Winning in Africa! - 3 Jun 2013

Many articles have been written about doing business in Africa. Some articles have told us 'How to do business in Africa', while others have given us tips on how to do certain things.

Some have failed and some have succeeded and this week I think its only apt to point out some of the companies that have hit the nail on the head with their strategy.

• Telecommuncations company, Airtel won two awards at the Ghana Telecoms Awards. One for its Customer Care and the other for its Mobile Broadband Services. On winning the awards, the MD of Airtel Ghana, Philip Sowah said "This is fantastic news, great job team. We are focused on remaining very competitive in the area of customer care and providing products and services that address the different needs of our various customers and make their experience on the network even better...". And that's just it, give your customers what they want and they will be loyal to your brand. Don't give them what they want, and they will move to another brand that does.
  

• With social media getting bigger and better as we speak, it's not always easy to find the right strategy when managing your online comuninity on the various social platforms, but in the recently announced 2013 Social Brands 100 report, Vodacom was named 'Africa's top social brand' and second in telecommunications globally - with the help of Cerebra, an integrated strategic communication agency.
  

• At the recent Tony Koenderman's Finweek AdReview Awards, Zimbabwean agency Jericho was awarded as the first recipient of the African Region Agency of the Year Award.

So, well done to those who have succeeded, and to those who haven't quite just got there, don't give up!

Here's to a good week!
Evan-Lee Courie @evan1985, @Biz_Africa