The unicorn marketer
The other day, I noticed this piece of kitsch in front of my Victoria Island coffee shop:
Cracked and faded, this unicorn looked down on its luck. Just like its furniture store, which probably isn’t selling many Louis XIV chairs and Swarovski chandeliers in Covid times.
But, this sad fellow reminded me of an idea I’ve been parsing out: the unicorn marketer.
I define the unicorn marketer as someone who can master the three subsets of marketing: product, growth and brand.
Product marketing promotes goods or services. You zero in on your “X Factor” -- why your payments app is more seamless; your cola is fizzier; your wax fabric fashion line is more chique.
Growth is all about customer acquisition. Think Facebook and Google ads.
Brand marketing influences public perception. It shapes the emotions that customers, investors, and partners associate with your startup.
*I learned this idea from Matt Hirst, partner at Venture Studios, and former marketing director at Google and Red Bull.
Just like the unicorn, the marketer who can master all three is incredibly rare. Not just in sub-Saharan Africa, but for any startup, anywhere.
Each calls for different skill sets ranging from analytical number crunching to creative storytelling to design.
African startups focus intensely on product and growth. Not brand.
This makes sense. Product and growth marketing help drive sales, which brings in revenue and keeps startups alive.
Unlike product & growth, brand marketing is long-term and amorphous.
It’s not quantifiable like product or growth marketing, which have click through rates, conversions, and ROI on ad spend.
But, when you get brand right, you know it. Look at Nike, Apple, or Tesla.
For example, Bozoma Saint John, the new Netflix CMO with a sparkling public persona, is a brilliant brand marketer.
She taps into the emotional zeitgeist through popular culture to make people feel something about the brand.
Saint John brilliantly taps into emotions to forge evocative and long lasting brands
In the embryonic years of the African tech ecosystem, there was little justification for brand marketing.
But, as the first wave of African startups mature into companies, a strong brand is needed more than ever.
A strong brand is the arrow in your quiver for:
Fundraising
Hiring the best people
Customer recognition
Customer loyalty
Brand equity
As Matt Hirst said, it is rarely the best product that wins the category. It’s always the best brand.
I became interested in branding after I realized that PR is a tiny sliver of what African tech startups need to earn lasting visibility.
If you’ve read my work, you know that I’ve been vocal about how PR is NOT marketing. In reality, it’s not product marketing.
Public relations is closely aligned with brand building. But, because brand marketing isn’t common, founders tend to lump public relations in with product or growth.
As the saying goes: if all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail.
But, African startups should think beyond PR and focus on forging a unique brand.
In the coming weeks, I’ll share how marketers at African tech startups can think about brand strategy.
In the meantime, I’d love to hear from you - what would you like to know about branding, marketing, and PR?
Get in touch.
Until next time,
Victoria
Victoria Crandall | African Startups | Comms & PR Strategist | Proud Dog-Mom of Gus | Lagos 🇳🇬