DOWN TO EARTH

I open You Tube and there is a 45 second advertisement on the new Samsung Galaxy S4 phone. It looks very familiar… ah, now I remember. About a month ago Samsung were advertising their new galaxy camera in the same 45 second way. They show the camera spinning. It spins… and spins… this ad is all about aestheticism. It is the same with the S4 with a few changes like more words and a few features.

I am a professional photographer besides being a marketer. I had the opportunity to get my hands on the Samsung Galaxy camera. It is a startling white; I felt like Kylie Minogue singing Love at First Sight. 

It’s one of the best looking cameras I have ever seen. Its features: it has seamless connectivity, meaning you can send pictures by literally anything (social media, Wi-Fi etc.). It has a SIM card! It acts like has full functions of a DSLR camera; shutter speed, ISO, aperture and is fully touch. It can give the Canon 1D a run for its money with that touch screen.  Simply put, the camera is amazing.

Now this is my bone of contention; no, no, my skeleton of contention. When you are advertising electronic devices, please show what the device does. Samsung, c’mon. You can come up with a better advertisement than that. Do not misunderstand me; your products (especially the Galaxy camera. It’s super-duper fly) are great. However, the advert to someone who has never seen the phone live will not appreciate it and know its true broad functionality. Samsung has chosen to name their phone series GALAXY; there is nothing galactic about their commercials or promotions. When you hear the word galaxy the first thing that comes to mind is celestial bodies but no; the adverts are just down to earth.

If it was up to me to market the Samsung Galaxy series this is who you would see in major bus stops around the country starting with Kencom; something out of this world.

Samsung gets a 4 out of ten.

MINGLE MINGLE MINGLE!

Yes, I have been gone for a while. 

My first event of the year: The Mingle, held at Nairobi Racecourse. It is supposed to be an event that people meet, flirt, play games  - kwa ufupi, have fun.

I arrive at the entrance and there is an army of security officers (G4S, to be exact -  but not the ones you see in town. These guys were big and looked like they take pleasure in rearranging dental formula). At the end of the queue they give me a wrist tag. Past that, two young ladies dressed in Heineken football jerseys hand me a bottle of Heineken. I like it already and I’m not even inside!

There is green everywhere, i.e. Heineken everywhere; tents, posters, etc. I find the Heineken VIP lounge. Ladies and tables and couches. Heineken couches, I kid you not. This whole time there is loud music and swarms of people passing me by; I am stuck in a green moment and I take a sip. It almost feels like I am in a brewery with all this branding; in my head, Daniel Craig is about to show up any minute now. After the successful Heineken campaign, anything is possible, right? Teaming up with the Mingle was also an excellent marketing idea, seeing as all of Nairobi and their mother wants to go for it after it became marketing. I am of the opinion that marketing should hit you like those cold high school showers asubuhi asubuhi; and I think that is what Heineken is slowly but surely managing to achieve.

I give Heineken a clean ten out of ten.

I have said it a thousand times. East Africa Breweries Limited should up their game. Yes, they have a bigger market share and are not as aggressive as Heineken, but…why are we still doing Pilsner Pool Challenge, which has been there since I was in primary?

I can’t wait to see what Heineken will do for the Champions League Final!