Advertising can't solve everything

The 'Tunaweza' campaign is to my mind a classic example of the misconception that advertising can solve every problem. Very often, the truth is, it can't.

The 'Tunaweza' campaign is further a classic example of the kind of social-behaviour change campaign that is so beloved of NGO-types and ad agencies in this our Nairobi. In the case of the former, I suspect that the 'love' arises from the ease with which such campaigns allow one to demonstrate to one's boss in Helsinki/Rotterdam/Boston that one is hard at work and truly deserves the new Prado, whilst in the case of ad agencies, we love them because they tend to have big budgets and no accountability (with regard to quantifiable results.)

I am not against the category (social-behavior change campaigns) per se, it is just that I often find them to be naive in the extreme.

The example shown here relates to over-crowding and over-speeding in the public transport sector. It is fairly well established that the root cause of this problem in said sector has more to do with the perverse incentive scheme under which drivers and conductors operate than an unnecessarily docile commuting public. Furthermore, the sector is one in which demand far outstrips supply, thus putting all the 'power' in the hands of the suppliers...

Whenever you set out to develop an ad campaign, I think that it is crucial to be very clear in your mind what exactly you want it to achieve. In the case of the Tunaweza campaign, I do not think that this clarity exists. It is all very well, and indeed very simple, to lecture people about their need to 'stand up for their rights.' The process of lecturing does not however mean that you are going to solve the underlying problem.

And this really is the long and the short of it. What problem are you trying to solve? In every campaign, this is the first question that must be answered. Sometimes, in answering this question one will be forced to the realization that an ad campaign will not provide the solution that you are looking for. In the case of 'Tunaweza', I don't think that the campaign will solve the problems of the matatu sector - this is the field of legislation, enforcement, economics and business models. Truth be told, the money spent on the Tunaweza campaign would have been better spent buying matatus, as until there is equilibrium between supply and demand consumers will remain in a position of powerlessness.

The issue of problem-solving is one that frequently pops up in the ad game. An ad campaign won't sell more cars if the problem is that the cars are shoddily made. An ad campaign won't sell more sweets if the problem is that the sweets are only available in three kiosks countrywide. An ad campaign won't reverse a businesses' losses if the problem is theft within the business.

Advertising can't solve everything, and for us in the Nairobi ad game to be treated as professionals we have to start having more honest conversations with our clients about what we can and cannot in actuality do for them. Get over the pressure of quarterly targets, and remember that a client who comes to trust you will be a client for life.

N.B. I instinctively cannot stand preachy ads. Nobody on the planet likes to be preached to, and one of the secrets of great advertising is that it gets us to change our minds without us realizing that we have changed our minds. Communication is one of the most subtle of artforms, but there is nothing subtle about this campaign. It's obvious, and it's moralizing, a bit like a bad pastor. The TV ads were well shot though, by the guys at quitebrightfilms...