You know things, you do!

My take is corruption. We are so prone to short-cuts, you'll find them everywhere. A client will want a great ad for the price of a cheap one.
An ad company will want to maximize its profits, this by underpaying staff, minimizing costs while over billing.
Add this to a populace that pirates and opts for the cheapest products, and you have a kitchen that churns out the crappiest of things. Ads included.

My take is, to get great, on our own, it will take another two or three generations. Even our 'Nairobi Half Life' Oscar nominee is not entirely our own

Having worked in an ad agency, I can attest that you've hit the nail 100% on the head. It's still continuing to today and that's why I know there's a lot of potential and opportunity for start-ups and new investment in the ad industry. Because as most of you have earlier noted, creativity is lacking yet that's all businesses pay ad agencies for.

That's what makes marketing to this generation interesting.

Is marketing to children ethical?

Depends on the maturity of the kids.
Marketing anything to kids, whose world revolve around want want and more want is unhealthy.
A child thinks about now/today and desires to fulfill that cz tomorrow is not in their vocabulary.
But kids needs freedom of expression and choice.
That must be exercised in a guided manner.

It's business and for it to thrive, money must come in.
We all know how convincing and demanding children can be.
A parent will most likely give in to pressure from the kid than from the marketer.
So who do you target? the children.
At that point the resposibility is the parent's.

No it is not ethical in Kenya and most countries in the world. That said, there's a very thin line and loopholes in marketing especially in advertising because kids get attracted to visual and moving pictures (video) more than adults not forgetting the fact that they are more curious, impressionable and have very active imaginations. I'm not even worried about the things made for kids, it's the other stuff that 'not targeted' to them but get to them.

What marketers do is pretend to do adverts targeted at the mother eg in juices, chocolates and sweets while we all know the truth. The placement of items in the shelves of supermarkets and at the till will also tell you a lot on who is being targeted, just observe the next time you visit a supermarket.

Another dark side most people don't know is recruitment to brands happens earlier in life when people are still impressionable and don't be surprised if you find yourself taking a Tusker because your father drunk that or you saw an advert 10yrs ago that stuck in your head.

Recruitment into brands happen earlier in life. By the time you're 15yrs your mind is made up on most of the brands you'll need -most are the brands your parents used as humans are creatures of habit - eg toothpaste, electronics, cooking oil, lotions, cars, schools etc. (just try think about it) You will only experiment later on with similar brands that offer better technology, innovations or new insight that get you emotionally.

Understanding the inquiry.The problem with sales is that people are more concerned about getting what they want i.e. money rather than understanding what the client wants.Look at Wazua,people look for recommendations and reviews on products because many sales personnel either don't know or won't share the information.The faster you understand the client and her/his situation,the easier it becomes on both parties.Once the needs of the clients are established next is to inform and direct the client to the appropriate product.

In the end its a negotiation,know what you have and are willing and capable to offer and know what the client wants and is willing and capable to part with.Interest in the client and the possible satisfaction derived from the product will also go a long way to ensure repeat customers and recommendations.



You can never know who a client is.They can pretend and actually purchase the product just to understand the inner workings of your venture.Price cutting isn't usually a good strategy unless you can produce cheaply than the competitor or have deep pockets to wear down the competition.My 2cents,don't pay too much attention to your competitors because thats where everything goes wrong.Don't lose focus on whose 'king'.In the long run gimmicks won't work because clients will eventually find and reward the person satisfying them.

That's what makes marketing to this generation interesting.