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AFRICAN ENTREPRENEURS: Q+A
we know that a happy client will tell
other parents about us.
We also have a cooking TV show
that we are running in partnership
with Botswana Television called Young
Chefs at Play. That gives us reach to a
greater audience.
Do you market to children or to
their parents?
It is tricky because the children are the
consumers but they are not the buyers.
So I have come up with a profile of who
our buyer really is. It is a parent who
makes decisions for their child, always
searching for good activities that would
nurture and be good for the child. We
always keep this person it in mind when
offering our services.
More brands are targeting children in US Ambassador to Botswana, Earl R. Miller, shares a joke with students from Kgale Hill
their advertising. Will you? Junior Secondary School during a visit to the Academy
I think marketing to children should
be done ethically and we need to pay But not everyone wants to participate I’m planning to have a place where PHOTOS: SUPPLIED
attention to a number of issues. You in a course, so we host parties where the the kids can go and harvest their
don’t want to create a situation where children must first make what they are ingredients. I want them to see how
you are putting children under pressure, going to eat at the party. This is interactive, vegetables actually grow. Then we can
making them feel inadequate, and making fun and educational all at the same time. come back into the kitchen and use those
them grow up before it’s time. I don’t vegetables in a meal. This will make
think this is right. We also hold events like Mother’s Day classes much more interesting.
workshops and a Chocolate Adventure.
I encourage my Plus, we do family fun days and ad hoc What are your plans for the future?
students to bring events for corporates or schools. My ultimate goal is to take Young Chefs
along a friend across Africa. My experience so far has
Are schools a good marketing avenue? given me an opportunity to understand
If I am going to advertise directly to a We do ‘field trips’ where schools can the market in Africa and what my clients
child, what I do is focus on the experience either visit us or we visit them. We then need. I believe that, with the model I have,
we offer. I encourage my students to bring offer cooking sessions based on what the I will be able to open more branches in
a friend. Then, while the children are busy children are being taught in class at school. Botswana and eventually move beyond our
in the kitchen, I talk to the mother and tell borders to South Africa, Nigeria, Namibia
her about our services; what we offer and If they are doing fractions, for example, and other African countries.
how her child will benefit. we will come up with a recipe that will have
some connection to fractions. Or, if they are Will the way you connect with
How have you made your brand more learning about countries and languages, we the consumer vary greatly in the
appealing to a wider audience? will do something around that subject using different countries?
We have a number of different product food – such as Italy and Italian cuisine. I think it will mostly be the same. The
offerings. There are weekly classes only difference would be the means of
that children attend every week for 90 Children’s tastes can be fickle; how are marketing available in those countries.
minutes. We also offer holiday camps, you planning to stay relevant? Once we understand that, we would
which the children attend for three or four We are currently moving to a new venue need to see how best to use those
days a week, for three hours a day. where we can incorporate more facilities, avenues to get our product into
largely because we realise that we need to the marketplace.
add other activities to our offering to keep
children coming back for more.
28 strategicmarketingafrica Issue 4 2016
