Creating Content that Resonates with African Audiences Solafunmi Sosanya
When we hear the word ‘content’ within normal everyday conversations, it brings to mind the feeling of satisfaction and peace, being content with oneself. Then, switching our lens and looking at it from a media brand perspective, the word ‘content’ means creation and generation of ideas, presented in an interesting way, weather written or in visual format, with the end goal of appealing to buyers persona, encouraging them to take the desired action. The confluence of both definitions points to a known fact – good content brings success, a sense of peace and achieves a marketing objective. Content is an indispensable part of our everyday lives.
That quick google search to find the meaning of a new word, the results that show are all content created by someone else. The pictures, videos, memes and GIFs on your Instagram feed are content. Tutorial videos for that new course you just signed up for are all content. We consciously or unconsciously are daily consumers of content. It answers our questions, entertains us, educates us, keeps us informed and guides our decisions. As a media and television platform, content helps us attract and engage your potential customers, ultimately generating revenue for the business. Content remains king and is a key pillar that drives business growth in a multi-channel and multi-platform environment.
In this digital age, where most brands relate directly with their audience virtually, good content is especially effective for growing audience engagement, answering their questions, building trust, improving conversions, generating leads and developing a strong brand presence. An important element to achieving success with your content is creating for the right audience, as creating great content that isn’t tailored to the right audience is a waste of time and resources. Identifying the right audience gives room for a complete understanding of their purchase path and pain points, this guides in creating effective content for them.
A proven guide in narrowing down the right target audience is through market research. The benefits that come from in-depth market research cannot be overemphasised. It provides valuable data on what already exists in the market, room for growth and opportunities to learn from the experience of predecessors or competition. Useful data can be collated through a SWOT analysis – a business’s strengths and weaknesses, along with opportunities and threats.
This market research can further distil information on location, demographics (gender, age, income level), psychographics (lifestyle, values, hobbies, behaviour), industry, market trends, economic shifts, motivations, buying habits, persona (pain points) and competition. Insight on all these factors contribute immensely in helping to identify the right target audience. NickMusic, a newly launched series by ViacomCBS Networks Africa comes to mind as a content platform properly leveraging insights to create content for its audiences. NickMusic is a local first for African kids on the Nickelodeon channel, Nicktoons. This locally produced show is a fun-filled family friendly show playing fan favourites and fun tunes that Kids and Parents can enjoy after school.
The show features music from African and international artists from all over the world and is hosted by the young talented social changemaker Lerai Rakoditsoe, who has made history as the first African face for the channel. Over time, research has shown there are noticeable changes in listening habits. Africans want representation and inclusivity, especially in the media; they want their stories told authentically. We identified this need early through research and solidified our commitment to grow local relevance and content through various TV shows.
Leaning on this data from market research, we are solidifying our commitment by tapping into music as a passion point for our local viewers with the introduction of a family-friendly local music show and Lerai Rakoditsoe is a symbol of representation and inclusivity for African youths all over the continent. This has been so far embraced by great success as Africans not only feel represented and included but also serves as a motivation that anything is possible. The best part is the showcase of African talents to the world. Seeing how African stars such as Burna Boy and Wizkid are dazzling globally, Nickmusic is creating room for the birth and growth of more young and local talents.
Additionally, the newly launched reality TV series Inside Life with Erica on MTV Base, which details the private life of actress and former Big Brother Naija housemate Erica Nlewedim, has so far proved to be a viewers favourite as reality TV fans love the new series. Through research, we were able to explore the changing nature of audience participation and active viewership when it comes to Reality TV. Guided by this data, we created Inside Life with Erica, a show that is pushes the boundaries of this participatory culture. This smartly marries our drive to provide our viewers with premium local entertainment and original non-scripted shows. By doing this, we created the right content for the right audience and achieved success. It is imperative that brands pay more attention not just to creating content but creating for the right audience. This will have ripple effects in positioning brands for sustainability and will get the desired results from the audience.
*Sosanya is the Senior Channels Manager ViacomCBS Networks Africa.
