Spending time with the startups of Savannah Fund proved to be a unique opportunity to think about marketing in a context quite different than my own.

Coming from the tech space in San Francisco I wasn’t sure exactly what to expect while working with teams from Ghana, Uganda and Kenya but picked up quite a few insights and learned a lot along the way.

I saw that there is no one-size-fits-all solution in crafting an effective marketing plan, that each startup faces unique challenges in their home country, and that in areas of constraint, creative strategies can be used to reach an audience and effectively convey the message.

I also learned that although operating in vastly different environments, startups launching in San Francisco and their African counterparts face many of the same challenges in their initial stages.

Here are some key insights on the challenges and opportunities of marketing startups in African markets.

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4.) Cultural Relevance:
Africa is not a country, but rather a diverse continent made up of 54 countries. Startups looking to expand their market outside of their home countries may be challenged by a lack of understanding of users outside of their own space. An interesting example of this was observed with Khola Studios, a gaming studio from Uganda. The team at Kola Studios is looking to expand a popular game, Matatu, outside of Uganda but may have to change the name to make it culturally relevant in other East African markets.

According to Paulo Ferreira, head of enterprise mobility at Samsung SA, the latest technology goes beyond hardware, as Samsung is also offering various content services to the African consumer.

The brand’s music service, The Kleek, is an application designed and built in Africa to cater to consumer demand. Samsung’s WiFi service, via Always On, entitles the owners of all Samsung devices bought in the last three years to 1GB free WiFi every month for a year.

In addition, Samsung has partnered with eKitabu, East Africa’s leading e-book retailer, to bring digital textbooks to underprivileged communities across the continent.

The last of its service offerings was the Smart Trainer, which, according to former Bafana Bafana player Mark Fish, allows children to train with the guidance of the players they admire.

“We hope this app will help kids to become like the stars they see in their national teams,” said Fish.

“Ultimately, it is about smart products, for a smarter Africa and a smarter you. Your laptop speaks to the printer; your fridge saves you money; and your washing machine worries about the environment. This is the vision Samsung is engineering on a global level,” concluded Samsung’s deputy MD and director for consumer electronics, Matthew Thackrah.

Ed’s note: PR yes, but its an interesting trend and orientation by a consumer electronics giant.

This is what we can expect in 2013:

1. Africa will become the new playing field in 2013 
   
   We are already witnessing an influx of small independent specialist agencies that are springing up all over the continent. This suggests that clients are now looking toward Africa for growth and are finally taking it seriously. Marketers will need to formulate strategies to succeed on the continent.
   
   One thing is for sure: South African marketing templates will not cut it in other African countries. Efforts to reach these markets need to be culturally specific and refined.
   
   
2. We will see more and more multinationals move into Africa
   
   There will be many benefits of the influx of large companies in Africa. Besides the obvious job creation, this is going to improve industry standards and bring a level of modernisation to the markets.
   
   On the flip side, there will also be a period of education whereby the market adapts to these new multinationals. A great example of this is the speed of which international supermarket chains have moved into Africa, and the local people having to learn that that their bargaining habits can not extend to the supermarket.
   
   Competition will be rife across all sectors.

“Nigeria is generally misunderstood by South Africans, tainted by the bad rather than the good, yet Nigerians are better educated per capita than we are as a nation; they are one of the most optimistic nations in Africa, have bigger internet penetration and usage, are extremely hard-working, ambitious and future focused. It’s a great market but if you want to succeed as a marketer, go in with a knowledgeable partner that knows the situation on the ground, that’s the best advice I can offer.”