Marketing & Communications

Purpose ✅

How can students, schools and teachers participate in something that they have not heard about? And once they know about Wavumbuzi and have tried Wavumbuzi, what else do we have to do - or can we do - to build loyalty so that our benefactors and stakeholders want to participate year after year and recommend Wavumbuzi to others?

The purpose of the marketing and communications function is to develop a deep understanding of the behaviour and interests of different audience groups within our ecosystem, craft timely communications that these audiences can resonate with and want to engage with, and deliver these across a variety of frequently used and familiar platforms - to our audience(s).

The more effectively we do this, the greater chance we have at delivering value to our intended audience(s), and the more likely we are to grow a base of loyal stakeholders and advocates with the ecosystem.

Healthy two-way communication with our users provides us with critical information to improve our product offering.

Approach ✅

Implementing a successful multi-country, multi-channel marketing and communications strategy involves the coordination of multiple stakeholders to present a clear and consistent message to users in a format that they can resonate with and on channels that they regularly engage with. This section outlines the key guiding principles and assumptions that inform how we approach marketing and communications at a strategic level.

We understand that people are unique and that we have to adapt our marketing tactics to relate to users wherever they find themselves. It is our focus to remain relevant and mindful of the needs of our users at an individual level. On this basis, we further ensure that our communications are contextualised for different audiences across the region.

We focus to create value for all our stakeholders, bearing in mind that key messages at a group level need to appeal to the specific behaviour and perceptions of each group. We remain conscious that a marketing message that resonates with a teacher will/might not resonate with a student.

Our implementation tactics and communication angles are led by the objectives of each stage within Wavumbuzi. We understand that each stage focuses on driving a specific outcome, and we aim to adapt our approach to meet the specifications of that particular phase.

We do not seek to rely only on ourselves. We value long-term relationships with our beneficiaries and build mutually beneficial relationships with other implementation partners, affiliates and influencers working towards a collective vision to cultivate a culture of entrepreneurship amongst the youth.

We aim to be smart in our use of technology to simplify and automate recurring marketing communications with stakeholders in order to unlock scalability.

We hold ourselves to a high standard and aim to deliver a consistent quality experience which sets the tone for how we operate, builds credibility around our brand and builds trust with out stakeholders.

We recognise that we have limited time with our audience(s), which must be used effectively to achieve our objectives. As such, we make sure our communications are short and concise, and are delivered exactly when our audience needs it.

We believe in the power of storytelling as a way to connect with our audience(s) on a more meaningful level, as well as an effective tool for catalysing action. In particular we use memorable visuals (images and videos) to assist in our storytelling efforts, recognising that this medium is far more digestible for our audience(s).

Implementation ✅

Conceptual Framework ✅

The below resources form the conceptual foundations and strategic principles which underline how we execute marketing and communications across all Wavumbuzi iterations. These theoretical models apply across the board to ensure we maintain consistency and alignment in our purpose and objectives.

Understanding the Wavumbuzi Brand
Understanding Our Target Audiences
Understanding Our Style & Tone
Understanding Our Key Messages (The Golden Circle)
Understanding Our User Journey (The Sales Funnel)
Understanding Our Channel Strategy (Owned, Earned & Paid Assets)

Key Marketing Phases ✅

As Wavumbuzi iterations typically run as 6-9 month campaigns in their respective countries, we break down the campaign duration into key stages based on our conversion objectives (as outlined in the User Journey page of the conceptual framework section of this playbook) in order to make the execution of the campaign more manageable/digestible.

Key Marketing Phases

Content Production ✅

The first of the two major production components to consider under the marketing and communications banner is content. These production elements feed the marketing and communications machine, breathing life into the theoretical models and user journeys outlined above. The details of how we approach content production is outlined in the links below.

Overview of the Content Production Process
Planning and Distribution Process
Content Sourcing ⏳
Content Mix & Principles

Collateral Production ✅

The second of the two major production components to consider under the marketing and communications banner is collateral. This is often (but not exclusively) informed by the content planning and production process, with planned content items typically driving the need for additional collateral production. In addition to the collateral required to support content production, there are also several other collateral production requires that need to be fulfilled for different components of the programme (such as events, merchandise, prizes, etc.). The details of how we approach collateral production is outlined in the links below.

Channel Strategy ✅⏳

A hybrid model of selected marketing channels, which includes both traditional and digital tactics allows consistent engagement with key stakeholders at multiple touchpoints along their user journey. Understanding the individual value & combined synergy of these channels allows communication tactics to be targeted to an individual and at a group level.

Adopting a harmonious brand style across all channels, while aligning with the individual strengths of channels, ensures to deliver a cohesive message to users when and where they are most receptive.