Posts Tagged ‘branding’
REBRANDING AFRICA: Environment Matters
In 2007, The Washington Post did an experiment on context, perception and priorities in which Joshua Bell, an internationally acclaimed musical virtuoso, stationed himself in the Metro, playing his violin (valued at $4 Million) for passersby. He was perceived as any other bum trying to make a buck in the subway station. You can read…
Read MoreREBRANDING AFRICA: Image is Everything
Building a solid brand that fuels a better image for Africa can create an even bigger impact than the direct jobs you are creating with your business. For instance, with KEZA, we stand to generate 200-500 lucrative careers for African artists and entrepreneurs over the next 2 years. This is powerful and easily quantified. In…
Read MoreThe Beautiful Things
I am diligent about being aware and in tune with my surroundings. I appreciate the little things that often go unnoticed. I take time to “smell the roses” and listen to the world around me. But every now and then, something hits me from out of the blue; something so magnificent and beautiful it causes…
Read MoreREBRANDING AFRICA: This is Better Than That
If I’m a photographer working in Africa, I’m going look for the most mind blowing and disturbing images I can capture. That’s my purpose. I gather pictures of starvation, disease, filthy hospitals, rebels with guns, dictators with gold plated vehicles and children with distended bellies and flies on their faces. I will use these photos…
Read MoreREBRANDING AFRICA: She is not a Charity Case
The Rwandan women we serve are former prostitutes. They’ve been beaten, raped and oppressed to a point where the only viable method for supporting themselves and their babies was to sell their bodies. Society regularly humiliated them to the point that they believed they were worthless.* It would be easy for us to tell that…
Read MoreREBRANDING AFRICA: Deconstructing The Brand
We live in a world where shock value regularly trumps true value. Consequently international aid agencies either play ball or loose the opportunity for funding. And it’s not just the funding mechanisms that are tainted, it’s the “brand” that’s generated in order to garner the funds. The media are looking for scenes of destruction, starving…
Read MoreREBRANDING AFRICA: Introduction
I’m convinced that a large part of what holds Africa (and others) back from being a “developed continent” stems from a less than desirable branding trend. The international aid community has done a phenomenal job of branding her as some sort of Mad Max desert overrun with corruption, disease and poverty. However, I assure you…
Read MoreLandmines
Due to the nature of our increasingly infinitesimal attention spans and continual desensitization to violence, humanitarian initiatives must exercise some serious marketing savvy. We have to fight hard to get people’s attention and compel them to act. Check out the image (below) of the Landmine Removal Campaign designed by Publicis Mojo. This is what they…
Read MoreExcuse Me, Your Style Is Speaking
We say “a picture is worth a thousand words”, and that certainly makes sense. The same phenomenon applies to fashion. We don’t always feel comfortable talking to strangers in places where people congregate, such as nightclubs, coffee shops or on public transportation. But it’s to be expected that you will see cliques of people similarly…
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