Zimbabwe’s Advertising, Marketing and Media Landscape

Adlip caught up with Sapi Bachi, Managing Director of TBWA Zimbabwe at the TBWA Africa Conference, about the state of advertising and marketing in Zimbabwe and the predominant channels that are being used… She reports that the space is historically dominated by press, but radio has made its rebound in becoming the communication channel of choice. She attributes this to the cost effectivity of radio in Zimbabwe and the two new commercial radio stations that have emerged. Print is expensive, so whilst it is sometimes seen as ‘mandatory’ in the traditional media mix, radio still dominates. Zimbabwe’s Mobile penetration at 104% Mobile is central in the lives of Zimbabweans - , with smartphones becoming more affordable and accessible to the population. With that, mobile devices are becoming increasingly important in the marketing media mix. Bachi says that the majority of radio listeners are even accessing radio via their mobiles as they go about their day to day business. Big Brands in Zimbabwe... There are various sectors in the economy that are investing in their brands - in addition to the multinationals. “Suddenly you are seeing the likes of Unilever break their quiet spell and reposition themselves within the market. They are now very active in terms of activations and CSR projects,” explains Bachi. Other groups such as B.A.T are also actively investing in the Zimbabwean economy. Collaboration within the TBWA Africa group key to enhancing growth A big topic at this year’s TBWA Africa Conference is collaboration. “Collaborating across the network in terms of sharing skills and competencies that you don’t necessarily have in your team full time, but can outsource to someone else in the group, has been key” says Bachi. This has been particularly relevant and useful in the area of Social Media, because Social Media is still in its infancy in Zimbabwe. There is a growing interest in the social media space from both a consumer and brand perspective, and it is a learning curve for advertising agency, brand and consumer. “When you can lean on someone who has walked the journey you’re about to embark on, it puts you on a good footing,” concludes Bachi.

Comments