Do you remember those old days, way back when the only channels you got to know about new products, services and stuffs was through TV, Radio or newspapers? The sweet old days when top brands which will remain in our minds for the longest time in this life painted all the ‘dukas’ and ‘kiosks’ across the local market place with their logos and product colors?
Of course you do, I mean, it’s not like these were or are antiquated methods of the last century, on the contrary almost every huge established company in Kenya still uses these channels to advertise and market their products to people in diverse, scattered corners of our nation and beyond. After all, the four aforementioned methods have for the longest time in the world of marketing and advertisement been labelled ‘tested and proven’ channels with giants like Coca-Cola building the most famous brands in economic history using them.
However, just few years into the new century, disruption brought about by information technology has swept and to say the least revolutionized almost every single industry, declaring century old truths obsolete, reshaping facts, redefining and reimaging the future in ways previously unimaginable by most. Technology has reinvented marketing and advertisement and practically declared TV, Radio, and Newspapers traditional forms of marketing which still work but not as effective as the formidable power they once were a decade ago.
And if you doubt this empirical truth, lets reason together;
The Internet. It has changed the game, in fact it’s a new game all together with stranger silent rules where even a tiny salesperson with limited resources selling shoes can advertise their products cost free!! And if you are the type of business person who is late to this party, then here is the news for you; gone are the days when the messages people got about your products or services came from you and consisted of only what you wanted them to know, hear and see through TV, Radio and newspaper adverts. The Internet is an ever-growing source of entertainment, news, shopping and social interaction, and consumers are now exposed not just to what your company says about your brand and products, but also what friends, relatives, peers and other people who have used your products are saying on social media as well as in other various online platforms and conversations – And they are more likely to believe them than you. Put yourself in their shoes and you’ll understand the truth of this statement.
