So, finally I have arrived in Uganda. The african adventure, - and hard work, is about to start. I have been very well received, got my own office and am getting to know my new colleagues. It is all very exciting.
In this blog I will mainly focus on the project I am doing "Food packaging development": the process, progress and results. But, I will also write about my general observations from Uganda related to product development and design, marketing and branding and the business culture. I hope you will enjoy it.
In my first two weeks I have been able to go on two long trips: one to the west and one to the north. Going by car, I have been able to see a lot of Uganda, at least how it looks like from the road side. And I have been able to do my first observations on marketing and branding.
Strong brands - strong colours
The most visible thing when moving along the Ugandan roads are the houses painted in very strong, bright colours with big logos and slogans. The "branded" houses are mostly shops and restaurants, and most probably they also sell products from the same company. And the big majority of them represent the mobile phone companies operating in Uganda. There are (at least according to what I have observed along the road) 5 or 6 companies offering mobile services. The competition is very strong (advantage for me since both domestic and international calls are quite cheap) and advertisement seems to be an important tool to reach the customers. The idea of branding houses along the roads seems to be an efficient advertising channel. A few pictures to give you the impression:
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| Uganda Telecom - Blue |
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| MTN - Yellow |
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| Orange - Orange (even stronger when the name and colour are the same) |
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| Zain - Pink |
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| Airtel - Red |
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| Warid - Red/white (were there no attractive colours left?) |
Colour ownership
This is how it looks like. How they do it? I believe the mobile phone companies strike a deal with the house owners: they paint it for free? That remains to find out. Anyway, it seems to be a win-win deal: the house/shop owner gets the house painted frequently and it all looks a lot nicer. The mobile phone company gets the wanted attention. And, finally, they take ownership to the colour they have chosen for their brand. It ramains to see if a "green" or "purple" mobile phone company will pop up, since those colours are still "available". A few more pictures with some observations:
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| It doesn't have to be a house either, it could be a container. |
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| Maybe this one gets new paint tomorrow? |
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| Side by side we stand. Competing! |
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| Even in the remote areas they are present. Side by side with traditional huts/bandas. |
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| If you cant get one company to paint your house, you might as well do marketing all of them. |
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| All of them, only missing Warid. |
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| The more remote, the less the colours and branding. |
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| The "U" logo. |
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It's all about U
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It might seem like I am favoring Uganda Telecom, but I just think the slogan is very good and strong. Do you agree? Leave a comment.
So, that was my first impression of branding and advertising in Uganda... There will be more to come.
Now it is all about U! Hope you would like to follow my blog :-)
Nice pictures! Yes, I like Uganda Telecom too. And as most other western, nordic people, I like blue. In Asia they like yellow and red. -Do you know what the common favorite colors in Uganda are?
ReplyDeleteHi Bedy, thanks for the comments :-) Personally, I like red... maybe a bit Asian blood in me?
ReplyDeleteNo, so far I dont have a final answer on the favourite colour in Uganda, but I think they seem to be on the orange/yellow side... It remanis to find out! Keep following... thanks
Marianne
Lykke til Marianne! :-)
ReplyDeleteTakk Bjørn! du har jo et spennende prosjekt på gang også :-) litt annen dimensjon da... lykke til!
ReplyDeletehey Uganda's favorite colour is yellow since the major ruling political party(NRM)has yellow as its colour and yellow is found on the national flag. Nice pix though but you left the small containers that look like mobile toilets. hope u know them. Even the small desks on the streets. hope u know them 2. keep it up and make us proud.
ReplyDeleteYes, it seems to be yellow. I even took a picture of a bright yellow sofa set the other day. Fantastic! Yes, I have seen the small kiosks that looks like the mobile toilets... there will be a follow-up post on this topic! just look out for it and keep following :-) I hope I can make you proud!
ReplyDelete