The Ghanaian business environment in perspective- Do they achieve the same goals?
For decades marketing has probably been one of the least respected functions of business in Ghana. Sad, but true. The value that traditional marketing brings to businesses could be deemed as ambiguous so some would argue that perhaps the lack of respect is justified. Subjective, but valid.
Marketers are stereotyped to be the creative guys who conjure flowery ideas, but can’t account for return on ad spend precisely. Who is to say how many eyeballs your bill-board really got or how many people muted your 30 second spot when it came up during Big Brother? Even Kwaku Ananse can’t answer that accurately for the finance guy. These issues are troubleshot with online marketing.
Marketing online compels marketers to be promoted from merely being the creative guys to being the guys who solve business problems creatively. Every pesewa spent online is trackable and changes can often be made in real time. A paid search ad, for instance, can be paused and optimized in a matter of minutes; seconds even, depending on how fast your fingers can move. Good luck trying to tear down a bill-board after you realize it’s not influencing the expected traction.
In the grand scheme of things traditional and online may achieve the same goals of building brand awareness or triggering direct responses,but the means to the end are nuanced. With online marketing, brands have more control over the results they achieve and the speed with which they can react to changes in the market place from competitors, customers or other external factors. They also have more access to understanding their customers, and seamlessly capturing that information in a database. Don’t misunderstand; I’m not knocking the traditional guys’ hustle. It is ideal when traditional and online initiatives are integrated with a consistent brand narrative so that customers are surrounded with a 360 degree value proposition that they cannot miss.
Ghanaian consumers are active online and on mobile devices – emailing, social networking, browsing, searching, downloading and the whole nine yards1. Brands must follow suit in order to remain relevant and capitalize on this dynamic environment. Many Ghanaian brands are hesitant to dabble in the online space because of its novelty, but change is good – embrace it – especially because your customers have. Brands who exclude online campaigns in their marketing strategies are missing a gateway of opportunity to engage their audiences on a deeper level. 1http://www.insightsafrica.com/#!place=home
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Elizabeth Opoku-Dakwa is the Country Manager for Wild Fusion Limited, Ghana. She has experience in digital marketing, creative development and business strategy. When no one is looking she likes to throw up peace signs and make funny faces while taking selfies 
