Integrated innovation
This has given rise to converged campaigns where consumers can select the mechanism they would like to enter on. In other words, they can either choose to send through a USSD code, submitting their details on a website, or even using a social network page as a driver for entry. Building from there, brands can also take the strategic direction of generating, tracking and validating unique codes on-pack. This enables them to drive multiple purchases. So, instead of a consumer needing to buy just one product to enter, multiple products are required to qualify for entry with each having its own unique code.
While these provide strong synergies, the real value for South Africa and the rest of the continent will be in utilising instant messaging platforms like WhatsApp and Telegram. Many of our campaigns over the past several years have delivered significant results in integrating this mobile communication with on-pack promotions.
Developing differences
But despite the promise of this integration, the biggest potential for markets in Africa still lies with on-pack promotions.
This is fuelled by the fact that consumers on the continent are still mainly attracted to incentives. We have seen that the more developed a market becomes, the less these incentives play a role in the purchase decision. Additionally, the retail culture here has been created around using incentives through promotions to drive sales. Compare this to the United States where there are no on-pack promotions but instead, the market is focused on coupons and price matching to drive behavioural change.
Even though some suggest that digital in-store displays can help drive engagement, this is not necessarily the only way to do so. In South Africa, it is less about the mechanism of in-store branding than it is about the incentive used. If the display is innovative and eye-catching, then pairing that with quality incentives will result in increased consumer attention.
In Africa, this hybrid between digital and in-store will help guide purchasing decisions and promotions for some time to come. It is therefore important to remember that in the rush to adopt digital, traditional should not fall by the wayside.