Cheat sheet: 18 green marketing tactics that (don’t) work in Africa

These work well: 

• Credit (buy now, pay later)

• Neighbourhood canvassing

• Entertaining public events 

• Product placement on TV

• Social media campaigns

• Hiring online influencers

• Live product demonstrations 

• Customer testimonials

• Discounts & cash rewards

These rarely work: 

• Guilt (Africans have fewer climate sins to atone for)

• Search engine optimisation (lack of expertise)

• Online ads (often lack targeting data)

• Run a blog (social is more popular)

• Coupons (undermined by fraud)

• Traditional print media (ailing)

• Billboards (effective but disproportionately expensive)

• Direct mail and buying mailing lists (usually no mail)

• Creating an affiliate program (lack of trust)