many hurdles that come with proving the worth of an Africa-focused product of service, especially when it comes to non-Africans. But while many of us can certainly make a good living selling our products to Africans alone, there is also a need to introduce the non-African market to those same products. While I certainly don’t feel all African companies have to pursue non-African customers, there is a strong market for bridge products outside the continent. I’ve compiled 5 tactics that I’ve used in the past in approaching a non-African customer with my products. I use the term non-African consumer/customer, to refer to consumers/customers who would not otherwise engage an African product or service in their everyday life. While some products might not be the most culturally traditional, it is an easier sell to Africans than it is to non-Africans. Keep in mind though, that a product or service cannot be everything to everyone. Look at the Gap’s recent identity crisis and sales slump. If you are thinking about selling to non-African customers here are five tactics that might help.

1. Assume you’re entering hostile territory. Get ammunition.
Just because you are willing to share your African culture and heritage doesn’t mean others are willing to buy into it. They might not even think your product has any relevance to their normal product buying patterns. Instead of arguing why they should embrace a new culture, convince them of how your product fills a need they might already have. Do as much research on the customer’s buying patterns and look for gaps that your product can fill. Research, research, research.

2. Target culture bridge builders first.
A good way of adding non-Africans to your customer pool is to first identify and target cultural bridge builders. Take a look at your customer database ( I assume you have one) and pick out those non-African customers who have already bought your products. Invariably, those non-Africans are people who are already familiar with Africa beyond what they see on the news, and many times they are eager to share their culturally diverse knowledge with others who might not be familiar. With a little research you can find ways of building up that customer base and empowering them to convince other non-Africans why and how to adopt your product.

3. Connect the dots with familiar non-African products.
A large part of the process when it comes to selling African products to non-African consumers is convincing them your product is not so foreign. Many times new customers will resist your product based on unfamiliarity. It’s up to you to guide them into familiar waters, and one way of doing that is to compare your product to a more familiar product. While many of us entrepreneurs like to believe our products or ideas are brand new, in this case, relying on the newness of your product can actually make it a harder sell. When introducing a product that is heavily reliant on cultures that are foreign to your potential target customers, it’s better to play up the similarities rather than the differences to products that are already being used. It takes knowing the pros and cons of your product and forming a relationship with the non-African consumer.

4. Assume nothing, Explain everything.
It seems like a no-brainer, but many entrepreneurs, myself included, get so caught up in our own world that we forget that not everyone is immersed in our product or industry as we are. And when it comes to Africa-related products, we run into a roadblock when we assume others are familiar with any of our cultural references. In my experience, the products that have been able to appeal to more than just Africans, are those that educate the customer then sell to them. If we can all agree that Africa and African cultures are misunderstood, then we should also know that before you get a non-African to buy, you must explain what references are being used. Many times the more you explain, the greater value your product has with the new customer also.

5. Customer service and quality breed sales.
One of the things I learned while working at the Four Seasons and the Hilton back in college, was Americans put a lot of stock in customer service and quality. Those who live in the US know what I’m talking about. The better your customer service, the more likely the customer will buy your product and recommend it to others. Again, your Africa-related product is fighting against strong stereotypes in the customer’s mind, so the more you strive to deliver excellent customer service and impeccable quality, the easier it will be to convince your growing customer base to trust you and your company. We cannot all be perfect, but sometimes a little attention to detail can go a long way.

Do you agree? Do have any tactics to add?

Posted on

This week in African Style 4/7 – 4/13/07

Posted on

Puma adds Namibia to list of 2010 African World Cup teams

Puma Africa Plays On compilation CDPuma recently announced a sponsorship deal with the Namibian Football Association (NFA). Namibia’s national team, the Brave Warriors, will be supplied with Puma’s latest v-Series technical apparel and footwear beginning with the African Cup of Nations 2008 qualifier home game against the Democratic Republic of Congo on 16 June 2007 and for the next several years through the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa. While I’m not really a sports fan, I’ve been following Puma’s push to “increase its African footprint” by sponsoring the most African football teams by 2010. Having already signed deals with Ivory Coast, Ghana, Cameroon, Egypt, Tunisia, Senegal, Togo, Morocco, Mozambique, Angola and Botswana, Puma is already on it’s way to reaching that goal in the build-up to the 2008 African Cup of Nations in Ghana and 2010 World Cup in South Africa. As I reported previously, Puma began this journey last year by sponsoring the most African teams for the 2006 World Cup. Along with their sponsorship last year, Puma launched a targeted campaign in support of African football which included a huge press event with notable African personalities including Akon, a book “The African Game” by Nigerian photographer Andrew Dosunmu, a music CD, “Africa Plays On”, featuring music from various artists including Akon, John Legend, Amadou & Mariam, Cheikh Lô, and Daara J, and the related Puma Charity Collection. If last year’s campaign was an example, it looks like Puma be living up to its goal of pulling out all the big guns for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. Now that’s what I call strategy.

“This association underlines PUMA’s commitment to African Football and specifically to the growth and development of Football in Namibia. We look forward to a long and mutually beneficial relationship with the NFA.” – Jochen Zeitz of PUMA AG

Posted on

More Adidas Materials of World Africa

Adidas Materials of the world Africa1
Here are some more detailed pictures of the Adidas Materials of the World Africa collection I mentioned before. It turns out there are quite a few pieces to chose from. I love it when a company like Adidas takes their time to develop solid African products. The collection is available online at Colette Paris’ We Sold Out store.
via Hypebeast
Adidas Materials of the world Africa2
Adidas Materials of the world Africa4

Posted on

Jay-Z’s Rocawear South Africa ads

Jay-Z Rocawear ad campaign AfricaWhatever happened to Jay-Z’s Water For Life campaign? I thought there was supposed to be a documentary airing on MTV. Always the business-MAN, Jay seemed to have squeezed in a new ad campaign for Rocawear while he was in South Africa. You can’t miss the campaign which is splashed all over the first 20 or so pages of Vibe’s new issue. Here are some scans from the campaign. More scans at Stylemix. Trend Alert: Animal print is in.

Jay-Z Rocawear ad campaign Africa 1

Jay-Z Rocawear ad campaign Africa 3

Jay-Z Rocawear ad campaign Africa 4

Jay-Z Rocawear ad campaign Africa 5

Jay-Z Rocawear ad campaign Africa 8

Jay-Z Rocawear ad campaign Africa 6

Posted on

African designers gamble at Magic Las Vegas

African Pavilion Sourcing at Magic Las VegasLast August while in Las Vegas for a mini vacation with the family, being the workaholic I am, I squeezed in a visit to to Magic and it’s satellite tradeshows, Project and Pool. For those who have never attended the Magic event, basically it’s a few days of high octane buying and selling of apparel of all levels. The tradeshow is possibly the biggest and most known in the world and attracts everyone involved in the apparel industry. Though Magic is primarily organized as a meeting place for apparel companies and buyers, it has become a place for everyone to flex their brand muscle and get attention by outdoing each other. Magic is the main show held at the Las Vegas Convention center while the two smaller more specialized shows, Project and Pool take place at different venues in the surrounding area. I can’t describe the hustling that takes place at Magic. Because Magic attracts EVERYONE from celebrities, who are usually endorsing a clothing line, to magazine publishers and editors, for that week Las Vegas becomes a hustler’s heaven. And African companies are getting hip to the opportunities at Magic. In the short time I had to see all the exhibitors, I made sure to go over to the DESIGN South Africa area, a first-time collection of 10 South African fashion houses who, sponsored by the South African government, had been chosen to make the trip to exhibit their offerings to the international buyers. I got into a good conversation with Themba Mngomezulu of the Darkie label about design, African identity and breaking into the US market. Darkie is a popular label in South Africa and Themba has been doing his thing on the fashion scene for a while. I was happy to talk to him and see that African designers are making an organized effort to compete outside of their borders.

Design South Africa at Magic Las VegasThe Fall 2007 season of Magic started yesterday in Las Vegas and this season there’s an African Pavilion organized by Eastern and Central Africa Trade Hub and West Africa Trade Hubs. The area will be featuring various African companies “with the relevant strategies and insights” who have been chosen to get assistance in penetrating the American market. Unfortunately I will not be on the scene to report about their efforts for two reasons. The first reason is Las Vegas will be overrun with posers and groupies this week with Magic and NBA All Star Week taking place at the same time; I can’t take it! The second reason is, while the few days can gain a clothing line like mine unparalleled exposure, Magic is a budget buster which doesn’t fit my current business strategy. With costs ranging from $2500+ just to rent a booth space, it can be a costly lesson to learn if your company is not structured to capitalize on the exposure. Magic brings buyers from all over the world who are always eager to stock new brands. The reason for going to Magic from a designers perspective is to get orders and you are almost guaranteed to get some good ones. But I learned from attending a smaller tradeshow in Miami last year that getting sizable orders can actually kill your business. As a good friend of mine said “if you are building a house and you want it to last, you need to start with a solid foundation and use the right materials” (translation: longevity is based on patience and strategy). The apparel industry is an especially difficult one to succeed in. People go out of business everyday, and one of the main reasons is they grow too fast. Many people get into business for the fame and notoriety and fail to pay attention to the business part. Yes, the fashion business has some nice perks, but if you get caught up in the hype it’ll die just as fast as it lived. Lack of proper financing, partner disagreements, and absence of adequate apparel business knowledge constantly cause apparel companies to go out of business; and many times it can be avoided. When a company like Cloak has to close down, then you know there’s more to fashion than champagne and models. With that being said, I hope the African companies taking part in this season’s Magic tradeshow have the structure in place to deal with the possible instant success. While we must start competing at some point we should also try to set our own pace for growth. The American market has eluded numerous foreign brands. I’m lucky to have started here, but I think I’ll take my time and grow.

More about the African Pavilion and African Sourcing at Magic:

Discover the Magic of Africa
Following from a Hub sponsored workshop to provide Kenyan apparel firms with the relevant strategies and insights for exhibiting their wares at the Sourcing at MAGIC apparel trade show and that will assist them in penetrating the lucrative $180 Billion U.S apparel market, it was highlighted that for maximum impact at MAGIC, it would be important for participants from the region work together. In view of this, the ECA and West Africa Trade Hubs are working together to set up an ‘African Pavilion’ at the show. The Pavilion will showcase over 30 companies from 10 countries in Africa. The ECA Hub is sponsoring 9 companies from Kenya, Uganda, Madagascar and Ethiopia to the show which will be held in Las Vegas, Nevada in February 2007.

SEMINAR
Africa Sourcing Opportunities and Challenges
Date: Thursday February 15, 2007
Start Time: 4:00 PM
End Time: 5:00 PM
Location: South Hall, First Level, Room MS116
Panelist
Julie Hughes , Sr. Vice-President of International Trade, USA-ITA
Steve Jesseph , President/CEO, Worldwide Responsible Apparel Production
Belinda Edmonds , Cool Ideas, EDUN
Florie Liser , Assistant US Trade Representative for Africa
Info: Africa represents new opportunities for sourcing directors in light of the various free trade agreements currently in place and allowing for duty and quota free access. The continent also represents challenges to those who source in the region. Join our panel of experts and discover the possibilities.

Posted on

TED conference heads to Tanzania

TEDGlobal 2007 TanzaniaOne of the most influential annual conferences for technology, entertainment, and design (TED) is touching down in Africa for the first time. Though the main conference will take place in Monterey. California in March as it usually does, the smaller TEDGlobal win be hosted at the Ngurdoto Mountain Lodge in Arusha, Tanzania, at the edge of Mt. Kilimanjaro. Previously held in Oxford, UK in 2005, this years TEDGlobal conference entitled “Africa: the next chapter” will take place June 4-7. Sponsored by AMD, GE, Google (Yes, Google), and Sun Microsystems, TEDGlobal conference will be held in Africa for the first time and promises to be an unforgettable experience with more than 50 extraordinary speakers (inventors, business-leaders, entrepreneurs, scientists, designers, artists, writers, activists, musicians and mavericks) who are “shaping Africa’s future though innovation and world-changing ideas.” In the past the TED conference has included speakers such as Al Gore (currentTV, Apple, VP of the USA), Richard Branson (VIrgin), Bono, and Peter Gabriel. TEDGlobal 2007 is organized by Emeka Okafor: entrepreneur, analyst and creator of two of my favorite blogs, Africa Unchained and Timbuktu Chronicles. One of the speakers at TEDGlobal will be Carol Pineau, CNN journalist and producer of the World Bank-sponsored documentary “Africa Open for Business.” The documentary is now on DVD.

Trailer: “Africa Open for Business”

Via AfricaIncorp and LunchOverIP

Posted on

New (RED) sneakers in NYC and Hawaii

Dave's Quality Meat's RED Converse Chuck TaylorsIt was only a matter of time until the NY streetwear scene contributed to the African charity trend. SlamXHype points to Complex Magazine’s news that one of NYC’s popular streetwear boutiques, Dave’s Quality Meat, has teamed up with Converse for it’s contribution to the Product (RED) campaign. Dave’s Quality Meat (DQM) has designed a limited-edition (of course) custom Chuck Taylor which will be available at the DQM store in early February. The sneakers will retail for $100 with 10% of sales going directly to Product (Red)’s Global Fund. DQM’s owner, Dave Ortiz, adorned the re-designed Chuck Taylors with hieroglyphics and other esoteric symbols such as the ankh (to symbolize life) and the Egyptian Chnoubis serpent symbol (that represents protection from diseases and poison). Dave said, “Because Product (RED) is about ending AIDS in Africa, I wanted to tie-in symbols from Africa that would represent the fight.”

This is the third effort from Converse for Product RED. The first was a mud cloth Chuck Taylor, and the second is a collaboration between Hawaaiian streetwear boutique KicksHI, Converse, and Hawaiian designer Sig Zane. The Sig Zane designed Converse will be available at KicksHI in early 2007. Soon you’ll be able to wear African culture from head to toe.

Posted on

African diamond facts according to Russell Simmons

Russell Simmons at his African diamonds press conference in New YorkAs I mentioned, yesterday I attended Russell Simmons’ press conference to reveal the results of his fact-finding Africa mission. In attendance was Russell Simmons, Dr. Ben Chavis, Kimora Lee Simmons (Russell insisted she’s still his wife), Rev. Run(Run DMC), the Dipset’s “capo” Jim Jones (again I say, WTF does he have to do with diamonds beside speaking ignorantly about it? update: Jim Jones quote below), actor Jeffrey Wright (said to be doing work in Sierra Leone), Scott Rauch (president of Simmons Jewelry Company), and a bunch of DeBeers and World Diamond Council people. I must admit I was still skeptical about the purpose of the trip and what I felt the results would be. From the video released last thursday, I began to have some hopes about the degree to which Russell was going to find the facts and re-enforce my image of him as the godfather/guru extraordinare of our hip hop generation. I went into the conference with an open mind, and looking to hear from Simmons himself that the mission was a successful one. Ultimately I was disappointed by the whole event.

While news sources report about Simmons’ Green Initiative, and (get this) Diamond Empowerment Fund (DEF) , which will “raise money for the development and empowerment of people and communities in Africa where diamonds ar a natural resource”, one key point resounding throughout the press conference was, why didn’t Russell’s entourage visit the countries which are at the heart of the blood diamond debate. As a representative of Global Witness and another reporter (I think she was from AOL Black voices) mentioned, the controversy surrounding diamonds relates more directly to countries like Sierra Leone, Angola, Liberia, and Ivory Coast, none of which were visited by Simmons delegation. Instead the focus of the conference and the trip was on Botswana, South Africa, and Mozambique, three countries which, despite reports of displacement of Native Bushmen in Botswana, have very little to do with the conflict diamonds controversy. It’s like saying there’s no racism in America and pointing to Condoleza Rice as an example. Now, some people would say that these three countries are part of the discussion since their diamond production process is a “role-model” for other diamond producing African countries, but there are still many faults even with that. During his short speech a representative from the Debswana Diamond Company, was reminded by Simmons to disclose to the press that the company at the heart of the “successful” diamond mining in Botswana was a 50/50 ownership with DeBeers, the primary company accused of profiting from the blood diamond trade. Simmons had mentioned earlier in the conference that 85% of Botswana’s profits go back to the people of Botswana for education, AIDS treatment, general health insurance and a good portion of the profits from his Simmons Jewelry Company would be re-directed to “help Africans”. But the question kept coming up; why didn’t the delegation leave the confines of the structured Botswana tour and venture into even the smaller towns within the country where reports of exploitation and human rights abuse were coming from. Couple that with the fact that the Simmons’ DEF fund contribution will go to the same Botswana that they claim is so successful in providing for it’s people and you can see why I’m not convinced.

While I think Simmons, and Chavis can do a great deal of good in Africa, my main concern is with the timing of the whole thing. With all the stories going around and reports of the diamond industry spending $15 million on preemptive measures in regards to the effect of the Blood Diamond movie, I can’t believe that Simmons got himself in the middle of this. True, he has a business to run, AND Amnesty International approached him first, but at least he could have attempted to make the “fact-finding” mission look impartial. Everything about the whole mission pointed to a spin campaign on the part of the diamond industry, to the point where a representative from the World Diamond council got up to make a speech about how they are “appreciative of the attention” the movie has brought on their efforts with the Kimberley Process. Even Russell mentioned that he was happy that Leonardo DiCaprio was talking of not boycotting diamonds. As I exited the press conference I ran into the President of Botswana, Festus Mogae, who had reportedly just taped an interview for the Charlie Rose Show which will air tonight on PBS. Russell, I still have faith in you. Do something to make it right.

Quotes from the conference:
• Russell Simmons:
“My (only) agenda is to uplift African people … and all people”
“(I want to ) help strengthen the Kimberley Process”
“Diamonds empower Africans”

• Dr. Ben Chavis:
“The diamond industry promotes good in Africa”
“(I encourage the media to) get the opinion of people who live and work in Africa”
“…most disturbing thing to me (from the trip) was seeing that the reality (of the African diamond situation) was not being covered (by the media)”

• Scott Rauch
“This continent needs help”

• Sheila Khama (De Beers Botswana Chief Executive)
“Please cut us some slack. A lot of good has happened in Botswana because of diamonds.”

update
• Jim Jones
“As rappers we spend tens of millions of dollars a year on jewelry alone. Not just me myself, I’m talking about as a general effort. It’s a service that goes back to the African people that’s been mining all the diamonds that we wear. We should learn about purchasing from them, as opposed to just giving everybody our money because we like what we see.” source