Lessons from Teacher Wanjiku about running your business

Airtel commercial director Neil Leo Suares with comedian Teacher Wanjiku during a past function. The comedian has built her brand effectively. FILE

By Boniface Ngahu

IN SUMMARY
Identify target market and use your imagination to grow.

The comedian Teacher Wanjiku has become common in advertisements and everyday discussions. The Churchill Show comedian has since featured in Airtel and Blue Band adverts.

We were having a chat with my friends about her where we realised that she picked a relevant theme in marketing her act.

One of the lessons for businesses from her is about targeting. Since a business cannot serve the whole market effectively it is advisable to target a segment that is large enough to be economically viable.

In the case of teacher Wanjiku, almost everyone has been exposed to a teacher. This makes it easy to relate with her role.

Secondly, none of the other comedians has chosen a similar role, meaning she picked an area that is not exploited. Likewise, a business should select segments that are not adequately addressed or what we would call uncontested markets.

Winston Churchill once said that a joke is a serious thing and it follows that the business of making people laugh should be taught in business schools. The fact that advertisers have picked the comedian to help them get consumers attention should inspire any business person.

In comedy one needs to think beyond the ordinary. Businessmen likewise need to learn to apply more imagination than money in solving enterprise problems.

Equiped with a piece of chalk, a black board and regular dressing, Teacher Wanjiku has put a smile on many Kenyan faces.

If you want to learn from her business model, you need also to pay attention to popular music themes too. You can identify impactful trends by simply listening to trending music. There are many songs that mock or appreciate teachers, one of them being Teacher! Teacher! often played during the Churchill Show.

A recent song about whether you would rather cry in upmarket Runda or laugh in Kibera slums points at growing affluence and materialism in the Kenyan society.

Businesses that tap into the materialism in the upmarket segment or the happiness in the slums will make money regardless of the economy.

Market Talk has also been highlighting unconventional economic indicators. One of those indicators is the toughness of the advertising messages.

Apart from Unilever — the makers of Blue Band — using the comedian in their ads, they have also sued the competition in detergents for implying that Omo does not remove stains in one wash like Ariel does.

With the new VAT Act impacting negatively on inflation, we are likely to see some difficult economic times before we stabilise.

We are also going to experience a more competitive environment as brands strive to remain afloat and relevant. The fact that the economy grew at a slower pace in last quarter should be a good sign that the toughness of advertising messages should be watched closely.