Advertising in Ghana: Innovation or Irritation?

Well this post is inspired by my visit to Accra Mall today. I'm using Email to Blogger and Gmail App doesn't allow HTML email so bear with me until I go 'online' to format links properly.

Advertising in some aspects is still in its infancy but since multinationals spend huge amounts on advertsisng we are now in an 'Ad Boom'. The question is where do we draw the line and when does advertising stop being innovative and starts irritating.

I think there's a thin line and I will leave you to personally decide but today on my way to the washrooms at Accra Mall I saw no less than3 ad 'systems' at work.

On the walls in the corridor were some wall-mounted ads (Ecobank had taken it), at the end of the corridor a guy was 'lurking' and handing out flyers.(He'd better watch out for germs). Inside the washroom above the urinal basins were ad spaces (face ads is the name of the company) and two had been taken by Marie Stopes ( Sexual, Family Health and Pregnacy awareness) with some STI ads. There was a bigger one showing a 'business card online printing service'.

My thoughts are that well if we're going to have such ads how about a little context, say a hygiene product or if you're a general business like a bank how about a "have u closed your zipper? We pay attention to the little details,bring your business and money to us" kind campaign. No context makes such ads a 'No Win' for me. For example, I need business cards so why didn't I copy the url or address, because I only remembered after I had washed my hands and left and then going back felt odd.

Another ad system at the Accra Mall is 'bluetooth advertising' (someone please try and tell) which excited me to no end the first day I saw it but my BalckBerry is probably preventing access (sob sob).

But thinking through I feel it has similar challenges to the Google SMS service as Tim Akinbo (@takinbo) stated in this blog post ( See my comments below the post)

I feel that 'tech' stuff in themselves will not excite people. Bring on the 'discount coupons' and you have a service. I will 'hack' my BB bluetooth security settings just to get '50%' off Levi's jeans! I'm even thinking of interactive ways of using the bluetooth like allow uploads of funny clips shot at the mall and display, sponsored by Nokia or something.

One person who may have something to say is Amos Anyimadu
(@AfricaTalks) who thinks Ghana is now the capital of 'ugly big
billboards' (via Twitter). I will pose the question to him and update with response.

What do you think? Any thoughts on advertising in Ghana?

--
Sent from my mobile device

Random thoughts on Ex-gratia, vetting...

This post is inspired partially by this blog post
(http://akuamoahboateng.wordpress.com/2009/02/23/transition-09/ )and
partially by ECG. Yes, ECG! There's 'light off' as we say in Ghana and
my phone is the only thing alive.

Like the title states random thoughts and I contradict myself plenty of times.

Ex-gratia: I think the issue about the 'amounts and numbers' of money
and items must be treated delicately.

What, cars and houses?
Look I also agree it would be better if the State Protocol Department
would host the ex-presidents 'guests'.

But what happens when the SPD boss gets 'annoyed' with an
ex-president. Our societal nuances, lack of political maturity and
other issues means if this alt route is used it must be made into law,
else President Jimmy Carter visiting President Kuffuor sucessfully
depends on the whims of the SPD boss and how he feels about the
ex-president and the same will apply for President Mills if NPP is in
power.

$1 milion Foundation?
If we can build a system to ensure the foundation is not abused it
could be good. President Mills we know loves sports and it means we
will probably get a 1 million dollar sports education fund or a 1
million dollar boxing training academy, etc. What about President
Jerry Rawlings who loves Art. Ghana's first art school perhaps?

So why can't they do this while in government? Because we need a 1
million storage facility in the North, or clean, drinking water
or...... You can't indulge yourself with things you like when in
power. Out of power they can ensure something they are passionate
about gets done.

Wait a minute you say, $ 1 million, you mean 1/60th of the minimum
capitalisation of foreign banks as stated by BoG or 1/600th of the
estimated cost of the Boankra Inland Port (my dream project for job
creation) but we don't have that kind of money to waste!

Well since a foundation and a fund are cousins or at least related
and the most sucessful schemes of recent times are all fund based
(GETFund, NHIS) maybe we should find the money.

Vetting papa paa!!!
I am worried about the vetting process and yet it was a powerful
'state of the mindset' address'

I dare not doubt the character, competence and experince of the
nominees after all I have not yet achieved anything near what most of
them have done. Here's what I learnt.

Tax: the most feared 3 letter word in America, UK don't scare nobody
here in Ghana. The honourable nominee for Women & Childrens
Affair was (she has resigned hopeful as she said) Chairman of an NGOn
actually I think she registered it, and didn't know NGOs have a tax
obligation. Most people live a tax free life and who suffers, Mr
Highway, Mrs Clean Water and their children who are now on Social
Welfare! I think any government that can increase the number of people
paying taxes will do well. I think President Mills agrees with mw on
this as he"s set up a supervisory board. Another board!

Talking of boards, why did the president rush to disslove public
boards handicapping some of the activities of the organisations who
need boards to approve funds (hint:NHIS is one such og).

Anyway. CV. How can big men and women, accomplished so much have such
awful CVs. Full of typos, inconsistencies, all live on national TV.

Oopss or rather Yes!
The power is back and I will leave off my musings to do some work
(maybe a short movie then, work).

Just before I go.

ECG. They do this too much. They say theu need some plenty money($149
million just for the south, I must check the fig) to fix the power
cuts. Yesterday their Manager incharge of Debts was smiling while
telling us people owed them almost $20 million from as far back as
2005 (a single company owed 78,000)
Well hope the conversational manner of this blog is refreshingly
different from my other posts! More powercuts right!

--
Sent from my mobile device

Wireless Ghana, bridging the Digital Divide.

Much has been said about the 'digital divide' and how it excludes
Africa from participating fully in the revolution that is happening
through and on the internet. Although a myriad of issues ( See my post) contribute to the digital divide, one major issue has been Affordable
Access, especially in rural Africa.

Well I am enthused but suprised to stumble on Wireless Ghana, a project using ad hoc MESH networks to provide affordable internet and wide area connectiity to rural communities.

Why surprised? Because it has taken me this long to even hear of such
an initiative. If there is anyone reading who has prior knowledge of
this project why have you not continued to make noise.

Two main things I love about this initiative;

1. Action, Not words, policy, unconferences....

Wireless Ghana has the tagline "interconnectivity for West African
communities" and they are delivering small steps at a time.

The project was lauched in 2005 and currently operates a 20km wide
MESH network (Akwapim Community Wireless Network) using Open Source software and commercial network and PC hardware to share a 128 kbps VSAT internet
access across ten nodes.

It benefits schools, NGOs,small business owners across 6 towns in the Akwapim District of the Eastern Region of Ghana.

2. SMART and DIRTY!

The MESH network is built using;

a. Open Source Software: CUWiNWare (Champaign-Urbana Community Wireless Network)

b. Antenna: Rugged (probably local made) well suited for the terrain

c. Routers: Old unwanted PCs and New Wireless Cards (recycle, reuse)

I love this hands-on, hack stuff together approach because its about
using what's available and usual lowers cost.

( See Flickr Album)

So who are the people behind it?

Three people manage it;
Project Director: Mr. John Atkinson (Peace Corps Ghana); doubles as teacher.

Project co-ordinator; Mr. Gideon Kofi Amoah

Chief Officer of Technology: Mr. Ebenezer Boateng.

Ultimately it belongs to the whole community.

--
Sent from my mobile device

Twestival : The Power of Social Media

First I must admit shame that I made a mistake of assuming twestival was for only US and Europe and did not even bother to read a post on it in my Google Reader.

So, what is Twestival ?

On 12 February 2009 175+ cities around the world will be hosting Twestivals which bring together Twitter communities for an evening of fun and to raise money and awareness for charity: water

This is a manifestation of what innovative use of Social Media channels can do in all areas of our life. Twitter is everywhere and using that huge community for charity is brilliant, smart and powerful.

Twestival, the brainchild of a handful of twitter.com users, debuted in London in September, 2008. Intended to be a local networking affair where attendees could meet their contemporaries behind twitter avatars while also doing it’s bit for charity, it has evolved into much more.

Participants will gather in cities all over the world, joining forces to raise money for CharityWater.org, a nonprofit organization bringing clean, safe drinking water to people in developing nations. Real people, real time, real power to make a difference.

Source:FPR

I believe I have not read any posts or tweets ( I will do a more comprehensive search later) about Ghanaian twitterers getting involved.

Lagos is hosting a Twestival thanks toFrancis Oghuma (@qubestreet) and it has put Lagos on the Map. The other African locations are: Johannesburg, Cape Town and Lusaka.

Accra it seems will not be part of Twestival and sadly I may be as much to blame as any other twitterer in Ghana. This would have been an opportunity to firmly register Accra on the Twitter map since we could have generated hashtags to last months pointing to Ghanaian twitterers and Accra itself.

I sadly have to say GO LAGOS. I am officially a Lagos Twestivalian!!

LESSON: In this Global era of Social Media never assume you cannot be a part of any event. If I had just paid more attention a week ago, my trip to Accra would have read:

1. Get Klustrs.com marketing material to University of Ghana, Legon

2. Attend TWESTIVAL ACCRA .........

Here is my attempt to make up for my shame!




I hope all Twestivals are a huge success.
People Power Rules!

Why so serious? Blogs of a MIghTy African: BarCamp Ghana 08 - It's only the beginning

Why so serious? Blogs of a MIghTy African: BarCamp Ghana 08 - It's only the beginning

BarCampGhana 08: My Thoughts

I apologise profusely (plenty, plenty, plenty) for not being able to blog about BarcampGhana08 until now, especially since I was a panelist for social media.I could make up excuses saying Klustrs.com is taking all my time but I won't. Forgive me and lets move on.

BarCamp Ghana 08 at the Kofi Annan Center of Excellence (AITI-KACE) was for me one of the best meetings, conferences or anything of that nature I have been to, flaws inclusive. I enjoy informal networking activities (although enough don't happen in Ghana) and this was one of the most informal events I have been to.

It was great meeting people who share the same views and the same Lets-Make-IT-work in Ghana / Africa spirit. Yes it was Great. It was especially nice to meet a Nubian Cheetah(Nii Simmons) and David of davidajao.com (someone next to me is reading this post by David) and best of all I met in flesh someone who had commented on one of our blogs, Esi Cleland.

My first impressions Of BarCampGhana was that it would be fun, when an Afro man welcomes you to an event, its got to be FUN! The only downside for me at the beginning was that I was a panelist, who was late and had no idea what was about to happen .

I felt more at home after the first introduction sessions and mingling (beauty always overshadows fear)and once up there on the panel for social media I felt right at home among people talking about topics I LOVE!

What Did I learn from the Barcamp?

PANELS: Social Media

I realised that most bloggers have a problem knowing whether anybody out there cares (David, Esi and Nii, ignore this). It is a very disorienting experience to blog and not get responses to the issues.

This is what was suggested.

1. Be Consistent. Blog as consistently as you watch the episodes of your favorite television show. This also translates to 'Blog about something you LOVE'. Choose a category of technology you love and talk about it. (David said this)

2. Use other Social Media channels. This simply equates to Facebook, Facebook, Facebook. Ok, there are other ways to get your blogs on fire. Create correct tags for the content and do a googlle search to see if your posts turn up for those tags. Writing thoughtful comments and contributions on other blogs may get you started.

3. Get a Statistics tool. There are many ways to know if you are all alone or not on your blog. Ask Esi she has one on her blog. (Esi said this)

4. Social Media is not only Blogging. YES I knew this already but it was refreshing to see Alan come up with a video device to help promote citizen media. ( I like Alan, he's a busy man. Google Mapmaker)

5. For Lazy Bones. Start with small tiny chunks of telling your story and gradually build yourself up to become big. Simply put, if you're lazy start with Twitter. ( I said this in response to a question)


BREAKOUT SESSIONS: Entrepreneurship & Collaboration

1. Plenty Plenty Ameri-Ghanaians. It was very very obvious from a lot of the introductions and interaction that the US connection was tight. There were a lot of Ghanaians back from the US or planning on moving back to Ghana from the US at BarCampGhana. Is the credit crunch bringing talent back? If Yes, then I'm all for it. (Forgive Me)

2. Ghana is about to explode. If the aspirations and hopes of all the participants in this breakout session are realized even 50%, then Ghana my beloved Country is about to explode with New Age Business (Web 2.0 Ghana style).


KEYNOTES

I think all three speakers were Great.

1. BSL (Ebay,Paypal: the Zulu Warroir style). Chinery Hesse gave a good business minded speech on how he got where he is and where he is going with his new service, a payment and e-commerce business model, done within an African context.

1. Nubian Cheetah. George Ayittey spoke at BarCampGhana to tell us, ain't no government going to make it right, only WE can make it right.

2. Estelle Sowah. Love the CEO of BusyInternet. I think if more higher ups gave us such frank, warm, FUN speeches more people would realise that, Yes it is Hard but it is Worth IT. She had no idea how she was going to manage BusyInternet, but she took the challenge and what do we have one of Ghana's biggest ISP providers.


Finally, My next Post will try to Aggregate as many Links to BarCampGhana as I can in an hour. Wish Me Luck!


Justin Dakorah & Nana Kwabena Owusu, Klustrs.com

BarCamp 08: LIVE

I'm at the BarCamp 08 event at the Kofi Annan ICT center and blogging LIVE.

The current speaker is advocating that during our discussions we should focus on building 'BRAND GHANA".

I will update during the day.

Oops, Forgot met David Ajao of davidajao.com

Barcamp has really been good so far. We just went for lunch and we are having a key note address

I have so much to blog about I will do it tonight.