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How much is mobile
changing the marketing

game in Africa?

In many parts of Africa, mobile-based marketing remains relatively small and
unsophisticated by global standards. But the huge uptake of mobile phones

on the continent means there’s huge potential. By Stafford Thomas.

M OBILE MARKETING AD SPEND Notably, a survey commissioned by Namibia to 81% in Mauritius. This indicates
in the UK has just overtaken TV out-of-home media company Continental that mobile marketing still has a way to go.
to become the country’s biggest Outdoor, which operates in 14 African
marketing platform and is heading rapidly countries, found that in sub-Saharan Africa But it is an error to generalise across
towards the same in the US. It reflects large billboard ads had the highest recall Africa’s 54 countries, because cultures
a global trend towards mobile phone- rates – a figure that ranged from 42% in and consumer sophistication levels
based marketing in which Africa is still vary enormously.
somewhat of a laggard. Awareness of mobile
ads is still very low South Africans, for example, have long
But not for much longer, believes Alex been avid adopters of mobile marketing.
Darko, head of the West Africa region for A woman and “A decade ago, the country was ahead of
mobile marketing and payments group her children the global curve,” says Willie Ellis, head
WiGroup International. “Mobile marketing walk in front of digital marketing at mobile network
in Africa is only starting to scratch the of a billboard operator Vodacom.
surface of its potential,” he stresses. advertising
a cellular
The foundation is solidly laid on a telephone
continent where the mobile phone is network in
the mainstay of communications, largely Abidjan,
because of the lack of adequate fixed-line Ivory Coast
infrastructure.

Global mobile network operator body,
the GMS Association (GMSA), reports
that the number of unique African mobile
subscribers hit 557-million in June 2016,
an increase of 180-million subscribers in
just five years. Growth is likely to remain
strong, with the GSMA predicting that
a further 168-million subscribers will be
added by 2020.

However, despite the abundance of
subscribers, mobile marketing has yet to
gain traction in many countries. Reflecting
this, a recent survey by Nielsen of mobile
subscribers in 12 major sub-Saharan
countries found that, while 52% of people
are aware of the existence of mobile
advertising, it has a high recall rate
among only 6% of them.

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