On Thursday 06 August 2020, One Africa Network (OAN) live discussion webcast on Branding and Marketing in the Digital Age. Topics included: - How social media, digital and remote economy reshaped marketing communication - Essential principal of digital marketing - Effective social media management strategies and best practices - How to develop effective and engaging content - Building credibility and protecting your brand reputation in the digital economy - Establishing and managing relationships on social media - How to boost your SEO and online presence - Tackling fake content and media bias in the digital era.

1.
SUMMARY REPORT
THURSDAY, 06 AUGUST 2020
BRANDING AND MARKETING IN THE
DIGITAL AGE

2. TABLE OF CONTENTS
Introduction ...………....………………………………………...………………………………………………………………...………..3
The impact of branding and marketing on the economy during the pandemic ……...…………………………...………..4
Brand visibility and search engines ……………………………....………………………………………………………………….....5
BAME Businesses’ poor online presence – building credibility …..……..………………….…………………………………...…6
Branding essentials …………...……………………………………………………….………………………………………...………...7
Brand consistency in mobile first environment …………..........................................................................................................8
Questions and answers …………...………………………………………………………………………………...……………............9
Key takeaways ...………..………....………………………………………………………………………………...……………............9
How SSCG can support your business …………………………………………………………………………...……………..........10
Contact us …………………….......………………………………………………………………………………...……………............12
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3. INTRODUCTION
On 06 August 2020, SSCG and One
Africa Network (OAN) held a webcast
panel discussion on “Branding and
Marketing in the Digital Age”.
Marketing is about perceptions by
people from diverse backgrounds.
Storytelling (narrative approach) can
influence processes in leadership,
education, culture and marketing.
Focus in Change Management, working
with small business owners in marketing,
specifically in branding to help
businesses finesse their identity.
Assisting small businesses with their
marketing and helping them sell more
online. Focusing on LinkedIn lead
generation. Chat messenger marketing
can be used as a lead generation tool in
the ecommerce space.
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Dr Ernest M Kadembo
Senior Management
Consultant at Ebenezer Transformations
Rania Todoulou
Founder & Director, World Profile Group
Bloomberg Media Group Official Representative
(Greece & Balkans)
Antonia Ovbar
Regional Marketing Manager,
Blackline
Maryam Salam
Social Media and Marketing
Consultant
Sophia White
Brand Strategist,
Brand Design Agency
Francine Beleyi
Award winning Digital & Change Strategist,
Founder and Director of Nucleus of Change
Eny Osung
Managing Director at Global Media and
Managing Director at Small Business Emarketing

4.
For branding and marketing, even
with the pandemic as harsh as it
is, COVID-19 is just another
challenge.
It could as easily have been the
recession or something else. The
pandemic is enhancing the digital
pace a lot more as more people
are now working online.
THE IMPACT OF BRANDING AND MARKETING ON THE ECONOMY DURING THE PANDEMIC
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“The human brain is wired for stories.
People won’t stay on a non
user-friendly website no matter the
deal” ~ Rania Todoulou
Branding and marketing can be affected
by country positioning and content
marketing, both of which are dictated by
opportunity, growth and trust; three
parameters that are central to a good
marketing strategy.
A strong brand should:
• Inspire, encourage and engage its target
audience.
• Have visual manifestation (name, logo,
and typeface).
• Include aspects that capture its essence
(brand identity, history, culture, and
values).
Customer behavior and technology should
elevate conversations so as to engage your
audience and use data to inform. Content
marketing encapsulates what should be
communicated and as such, companies
are using this strategy both locally and
globally.
Key takeaway
Economic branding is as important as
companies branding their products
because the economy is a brand
ecosystem for which you have to
convince the world of its worth .

5.
A potential customer looking at your
company should be able to query a search
engine and find information on you, be it a
company website or on a professional
platform like LinkedIn.
Digital footprint and content of a company
is key because what people query in search
engines is based on said content.
If your content is “strong” and relevant, the
search results will include your business thus
increasing the business’ visibility chances.
COVID-19 has accelerated the move away
from traditional marketing where in-person
interactions were at the fore.
If your business is not searchable (Google)
or customers can’t interact with you, the
perception of your company will not be
favorable and so you will likely not be
trusted. Online reviews hold more sway
now. There is a lot of crossover with the
online platforms (e.g. Facebook owns
Instagram).
BRAND VISIBILITY AND SEARCH ENGINES
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“Make sure to say things that people
are looking for and that you are
customer-focused…talk about the
customer’s problems rather than
yourself” ~ Francine Beleyi
“Allow people to take a journey with you
so that they can learn more about your
business”. ~ Antonia Ovba
Key takeaways
Personal branding should not be
confused with bragging or focus on
personal achievements. This school of
thought is no longer applicable or
appealing to the masses. It’s about
how a company’s core values align to
its target audience’s needs….adapt
to where your customer is today.
Visibility is not just about being online,
one must engage on the different
platforms like Facebook, Instagram or
LinkedIn.
With COVID-19 today whether
you are a marketer or not,
everybody/every business now
needs to become a marketer
especially for businesses that
previously had no online
presence.
In the current environment, most
(if not all) businesses must have a
digital footprint so as to increase
their visibility. Along with this, the
messaging needs to be
customer-focused, simple and
clear.

6.
BAME BUSINESSES’ POOR ONLINE PRESENCE - BUILDING CREDIBILITY
“Small businesses have to rise above
and be seen...instead of calling the
experts, we have to be the experts.
Presence is everything so if you are not
there then you don’t exist”. ~ Eny Osung
Key takeaway
There is no right or wrong platform so
small businesses must stop thinking
small and think global so as to be
successful. Small businesses should
embrace performance-based pricing
and aim to understand their target
audience in more detail.
The problem is not just with BAME
businesses…there are a lot of businesses
with not much of an online presence.
This is especially true for small businesses.
There are a lot of people online now
meaning there is more competition. To
build their credibility, businesses should
properly use technology in making the
internet work for their business.
To boost one’s credibility a
business/individual should do the
following:
● Be consistent as your presence is
important.
● What you share is important…more
people should utilize storytelling to
build their brands.
● Showcase your abilities because
people want to know what you are
capable of.
● Understand who you are.
● Understand your target audience.
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7.
Social responsibility will be more prominent
on the marketing agenda as a whole
moving forward.
Brands will have to know their purpose, why
they’re going into business so as to have
meaning than just selling a product. Core
competencies should be identified so as to
play to one’s strengths.
Brands should not just aim to be
Googleable. They should also focus on the
content displayed and how they position
themselves.
Put out content that will attract the
right/intended customer. Always aim to
evolve because what is useful today may
be obsolete tomorrow. During COVID-19,
communication is key as it keeps up the
interaction with the community which in
turn retains visibility with your customer
base. Personal branding is not about the
individual, involve more people as there
are more of them online now.
“It’s not just I anymore, it’s now we”.
~ Maryam Salam
BRANDING ESSENTIALS
A lot of companies’ messaging is
fragmented. Companies need
to take the time to reflect on
where we are now. COVID-19
has shifted most businesses’
visions and as such,
communication to the customer
base needs to evolve as well.
Key takeaway
Content creators should keep it simple
and play to their brand’s strength(s).
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8.
Technology is therefore just a tool like any
other that would be used in the running of
a business. Marketing will only be
effective to the extent that it incorporates
the customer’s voice.
A business having an online presence
won’t matter if their product/approach is
not applicable for a mobile device (e.g.
smartphones, tablets and iPads).
You can start your business today and go
global fairly quickly due to technology,
digitization specifically, but if you cut
corners and the quality of your product is
subpar then you are bound to fail.
BRAND CONSISTENCY IN MOBILE FIRST ENVIRONMENT
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“Branding is about 3 things: promises,
images, performance…you cannot
sidestep quality, otherwise the customer
will talk with their feet”. ~ Dr. Ernest
Digitization is not a panacea of
success in business. The notion of
globalization was propounded in
the 1960s and the language of
database marketing was
prominent in the 1990s.
Key takeaways
Communication must also be in line
with what the customer expects
otherwise they’ll walk away.
Digitalization is a tool that has
quickened the process of reaching out.

9.
Are humans still going to be involved with
the increased use of chatbots? How do
you make chatbots an effective
marketing tool?
Even with the progress made in using AIs,
we will never be fully rid of the human
element in tech.
The chatbot technology is meant to
supplement the human side of things. The
brands/companies themselves determine
the tone of the chatbot. Chatbots are
only as smart as they are built and only as
interactive as they are coded.
If no one knows you exist then you won’t
make any sales and that’s where
marketing is integral, as such, humans will
always be involved from a branding
perspective.
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
KEY TAKEAWAYS
A country is a brand, but so is the
economy. As such, economy branding
is key to economic growth, business
internationalization and competitive
positioning as a way of cultivating and
growing things such as trade,
businesses, talent pool and strategic
partnerships. The economy never stops
moving no matter the
circumstances…the time is now.
If you are nowhere to be found online,
then your visibility chances diminish in
the new virtual/online normal. Go out
there and make yourself visible.
Simple and clear communication to
the target audience needs to be built
and nurtured to allow for
brands/companies to have a
sustainable and beneficial relation with
its customer base.
How do you best personalize marketing
so as to increase online visibility?
The principle for personal branding would
be the same as what you would use for
business/corporate branding.
There is a 7-step approach to branding:
● Understand who you are and what
you’re trying to achieve so as to
effectively brand yourself.
● Know your expertise.
● Know your audience.
● Determine your niche (and
competitors in the space), and how
you stand out.
● Control your image – pay attention
to your tone and visual branding.
● Connect with empathy. Don’t just
be authentic, you must also be
empathetic in your interactions with
your audience.
● Build your community, e.g. mentors,
partners.
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10. SSCG Consulting is global strategy and
management consulting firm. We
provide advisory, consulting and
operation support to clients across
diverse sectors of the economy. Our
mission and objectives are to help our
clients solve complex business
challenges and market adversity,
enhance their ability to drive value,
competitive growth, risk containment
and improve performance.
Faced with rapidly changing market,
business climate and consumer shifts,
businesses and leaders need to continue
innovate and restructure strategies,
learning, transform management
practices and application of innovative
tools to ensure effectiveness, efficiency,
speedy delivery to market, delivery on
value, stay profitable and competitive.
Our Business Excellence Services
prepares our clients to move towards
excellence through integrated model
based process improvement services
such as EFQM Excellence Model and
Total Quality Management (TQM). Our
end-to end project management
consulting services ensure we help clients
successfully execute and manage
projects to drive competitive advantage
and growth.
At SSCG, We recognise that each
business has unique needs. We work with
entrepreneurs, leaders and privately
owned businesses to provide tailor-made
bespoke services to help our clients
achieve their objectives, build
relationships and develop strategies to
help them achieve their ambitions. We
offer a wide variety of consultancy
services ranging from strategic
management, business model
development, process transformation
and improvement, capital projects
governance, enterprise start-up and
growth, ew market entry and expansion,
product development and delivery,
business structuring, risks and quality
management.
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HOW SSCG CAN SUPPORT YOUR BUSINESS
We help our clients make distinctive
transformations, drive sustainable growth
with increased trust, confidence and
greater collaboration. We provide
informed perspective on the issues faced
by our clients. The insights and quality
solutions delivered to support our clients
unlock new opportunities, consumer
values and build confidence in the
markets and economies.

11. Why choose us
We are committed to creating value for
our clients that returns many multiples of
their investment. We deliver tangible and
positive change, not simply presentations
or ideas. We combine industry and
functional skills for better results.
We set our standard for value creation
extremely high. SSCG value creation
requires that our work deliver insightful
thinking and change the mindset of our
clients. Our work must lead directly to
clients taking actions and executing their
business in new ways.
We endeavour to enhance client
capabilities and deliver both competitive
advantage and bottom-line impact. We
hold ourselves accountable to our values
and delivered standards by engaging
candidly within our business and with
clients about the level of value
created by our joint efforts.
We strive to provide high quality
impactful solutions, a collaborative
approach, insights and global outlook to
help shape and grow our clients
businesses.
For our clients, this translates into:
• Speed and flexibility in service delivery.
• Distinctive and sustainably impactful
results.
• Transformative and value driven
solutions.
• Unparalleled expertise and best
practices.
• Operation and strategy integration of
best thinking.
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HOW SSCG CAN SUPPORT YOUR BUSINESS

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The SSCG team is here to help. Contact us for more information and/or to discuss your specific requirements and how we can be
of assistance.
Eugene Nizeyimana
CEO, SSCG Consulting
Eugene.Nizeyimana@sscg-group.com
+(44) 1213642000
www.sscg-group.com
CONTACT US

13. #OneAfricaNetwork | www.oneafricanetwork.com
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