Why we should market Uganda

_________________

OPINION

By Elly Twineyo Kamugisha

For more than three decades, and now after the disruptions caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, Uganda has had an impressive, sustained economic growth. It has managed inflation to a single digit for almost a similar period, and improved doing business in and with Uganda by creating an enabling environment for the private sector to thrive.

The Government deliberately undertook pro-growth policies and strategies that have encouraged the private sector to invest, expand scale, produce, and sell in a market-friendly environment.

Security and expanded national road infrastructure have been among the business enablers and boosters. Security, sustained peace, and political stability for almost 40 years now is a new record for Uganda and supports the production, logistics and marketing of goods and services, which expands the economy qualitatively and quantitatively.

In a circle, the security of people and their property enhances economic growth and is a positive indicator towards economic development.

As a result of the above, the performance of our economy has expanded by over 6.6% per annum, and is poised to grow at this level.

As guided by the H.E. the President, Uganda is expected to grow from $55 billion currently to $500 billion in the next 10 years. In 10 – 15 years, we are surely moving into an advanced country status.

Marketing should not be the preserve of businesses. Places, and indeed countries, should market themselves. Again, we usually think of tourism when we think and talk about marketing a country. Tourism is part of marketing the country. Marketing a country should encompass the whole national brand, tourism, attracting investors, tourists, diaspora remittances, and promoting exports.

In marketing, there are what we have named 4Ps and 7PS. While usually 4Ps is for marketing physical products, and 7Ps for services, here I will use 7Ps since these include the previous 4Ps. First, let me briefly relate these Ps to marketing businesses.

Product or service offering is what is being offered for sale by a business. For a physical product, we can talk about its features, but we emphasise the benefits that the customers will enjoy after the purchase. For example, when you buy this fridge, it is energy efficient, so you save on power, and you don’t pollute the environment. When you pay for accommodation at this hotel, for example, all you desire is a good rest and a sleep environment.

Price is what we pay to own or use a physical product or service offering. Factors considered when determining price include: the quality (including packaging for physical products and service offer presentation/packages for services); the prices of competitors; sometimes the season or period of the year (e.g., during low season in the airlines sector airlines reduce the price of the tickets to attract passengers); and the price of substitute or related physical products or service offerings; among others.

Place (or distribution). Where can we find and acquire or use your physical product or service offering? Is it convenient to access your distribution centre or your restaurant? How can you distribute it to me physically, whether I purchase it directly at your store or online from a virtual shop?   

Promotion. These days, we talk of integrated marketing communications. Therefore, all the efforts aimed at ensuring that potential customers are made aware of what we are selling – its benefits to them, and how they can acquire it, ease of use, etc. We use branding, advertising, public relations and publicity, referrals in the services sector (where those who have already used our services recommend us to other potential customers), direct marketing, among others.

People. People are too important. These days, when businesses are hiring for Human Resources personnel, they refer to them as ‘People and Culture’ personnel (e.g., People and Culture Manager). Culture here refers to the culture of the organisation that is hiring them. Each organisation has its unique culture that brings employees together to follow that particular organisation’s strategy and style, among others.

In modern times, with a lot of technology (including robotics and AI), you have highly professional teams to produce, to offer, and deliver your physical product or service offering to customers. All staff in businesses these days are viewed as customer service staff. All staff have to understand who puts bread on their tables each day – that is, the customer. Amazon, the successful virtual shop which in its first 5 years or so was making losses, and owns no stores in its big markets of the USA and EU, has now engaged strongly in logistics management, with its own fleet in the air. Its logistics team has to be professional for the timely delivery of the company's sales.

Processes or procedures. How is the meal you want to serve prepared? How long will I have to take to get my order on the table? Is it simple or difficult to make an order?

Physical evidence. Where do you serve a good meal - in a convenient and visible restaurant or a place looking like a restaurant? What can one see and know that this is a place that has good food? All the branding – signage, dressing of staff, general appearance of the place, among others, are considered here.

Send, let us now apply the marketing approaches of the Ps to a place or country.

Product or service offering. What is the quality of what we are offering to the investors, tourists, diaspora, and those who can buy our exports? In most cases, countries focus on promoting tourism in the hope that this will attract tourists, and in turn also attract investors, diaspora, and those who can buy our exports. In marketing a country, you have to be intentional. Do you want to present tourism as an offering and get tourism receipts?

Then do it. Then you need to market and offer another marketing package for investors. Another offer for diaspora to increase their remittances back home. And another offer to buyers of our exports.

In summary, what attracts tourists is not necessarily what attracts investors, diaspora, and those who can buy exports. Like we do in businesses, you have to market the company wholly but also promote individual physical products or service offerings (and these days, we focus on our brands). Don’t forget to market the country as the national brand.

Price. You can, for example, get our quality products at prices cheaper than those you get from other countries. Let us get the actual prices of our competitors in our target markets and use them to market our products. I don’t mean price competition, but to understand the pricing of competitors is necessary.

Place (or distribution). Where can we find you? How easy can I find you? We can now comfortably tell our stakeholders that we have Uganda Airlines, and that we can be reached by airlines from India/the Middle East, and Europe, among others. We are revamping our Meter Gauge railways as we construct the standard gauge railways.

Promotion. Therefore, a country will have to promote the national brand and also tailor marketing for attracting investors, tourists, diaspora, and those who can buy exports. Generally, the Government has to promote all the goods and services produced in the country by all companies and the Government. You have the Government (and the Head of State is the chief promoter and spokesperson of the country) promoting the national brand first and foremost.

Then you have key MDAs marketing, with skilled professionals not copycats, moving in different cities and locations (physically and virtually), promoting both the national brand and their areas of specialisation/focus or mandate (e.g., investment promotion, export promotion, tourism promotion, and diaspora desks). In Government, people in MDAs are occupied and sometimes obsessed with mandates, even sometimes encroaching on others' mandates, that they forget their national brand.

In both merchandise and trade in services, for example, Government Agencies responsible for the development, promotion and coordination of export activities must be available to give imprimatur (seal of approval) to Ugandan goods in foreign markets. This can, among others, be in the form of letters to recommend producers and exporters to foreign buyers, where we confirm that these are Ugandan goods or services.  Let me state that marketing does not come cheap. Go ask the businesses which have successfully promoted their brands.

We note, however, that it cannot be avoided. Uganda has reached a stage where its Uganda Brand needs to bring in a lot of revenue from tourism, exports, FDI, and remittances, and change the fortunes of everyone living in this country (whether citizens or residents).

It is time to undertake serious marketing to differentiate the Uganda Brand from others in Africa and in the world, to persuade, to remind/reassure, and inform those whom we want to take an interest in this brand. Let us promote Uganda as different from any country in the world. Companies differentiate their brands from others in the marketplace. Countries have to do the same. With regard to tourism, travel magazines and other media have ranked Uganda as one of the world’s best destinations. Can we promote Uganda much like the “Car you must drive before you die?”

People. Government employees, both full-time employees (civil servants) and contractors (public servants), matter for marketing Uganda. They deliver the services required for the success of the country. We need them to be professionals who know why we're here to promote Uganda as ‘the only girl in town’. Like companies, let us select them carefully depending on the areas in which we require them to be. This is a competition in politics. You have to thoroughly understand your physical product or service that you offering to potential buyers (buyers vote with their pockets).

Processes or procedures:  How is the meal you want to serve prepared? How long will I have to take to get my order on the table?

Physical evidence: present and promote the symbols of your national brand, and let the brand stand out in the international trade/target market crowd. Be distinct. Show that you are clear about what you represent.

Lastly, let's discuss noise. Noise is any disruptions in our promotions/communications, and it can be the competitors’ promotions. In the country, we can see this noise as unwanted and disruptive information distracting from our efforts to promote the national brand.

The writer is an Economist, Fellow of Marketing – CIM UK, Fellow of Procurement & Supply – CIPS UK, author, and former Executive Director of UEPB which was merged with UFZA to form UFZEPA.

More information on this topic can be obtained free from https://www.twineyo.com; and https://www.investug.com