9 minute read
TALK TALK … AND MESSAGING
Using telcos to turn mobile advertising dreams into reality
There’s a world of mobile opportunities that brands might be missing out on, writes DONALD MOKGALE.
In an increasingly digital world where consumers are constantly glued to their smartphones, grabbing their attention can become challenging for brands.
Even if South African consumers enjoy receiving adverts about the latest offers or services, these can at times become overwhelming and often border on irrelevant, with many brands adopting the
‘one-size-fi ts-all’ approach to targeting their consumers.
Indeed, this approach is beginning to show its cracks; according to a recent study by business messaging intelligence experts Mobilesquared, for every R1-million spent on digital banner advertising, just 0.1% derives value for brands. Sticking to the status quo via traditional channels of advertising simply won’t achieve the cut-through that brands vying for attention in increasingly competitive landscapes will need to stay front of mind and visible in the eyes of their consumers.
So what’s the alternative for brands and brand agencies wanting to make an impact, engage with their customers, and target them with entertaining, informative and personalised content that will resonate? Enter telco-driven mobile advertising.
Telcos form an important technological pillar of our society today: they provide the connectivity on top of which everything runs. Without them, we wouldn’t be able to make calls, access the internet, or enjoy the opportunities that over-the-top (OTT) services have given us. The provision of this connectivity service means that telcos collect, store and have access to a lot of subscriber data. This ranges from what kind of device you own and how much data you consume to what additional OTT services you buy, for example cloud services, cyber security subscriptions, or even your location based on your phone’s GPS and SIM card. In many cases, they will also have more personal information such as gender and age.
This anonymised insight is invaluable not only to understand subscriber behaviour but also to use as a tool for personalised, targeted advertising campaigns. Furthermore, all telcos
collect this data on a continuous basis, meaning brands and brand agencies leveraging telco insights will have access to the latest data possible. But that’s not where the opportunities for brands to use telcos to their advantage and benefi t end.
Going beyond data, telcos also provide the messaging capabilities to reach millions of subscribers at scale. In South Africa, the two major telcos, Vodacom and MTN South Africa, count 40 million and 25 million subscribers respectively – that’s almost 65 million mobile subscriptions that are primed for targeted and personalised advertising. By comparison, Facebook, one of the most popular channels for digital advertising today, only counts 22 million yearly users in South Africa as of 2020, which pales in comparison to the scale and reach of telcos’ networks.
HOW TO HARNESS THIS POWER
So how can brands utilise this scale and telco-owned messaging for their mobile advertising strategies? By leveraging native mobile messaging channels as a mode of communication and engagement, brands can provide their consumers with targeted and personalised mobile advertising. Native messaging technology, whether it be SMS, MMS, PCM (Please Call Me) or RCS (Rich Communications Services), has the power to place brands directly in the hands of the consumer. Why? Because it doesn’t require subscribers to download another app, à la WhatsApp, and is instead built directly into mobile devices. The added bonus for brands is that this engagement channel is able to span all devices – from legacy phones, which are often only equipped with basic SMS functionality, all the way to the latest smartphones that will benefi t from rich SMS, interactive messaging, and RCS.
In addition to this, brands can also work with telcos to ensure they put their consumers’ needs and concerns fi rst. For example, in price-conscious nations such as South Africa, the cost of data is a contentious point. By offering zero-rated campaigns, brands can offset the cost of using internet data for the consumer, ensuring that all are able to interact with the campaign without eating into their data allowance.
In leveraging both telco data and mobile-owned messaging, brands and brand agencies can launch telcodriven mobile advertising and deliver impactful, targeted, and personalised mobile messaging campaigns that bring to bear the interactivity and richness of messaging applications such as WhatsApp and WeChat, while benefi ting from the scale and reach of operator networks.
The result? Campaigns that achieve greater ROI than traditional advertising channels and exceed industry benchmarks for engagement and conversion by up to 70x.
Donald Mokgale
THE TELCO-DRIVEN MOBILE ADVERTISING UTOPIA
While there are clear advantages to launching telco-driven mobile advertising campaigns for brands and brand agencies, it’s certainly no easy feat, especially considering the complex world of telcos. For that reason, brands and agencies need to arm themselves with the right tools to ensure they can capitalise on the opportunities in front of them. These tools will allow them to leverage telco data from different telecoms groups, derive insight from this data, and launch meaningful messaging campaigns to the right audiences.
There is an entire mobile ecosystem that brands are missing out on – one that builds incremental reach, engagement and conversation in ways that the media and brand industries have dreamed about for decades. By leveraging telcodriven mobile advertising, brands can now turn this dream into reality and go beyond what has been achieved via traditional advertising channels to date.
The solution for more powerful engagement is here, especially with the death of the third-party cookie. Now the onus is on brands to take the bull by the horns and capitalise on the growth opportunity standing right in front of them.
From speaking at thought-leadership events to facilitating panels, leading media agencies and standing for transformation, Out There Media Africa CEO Donald Mokgale has been injecting his passion into the media industry for over 14 years. He is now working in the mobile advertising world, linking brands with mobile operators through Mobucks to unlock revenue streams.
A house of high-fashion cards
House of Zwide, e.tv’s new drama, is set to be sharper than a dressmaker’s needle.
e.tv’s upcoming and highly anticipated new drama, House of Zwide, is produced by Bomb Productions and VideoVision Entertainment. On Monday the 19th of July, South Africa will meet a fashionable Johannesburg family who bring high drama and ruthless ambition to the small screen as they rise in the cutthroat fashion industry.
“The show could not have come at a better time,” says e.tv’s head of local productions Helga Palmer. “e.tv brings you a show of hopes and dreams to uplift and inspire viewers to believe they can achieve anything they put their minds to, in a world filled with uncertainty and despair.”
VideoVision Entertainment’s CEO Anant Singh says, “House of Zwide tells a thrilling rags-to-riches story set in the glamorous world of fashion. It is a timely, aspirational tale with many twists and turns that we believe will keep viewers glued to their television screens. We are excited to be partnering with Bomb Productions on this production, which also marks our second series with e.tv.”
Bomb Productions executive producer Desiree Markgraaff acknowledges the role of trailblazing e.tv series Rhythm City in the planned timeslot. “We are very excited to be creating a new show for e.tv and hope viewers will welcome House Of Zwide. Covid-19 has been hard on everyone and we wanted to tell a story that reminds us that no matter the obstacles, [we must] never give up on our dreams.”
THE CAST
South Africa can expect to see some of their favourite stars in the show. Vusi Kunene plays South Africa’s biggest fashionista: founder and owner of House of Zwide, Funani Zwide, while Winnie Ntshaba plays his supportive wife, Faith. Viewers’ favourite Motlatsi Mafatshe will play the comedic Uncle Molefe, displaying the humorous qualities that South Africa has fallen in love with over the years.
The Godfather, Isaac, played by Jeffrey Sekele, is a sympathetic gangster and former uMkhonto we Sizwe veteran involved in the turbulent hostel wars during the mid-90s. Isaac is a loving father to two beautiful daughters and husband to Rea, played by Matshepo Maleme.
The flamboyant and talented Khaya Dladla plays Lazarus, Funani’s lifelong confidante who is responsible for interpreting and executing his designs.
Some of the new faces on the show include exciting young talent Nefisa Mkhabela, who makes her television debut and lead as Ona Molapo, and Shalate Sikhabi, who plays her friend Shoki.
THE SETUP
The story begins in Thembisa with Zobuhle Mabaso, a rebel with the street smarts of an old tsotsi. She believes her mother died in childbirth and that Isaac is her father. Isaac runs a popular local shebeen, where Zobuhle helps out, having done the books for him since she was 12. She is business smart, and Isaac is determined that she will study accounting.
Zobuhle’s real talent, however, lies in fashion. She is already a designer of prodigious skill, having worked part-time as an assistant to the local dressmaker and gained a reputation for her showstopping designs.
Meanwhile, in glitzy Sandton, Funani and Grace are seemingly masters of the universe. On the surface, they have the perfect life, perfect kids and perfect bank balances, but lies and secrets bubble underneath the shimmering façade.
Every Friday at 13:00, Funani has lunch at one specific shisanyama in Thembisa, where he grew up, directly opposite the dressmaker’s workshop where Zobuhle works. Besides enjoying his pap and mogodu, he’s also fascinated by the undeniably talented girl. Knowing who Funani is, Zobuhle always makes sure to display items he might find impressive.
One day, he buys one. Zobuhle is over the moon, but her father Isaac finds out and is deeply unsettled. Things get even worse when, on the House of Zwide’s website, a new design is launched, and Zobuhle realises that Funani didn’t buy her outfit to support her; he bought it to steal her invention!
Zobuhle is furious and wants get lawyers involved. However, Isaac forbids her from doing anything of the sort or working as a dress designer, making it clear that she will go and study accounting. And so the story begins…
