CYBERTORIAL* Oomph Africa!’s newest account win sees it handling full-integrated strategy for Diageo’s Spirits portfolio in PEM (Partner & Emerging Markets), this includes live, digital and out of home experiences.
Experiential marketing outfit, Oomph Africa!, has been very busy as of late, innovating with new offerings, and providing memorable and effective brand experiences across the African continent.
The latest account win for the company sees it doing full-integrated strategy for alcoholic beverages company Diageo’s Spirits category, across PEM Africa, including live, digital and out of home.
Localising the messaging and the creative
Finding material that has been pre-approved by Diageo global, and that represents the dynamics of the particular markets that Oomph Africa! offers marketing solutions in, is a challenge, but one that the team welcomes. Content creation is happening to meet the needs of both the client and the environment, since localising campaigns is a vital component.
“It’s not a one-size-fits-all approach across these areas. We are communicating in the vernaculars, utilising the right sort of colloquialism and making sure it’s understood and communicated nicely,” explains Rory Brien, chief creative and strategy officer for Oomph Media Group.
He adds that it’s important that campaign copywriting and positioning is properly tested out in market and put through focus and research groups to ensure translations are correct and the campaign is maximally effective.
A big plus is the fact that in many markets, the Diageo brands are not very well known. Typical beer-drinking markets are being converted to whisky and gin products through the incorporation of local flavours and juices, which are helping to overcome the stigma of whisky as the choice of an older person.
“Clients want a one-stop solution all the time. Yes, from a media perspective you can put out certain plans and so on, but in terms of how do you approach it from the creative, how do you approach it and what do the people want. It’s critical that clients understand that it’s not one size fits all,” comments Frikkie Cornelius, the brand’s chief executive officer.
Recent, breathtaking campaigns
Aside from Diageo, Oomph Africa! has run some standout campaigns recently. These include Kiwi branding on spaza shops, which the company also repainted and fixed up, and a campaign for Union Pay International across 12 African countries.
What differentiates Oomph Africa! from other marketing players on the continent are its strong, on-the-ground relationships, intimate market knowledge and support for smaller, local businesses.
“What you’ll tend to find with some of the more established, larger, international, globally-owned agencies is that they will have affiliations to media owners in countries. The difference with us, is that you may find people who only own five or six boards, but those are premium sites and we know and will support those smaller players who give excellent value … Client knows they are receiving up-to-date feedback on their campaign, and we can negotiate on-ground in-market to ensure our clients get the best value,” explains Brien.
Another very successful case study is the Bushfire Festival, during which Oomph Africa!, in collaboration with Tradeway Promotions, built and oversaw VIP lounges for MTN, ran pre-welcome parties (including one for DStv, which also included a VIP package for competition winners), facilitated all of the media permits for the festival, as well as the sponsorship activations. A truly 360 degree offering from Oomph Africa! for Bushfire, and the team is looking forward to an even bigger and better festival next year!
Sustainable, positive societal change
Asked about the strategy and approach the Oomph Africa! team uses for business, Brien reveals, “Our focus has been to execute quality work, which is cost effective, across the African continent, whilst uplifting and upskilling local businesses, and making a sustainable, positive societal change.”
A good example of this are the Point of Distribution Solutions (PODS), bespoke containers that have a 136m2 billboard on top of them, which are used for brand activations following consumer data collection. They give regular feedback to clients and point to the best space for products to be sold in.
Oomph Africa! has also changed its approach a little bit, downscaling on brick and mortar infrastructure to only what is really needed, while utilising connective technology. The business is being centered around hubs, with creative professionals plugging into the hubs from different markets. This allows for local connections combined with information sharing across different territories.
To book a campaign with Oomph Africa! or to find out how these marketing specialists can maximise your brand’s reach and effectiveness on the continent contact info@oomph-africa.com .
*Cybertorial is sponsored content.
