G. Kofi Annan is a man on a mission. As a marketer and entrepreneur he is attempting the ultimate challenge: to change his target market’s perceptions through an elaborate exercise of re-branding. But wait, there’s more: what Kofi is trying to re-brand is not just a product but a continent: he is trying to change the negative stereotypes about Africa.
Battling the Stereotypes
An African himself (he was born in Ghana), Mr. Annan knows that there is more to Africa than the stories of hunger, war, disease and corruption that we see and hear in the mainstream media every day. By helping people and companies bridge the gap between cultures, he is leading the way in uncovering new experiences and business opportunities.
How Is He Doing It
Kofi believes that he can use pop culture to spread a different, positive message about Africa, and his vehicle of choice is his own upscale, African-themed line of street wear: Annansi Clothing Co. He also publishes a blog: Annansi Chronicles, where he reports on the fashion, style, and business trends ushering a new image of Africa.
Unlike other companies that use blogs as just a way to attract buyers for their main product lines, the goal of Kofi’s blog is not only to generate sales of his clothing products. Both the blog and his clothing line are vehicles working together for a higher purpose: changing the market’s perception of Africa and reinforcing Kofi’s position as a thought leader on the subject.
Using Social Media for Branding
The way Kofi uses social media to build his brand is almost as fascinating as his story. Using social media to build brands is something that we talk about a lot in this blog, and Kofi’s case is probably one of the best examples of how to do it right.
His blog has hundreds of thoughtful and well researched posts. He embeds You Tube videos, encourages comments, includes links to bookmark his posts and offers a list of related posts at the end of each entry.
His subscription options (both RSS and Email) are clearly visible at the top of the sidebar. His About page show a prominent link to his LinkedIn profile where you can find more information about his endevours. There is also a link to his Facebook page and a Flickr widget where you can see pictures of events where he has participated. His blog is also highly rated in Technorati, the popular search engine for blogs.
As far as social media is concerned, Kofi is pulling all the stops.
Plans for the Future
Re-branding Africa is a full time job, and one that Kofi seems to enjoy very much. The experience that he is acquiring, though, may bring with it many other opportunities. It wouldn’t be a stretch for Mr. Annan to brand-extend himself as an expert adviser for companies that are tackling difficult branding problems. After all, if you can re-brand a continent anything else should be a walk in the park…
