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COMMUNICATION CHANNELS completely accessible to all people, Radio is the in both the niche and the mass space, including those who are not fully literate. which I believe is a unique strength of Due to the reach these stations have, a primary tool of regional radio,” she says. number of them are being financed by marketing in Africa agencies like the charity USAid, which A good team player is looking to broadcast very specific The second trend impacting radio messages on topics like malaria and in Africa’s marketing mix is that of HIV/Aids. whims of the market. “As we’ve seen multiple-platform advertising. Diamond The enormous success of regional new media proliferate, broadcasters noted in a recent interview at the radio is multi-fold. It is relatively cheap have been proactive in using them University of Pretoria’s Gordon Institute to create and access. In addition, in blended solutions for their clients. of Business Science (GIBS): “As regional radio stations are also better They have reshaped themselves from consumers are engaging more media at adapting to changes in the industry, single platforms into true multi-channel types more often, so advertisers are unlike more traditional mediums like organisations,” says Diamond whose changing the way they buy inventory print and television. Diamond says: comments can also be applied to the and audiences. No longer are they “The reason for this is that regional radio rest of Africa. buying a single media type to reach a players have been very successful in Depending on what advertisers are certain audience group; they are looking building niche audiences within a mass hoping to achieve, Diamond believes for a better return through multiple pool. The benefit for the advertiser is radio can offer a solution. “Not only are touch points.” a mix of far reach and targeted results advertisers using radio for its reach, but Marketers are using radio in that remains unique in the South African it also allows us to segment regional combination with other communication media environment.” listenership into very targeted audiences channels such as mobile, online Regional stations also offer more and ensure that marketers get more and out-of-home in order to target flexibility and can adapt quickly to the measurable results. So we are playing audiences, Diamond says. “South RADIO IS POWERFUL WHEN IT TALKS THE LOCAL LINGO An estimated 2 000 languages are eastern part of the country. controller at Q FM in Kenya, noted spoken across Africa, from Swahili For marketers, the benefit of this during a recent conference that in the East to Yoruba in the West, insight is that listeners tend to have political candidates were using Arabic in the North and the Nguni a more emotional response to these these stations to not only garner languages in the South. So speaking language-targeted broadcasts because support, but also to incite violence. to an audience in their own dialect the content is not only tailor-made for Following the investigation, can be very powerful and more them, but it also gives a greater sense calls were made to shut down the impactful than using traditional of belonging. stations, but it was believed that media channels. David Smith, a consultant for Okapi this would have been damaging Chris Botha, Group MD of media FM in the Democratic Republic of to the country’s press freedom. strategy agency The MediaShop Congo (DRC) notes that: “Language is Macharia did suggest, however, explains: “Vernacular language emotional, it touches the heart. People that Kenya enact legislation media brings with it something listen to stations with their language banning the use of hate speech incredibly powerful. It speaks to because (to them) it is credible.” on vernacular stations and a person’s core, their culture, the But vernacular radio can also advocated that an independent deepest part of their being. It elicits have a dark side. It has been accused body be set up to regulate content emotions and feelings in a way that of being a tool for manipulating and develop policy surrounding no other media can.” audiences and causing divisions media content. A 2010 study by research between communities. Kenya and On the flip side, South African company Ipsos confirmed this DRC are two countries that have vernacular station Ukhozi FM, a view, with a report that found most both been adversely affected by Zulu broadcaster, used its power Kenyans preferred listening to radio divisive content being broadcast on to educate and inform its listeners PHOTOS: ISTOCKPHOTO, SUPPLIED in their first language; this was true vernacular stations. In Kenya, they were around the issues of xenophobia of two-thirds of listeners in central implicated in provoking unrest during during the violence that rocked Kenya and half of those in the the 2007 elections. Esther Macharia, a South Africa in 2008. 18 strategicmarketingafrica Third quarter 2014 14-19 Radio v4.indd 42 2014/06/26 12:00 PM