The modern advertising space is nothing like we knew ten years ago. Well, not really, but a lot has changed, although advertising agencies still have to search for talent and follow some conventional paths.
But, like everything else, social media has caused a disruption that must be navigated. The disruption is that influencers are playing a big role in pushing brands and this path has its challenges.
Taking advantage of this trend, Wowzi, a Kenyan startup founded in 2020 is working to connect influencers at all levels with advertising agencies and brands.
The brainchild of Brian Mogeni, Mike Otieno and Dr Hassan Bashir, Wowzi uses a self-serve online platform where brands take advantage of thousands of loyal fans and influencers to push their brands.
“Wowzi is building and grooming trusted influencer networks and organizing niche communities online and offline, offering brands the most powerful targeting platform available in emerging markets.” Co-founder Brian Mogeni, told online publication Disrupt Africa.
Wowzi uses Artificial Intelligence(AI) to learn as much as it can about social media users before deciding the best way to connect with their audiences.
“Going far beyond AI-matching tools, our end to end managed service for automating massive influencer campaigns offers a new layer of marketing for brands at a scale that’s never been possible before,” Mogeni said.
Wowzi is already being used by brands such as Netflix, Safaricom, Diageo, Coca-Cola, P&G and Absa. Their ability to engage several influencers at a time sorts a major challenge for many brands. The platform also sorts problems related to pricing, contracting, talent management, job fulfillment, and understanding ROI.
With a database of 70,000 influencers in Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania, Wowzi is cutting a formidable space in uncharted waters.
In December 2021, the startup raised $2 million in seed funding to expand its digital marketplace across Africa. This round brings the total amount raised by the startup to $3.2 million having raised another $1.2 pre-seed round last year. In the same year, the startup announced plans to create one million gig jobs for African youth in 2022 after successfully delivering over 150,000 paid jobs in 2021.
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