DURING the past week I was a man on a mission. I looked up all advert banners and billboards I drove past or walked by. I bought several local magazines and other publications and perused them curiously.
I listened to our local radio stations, hopping from one to the other. I listened deliberately to voice overs in their adverts. I hovered my eyes around supermarkets, shops and food outlets I entered. I even watched ZTV for longer than I usually do. I was looking for something and sadly and so disappointing, something I never found!
My billion-dollar question for the week sounds rude. It may be perceived by some as tribal or regional, but then all that is far from the truth.
Those who will judge my question in negativity will only be seeking defence in tired arguments. If I may ask all and sundry: Are there no popular local artistes, actors, dancers, musicians, social figures, cultural personalities, deejays, radio presenters from the southern region let alone Bulawayo that companies, cooperates and non- governmental organisations can use to market their products?
Can they stand up and say boldly enough that they have sought for and failed to find influential celebrities within this region with whom they can align their products and whatever messages they wish to send to our local communities?
I know that some reasons given are solely commercial and private companies are not obliged to use local artistes to market their products.
However, I believe it’s more heart-warming and acceptable for local communities to see their homebrewed stars as brand ambassadors of the products that are sold to them.
In other terms the shortest way to a community’s acceptance is making them feel and belong to whatever you want to sell to them. That way they tend to feel that they own the product rather than viewing it as foreign.
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My marketing skills may not be at par with those that run adverts and campaigns for organisations and cooperates, but nonetheless, the disparity is so glaring to be ignored.
I am reminded of one billboard that was defaced in Bulawayo because it was written in one language instead of another. I am also reminded of the taxis that a few years ago invaded the city and were branded as “Umuchina Wami”. That spelling mistake riled the local community and the owners wittingly changed to the correct Ndebele spelling “Umtshina wami”.
That alone must tell our business community how important it is to honour local culture, language and norms when you market products to them. Surely our artistes have done well too. Black Umfolosi sang the country’s Unity anthem.
Local boy Eric Moyo won the prestigious Idols singing competition. Prudence Mabhena and Liana made it to the Oscars. The likes of Cont Mhlanga, Raisedon Baya and other playwrights have made a mark worldwide. Writers and poets that include Albert Nyathi, Chris Mlalazi and most recently NoViolet Bulawayo have conquered the world with their work. Makoomba have done Binga proud. It’s unbefitting to drive in and out of Binga without seeing anything that associates them to their home. The list is endless.
How best can we celebrate their hard work and achievements? How visible can we make them so that even generations to come will know about their work? When visitors enter your home they are greeted by beautifully framed pictures of smiling family members.
Not pictures of strangers. In the city of Bulawayo tourists and visitors ought to be greeted by banners and billboards donning our artistes, cultural celebrities among others. One needs to feel that they are in a culturally rich and talented region, let alone city. It would be exciting to see local artistes on television adverts or hear them doing voice overs in adverts on both radio and television.
I am not chiding the cooperates for using other people to market their brands in this region. Instead I am selling an idea to them and appealing to them to support our local celebrities and popular figures.
I know that for most companies and organisations decisions are made in the capital city and brought down to those in other cities and regions.
Those “up there” have their own heroes and would seek to promote them or rather associate their products with them.
Other regions need that same empowerment. Politicians talk about indigenisation. It should start from the roots. Why don’t we find Jeys Marabini, Sandra Ndebele, Khuxman in other regions in those billboards, in those magazines and over those radio and television advertisements?
In that way we promote a national outlook of our arts and entertainment industry and market our artistes beyond the door steps of their home regions. Charity begins at home.
