African advertising: Better than you think

Alan Edgar

Until now, African entries have had their own Loeries category, on the basis that they would win nothing against superior SA work. Though there is a lot of inconsistency in quality, Edgar says they will soon be able to compete on equal terms.

"Africa is quickly catching up and the continent is booming," he says. "Infrastructure is developing at a heart-lifting rate and internet penetration is growing incredibly. However, limited access to global branded products in some Africa markets makes advertising more functional than in SA, where high levels of competition force brands to rely more on creativity to differentiate themselves.

"It's common for certain products to have no competition at all in their markets," says Edgar. "Products can be out of stock for months because of harbour delays and difficulty getting products across country on poor roads."

This can lead to situations where advertisements need merely to state price and where goods can be found.

"As easy as selling ice cream in the desert"

Edgar says producing advertising in Africa is "as easy as selling ice cream in the desert". Marketers often question the need to spend time and money differentiating their products. Few engage in active brandbuilding.

Though this is great for some brands, it's bad for agencies that want to create better advertising.

Other challenges include a shortage of strong advertising schools, which means art directors and copywriters lack formal training.

"High illiteracy rates and over 2000 languages across the continent make it impossible for hundreds of millions of people to read a single ad, no matter how brilliantly it's produced," he says. "Crippling poverty reduces most purchasing decisions down to the price point, no matter how clever the ads are."

Standard is inconsistent

M&C Saatchi Africa MD Rick de Kock says the standard of African advertising is inconsistent. "There are pockets of excellence in some areas while others are catching up," he says. "Mozambique agencies do some fantastic work and there is some good digital stuff coming out of Kenya.

"However, you find in Kenya that the work is less around traditional advertising and leans more towards digital apps. Some elements of Kenya's advertising are worldclass."

TBWA Worldwide planning director Marie Jamieson says judging African advertising separately from SA work is less about quality and more about locally relevant content.

"I think there is a lot of world-class work in the continent, but it's a mixed bag," she says. "The only reason I would keep it separate is that most of the Loeries judging panels are made up of South Africans.

"Certain cultural nuances are hard for some judges to understand. For example, an ad with an Afrikaans joke would not be able to resonate with judges at a show like Cannes. We have 53 countries and a huge diversity of media types on the continent."

Source: I-Net Bridge via Financial Mail