28 November 2008
	CONTINENTAL SHIFT Going beyond boundaries By Matebello Motloung

Africa is alive with opportunities, and no-one is more aware of that than design and branding specialist 8 Image & Brand Consultancy. True to its adventurous spirit, the agency is taking advantage of opportunities opening up across the continent. It has formed a strategic partnership with London-based mobile communication specialist Fjord, to exploit prospects presented by increasing levels of mobile-phone penetration in Africa. Mobile penetration in Africa is estimated to be about 38%. In SA, it is nearing saturation. 8 Image & Brand CEO Laine Barnard says the deal will mainly be a sharing of knowledge. The agency needs Fjord's expertise in the design and packaging of mobile content. In return, the UK agency stands a chance to benefit from the knowledge and insight 8 Image & Brand has about the various markets in Africa. 8 Image & Brand has been operating outside SA for five years. During that time, it has opened profitable branches in Nigeria and Kenya. It recently opened a base in Botswana. But the firm has no boundaries. Among the countries in which it operates are Ghana, Niger, Malawi, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Sierra Leone. It also has a presence in London. Breaking into the mobile arena marks the beginning of a new chapter in the life of 8 Image & Brand. Barnard says the addition of mobile to the group's activities, and its partnership with Fjord, form " a vital arsenal" in improving the agency's competitiveness. "Through the association with Fjord and their reputation in mobile use, this will create a unique proposition for the agency in discussions with clients," he says. The use of mobile handsets in Africa, as in many parts of the world, is evolving. Cellphones are no longer used merely for communication but also for services such as banking. This is an area that is taking off in the continent fuelled by poor infrastructure in most regions and long travelling distances between destinations. Mobile TV is another trend that is set to prosper. The proportion of African households with TV sets is less than 30%. The portable and personalised nature of cellphones will serve as a bonus for marginalised markets. That's all the more reason for 8 Image & Brand to entrench itself soon. But it won't be smooth sailing, says Barnard. SA is different from many of the regions in which 8 Image & Brand also operates. In some countries, there are subsegments that are very profitable but also complex. Nigeria, for example, has more than 300 ethnic groups, each with its own dialect. Though English is the official language, indigenous languages such as Hausa, Igbo and Yoruba are also dominant. "The most challenging thing an agency can do is set up stores in the rest of Africa," says Barnard. He says 8 Image & Brand's strategy has been to develop relationships with suppliers in each country. The company is already developing internal capabilities in Nigeria. "We are trying not to do everything in SA and then fly it in there. We try to do a lot of the production in each respective country," says Barnard. To succeed in Africa, companies need to show real commitment to the development of countries' economies and peoples, a lesson 8 Image & Brand has learnt. Barnard says that just because the agency is working with local suppliers, does not mean it has to compromise on quality. 8 Image & Brand's profile in the rest of the continent is rising. The agency's GM for Kenya, Tom Windows, says the popularity is mainly due to 8 Image & Brand's one-stop-shop nature. "We do everything in-house. Our clients prefer that. They are looking for an entity to manage their brands to ensure there's consistency of the brand message across all platforms." He says the business is structured to ensure there is a single point of contact. "In SA, you generally have one company looking after above-the-line, another doing branding, another PR. But the only way to ensure there's one message is to have one company handle the brand and ensure seamless communications and consistency," says Windows. Each of 8 Image & Brand's offices has a general manager. This is because "clients need the assurance that they have the most senior resource looking after them", he says. Julanda Dreyer is GM for Africa, Natali Dukhi in Cape Town and Gavin Pienaar heads the Lagos office. Other key staff include Warren Bosman (3D design director), Kevin Bird (creative director), Yvonne Loxton (events director), Lungani Mfeka (3D GM) and Gregg Rodrigues (group production manager). Barnard is one of the leading voices in the fields of design and brand management. He is the former market development and research manager at Coca-Cola SA. He has handled numerous blue-chip brands, among them Coke, MTN, VW, Audi, Transnet and Nedbank. "We are getting better at our understanding of the African market," he says.