Today I was running errands in the city of Nairobi and as always, the walk around the streets is either coupled with fascination or agitation. I on the other hand like to keep my mind open and try to take everything as it is without exaggerated comparisons that would rather ruin my day. As it is a norm in the country, public service vehicles consist of a lot of graffiti, call them “nganya”, “matatu” or “mat” if you are okay with synching with the streets. If it’s not a famous guy shaking the stages of entertainment in the country, a politician that seems to see a lot of the “common man’s side of things”, affirmation words for those that happened to not give the right words throughout, then it must be in the space between advertising graffiti and brand’s amplification to the public.

Advertising by use of graffiti on public vehicles, yeah, that precisely is something that took my attention. I wondered why a milk processing company, a soft drinks-making company, or a telecommunication company, just to name a few would take interest in advertising through public transport vehicles. I mean, to my thinking, how is the public transport and the wholesale or retail shops related, that even such bigshots companies would invest in such advertising moves? Why go through the hustle of advertising far from the directly related factors to purchase such as billboards, radios and television, just like everyone does? Why would anyone think that a is a wise move at all to influence the purchase of their product?

The curious self could not let the lips dry without applying oil; I had to look for the relevance of such an approach to marketing or at least the theory of the strategy finds foundation. With the vast information found on the internet, not to mention the newly developed and robust AI sources, the validation of the technique was beyond the mention in this single blog, so I’ll try to give the idea behind the approach in a brief take.

Among the commonly applied marketing philosophies, one is the Selling Concept, which focuses on aggressive marketing efforts to ensure that familiarity is maintained (Kotler, Philip). Consumers by themselves have less concern about choices when it comes to certain products, most of these products being basic needs satisfying products. When it comes to choosing a product that fulfills a basic need, for example, milk, consumers seem to maximize the product value benefits by choosing quantity for a reasonable price rather than a certain brand (Hill). This leaves the existing brands with the task of convincing the consumer of maximum customer value upon purchase of such a product. This is what familiarity plays best at. It is proven that customers are more likely to purchase a product they are used to seeing than risk buying a product that they can barely recognize.

Another fascinating fact about the marketing strategy, as well as the other philosophies, is that they are highly rooted in the psychology of human beings─ and it is even perplexing how you might be influenced by the same tactic as well. How many times have you walked into a store intending to buy maybe say, a roll of tissue papers, and the moment you set your eyes on some snacks or drinks you suddenly feel hungry, thirsty or both at the same time? You might be tempted to call them cravings, but how can you be craving for something you use every day only when you set eyes on them? It is only genuine cravings if they are felt in the absence of that which you crave including the visuals, but then the marketer’s mind has already figured that out. Something else that the marketer knows is the real miracle behind every trigger, and triggers work best on something that the consumer knows not only their appearance but also their use or operations. And there! That’s how miracles as good as of a divine works.

An integrated marketing approach also plays a role in the application of this kind of aggressive marketing effort (Kotler, Philip). To use Coca-Cola as an example, the company in Kenya seems to promote its products through such channels as, activations events (especially in universities and colleges), billboards, televised advertising, offers (such as the “buy and get access to WiFi” sort of an offer) and shops graffiti to name a few. These combinational efforts might be a little bit exaggerated and a waste of funds on product promotion, but they go a long way toward creating brand familiarity and embracing by the public.

Suffice it to say, that as much as consumers are the source of revenue of these billion-dollar companies, they cannot purchase certain products belonging to certain brands in the name of satisfying a need, they must want and seek for that particular product. Trust between the consumer and brands is not just created by creating superior and quality products, familiarity also takes the train of trust a long way towards the destination. This approach just like every other new trend in today’s market, is just proof of how much right efforts are the build for prosperity of individuals, businesses, governments and the world at large. This begs me to ask a question, whatever you might be doing today, right now, is it your norm or influence?

References:

Hill, Napoleon. Think and Grow Rich. 1937. S.L., Simon & Brown, 2019.

Kotler, Philip. “THE MARKETING CONCEPT.” Www2.Nau.edu, 2000, www2.nau.edu/~rgm/ha400/class/professional/concept/Article-Mkt-Con.html#:~:text=The%20Sales%20Concept%20is%20preoccupied.