Abstract
What comes to mind when you hear about Africa? Not surprised most people perceive Africa as a country, oblivious to the fact it is made up of several sovereign nations. The prevalent perception about Africa is that of poverty, war, pestilence, and primitivity. However, with many opportunities being presented about the continent, especially its impending contribution to the global economy there is a need to question whether the prevalent perception is accurate and if not, how to ensure that the opinions and thinking the rest of the world has of Africa and her countries needs to be changed. In this regard, this chapter aims to discuss Africa’s context as a brand and recognise the inherent challenges and the existing perception that has shaped the brand. This chapter contributes to existing knowledge on place branding, especially from a continent perspective and presents practical implications relevant for practitioners, policymakers and place branding researchers.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.
Buying options
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Learn about institutional subscriptionsReferences
2Africa. (2021). About. [Online] https://www.2africacable.com/about. Accessed 2 February 2021.
Aaker, D. A. (2009). Managing brand equity. Simon and Schuster‚ New York.
Abdulquadri, A., Mogaji, E., Kieu, T. A.‚ & Nguyen, N. P. (2021). Digital transformation in financial services provision: A Nigerian perspective to the adoption of chatbot. Journal of Enterprising Communities: People and Places in the Global Economy, 15(2), 258–281. https://doi.org/10.1108/JEC-06-2020-0126
Adekoya, R. (2013, November 28). Why Africans worry about how Africa is portrayed in Western media. Retrieved from The Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/nov/28/africans-worry-how-africa-portrayed-western-media
Adum, A. N., Emmanuel, N. M., & Ojiakor, O. E. (2015). Towards media of Africa by Africans and for Africans. Journal of African Studies, 1–9.
Aitken, R., & Campelo, A. (2011). The four Rs of place branding. Journal of Marketing Management, 27(9–10), 913–933.
BrandAfrica. 2021. About Us. [Online] https://www.brandafrica.net/AboutUs.aspx. Accessed 2 February 2021.
Dearden, L. (2015, July 23). Kenyans ridicule US network CNN on Twitter for ‘hotbed of terror’ report. Retrieved from Independent: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/someonetellcnn-kenyans-ridicule-us-network-twitter-hotbed-terror-report-10410337.html
Donou-Adonsou, F., & Lim, S. (2018). On the importance of Chinese investment in Africa. Review of Development Finance, 8(1), 63–73.
Dwyer, M., & Molony, T. (2019, August 14). Analysis across Africa shows how social media is changing politics. Retrieved from The Conversation: https://theconversation.com/analysis-across-africa-shows-how-social-media-is-changing-politics-121577
Endong, F. (2018). Cinema Globalization and nation branding: An exploration of the impact of Nollywood on the Nigerian image crisis. Journal of Globalization Studies, 9(1), 77–90.
Eugenio-Vela, J., Ginesta, X., & Kavaratzis, M. (2020). The critical role of stakeholder engagement in a place branding strategy: A case study of the Empordà brand. European Planning Studies, 28(7), 1393–1412.
Freire, J. (2014). Place branding in Africa. Place Branding and Public Diplomacy, 10, 32–34.
Gökerik, M., et al. (2018). Surprise me with your ads! The impacts of guerrilla marketing in social media on brand image. Asia Pacific Journal of Marketing and Logistics, 30(5), 1222–1238.
Hanna, S., & Rowley, J. (2008). An analysis of terminology use in place branding. Place Branding and Public Diplomacy, 4(1), 61–75.
Isike, C., & Omotoso, S. A. (2017). Reporting Africa: The role of the media in (un)shaping democratic agenda. In A. Olukotun & S. A. Omotoso, Political Communication in Africa (pp. 209–227). Springer.
Jamme, M. (2011, June 17). Africa’s new generation is using social media to push for change. Retrieved from The Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/poverty-matters/2011/jun/17/social-media-transforming-communication-africa
Kemp, E., Childers, C., & Williams, K. (2012). Place branding: Creating self-brand connections and brand advocacy. Journal of Product & Brand Management, 21(7), 508–515.
Kerr, G. (2006). From destination brand to location brand. Journal of Brand Management, 13, 276–283.
Kieu, T., et al. (2020). Moving from research to practice: Marketing higher education in Africa. In E. Mogaji, F. Maringe, & R. Hinson (Eds.), Strategic marketing of higher education in Africa. Routledge.
Kimenyi, M. S. (2016). An African Union for an Emerging Continent: Reforms to Increase Effectiveness. Retrieved from Brookings: https://www.brookings.edu/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/african-union-kimenyi-2.pdf
Kotler, P., & Keller, K. (2016). Marketing management‚ (15th ed). Upper Saddle River‚ NJ‚ Pearson.
Kwemo, A. B. (2017, April 20). Making Africa Great Again: Reducing aid dependency. Retrieved from Brookings: https://www.brookings.edu/blog/africa-in-focus/2017/04/20/making-africa-great-again-reducing-aid-dependency/
Mallonee, L. (2018). The Techies Turning Kenya Into a Silicon Savannah. Retrieved from Wired: https://www.wired.com/story/kenya-silicon-savannah-photo-gallery/
Mkono, M. (2018, May 24). Changing the African narrative through social media platforms. Retrieved from The Conversation: https://theconversation.com/changing-the-african-narrative-through-social-media-platforms-97097
Mogaji, E. (2021). Brand management: An introduction through storytelling. Palgrave.
Ndofirepi, E., Farinloye, T., & Mogaji, E. (2020). Marketing mix in a heterogenous higher education market: A case of Africa. In E. Mogaji, F. Maringe, & R. E. Hinson (Eds.), Understanding the Higher Education Market in Africa. Routledge.
Nguyen, N. (2020). Can we brand a pandemic? Should we? The case for corona virus, COVID‐19 or SARS‐CoV‐2. Journal of Public Affairs, e2546.
Njugunah, M. (2021, January 12). British Model Naomi Campbell Appointed Magical Kenya International Ambassador. Retrieved from Capital: https://www.capitalfm.co.ke/business/2021/01/british-model-naomi-campbell-appointed-magical-kenya-international-ambassador/
Norman Lear Center. (2018). Africa in the Media. Retrieved from Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism: https://www.mediaimpactproject.org/africa-in-media.html
Olaleye, S., Ukpabi, D., & Mogaji, E. (2020). Public vs private Universities in Nigeria: Market dynamics perspective. In E. Mogaji, F. Maringe, & R. E. Hinson (Eds.), Understanding the higher education market in Africa. Routledge.
Onuzulike, U. (2014). Nollywood video film’s impact on Nigerian and other African environments and cultures. Explorations in Media Ecology, 13(3–4), 285–298.
Osei, C., & Gbadamosi, A. (2011). Re-branding Africa. Marketing Intelligence & Planning, 284–304.
Papadopoulos, N., & Hamzaoui-Essoussi, L. (2015). Place images and nation branding in the African context: Challenges, opportunities, and questions for policy and research. Africa Journal of Management, 1–24.
Poncian, J. (2015). The persistence of Western negative perceptions about Africa: Factoring in the role of Africans. Journal of African Studies and Development, 72–80.
Scerri, E., et al. (2018). Did our species evolve in subdivided populations across Africa, and why does it matter? Trends in Ecology & Evolution, 33(8), 582–594.
Settles, J. D. (1996). The impact of colonialism on African economic development. Retrieved from TRACE: Tennessee Research and Creative Exchange: https://trace.tennessee.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1182&context=utk_chanhonoproj#:~:text=The%20policies%20of%20colonialism%20forced,economic%20and%20technological%20position%20today
Siele, M. (2020, October 30). Magical Kenya Launches New ‘Kenya Coast’ Brand, 7 Sub-Brands [VIDEO]. Retrieved from Business Today: https://businesstoday.co.ke/magical-kenya-launches-new-kenya-coast-brand-7-sub-brands-video/#:~:text=The%20Kenya%20Tourism%20Board%20(KTB,%2C%20Diani%2C%20Watamu%20and%20Tsavo
Signe, L., & Gurib-Fakim, A. (2019, January 25). Africa is an opportunity for the world: Overlooked progress in governance and human development. Retrieved from Brookings: https://www.brookings.edu/blog/africa-in-focus/2019/01/25/africa-is-an-opportunity-for-the-world-overlooked-progress-in-governance-and-human-development/
The Economist. (2020). Why are some African countries improving and others not? Retrieved from The Economist: https://www.economist.com/special-report/2020/03/26/why-are-some-african-countries-improving-and-others-not
Van Dyk, A., Tkaczynski, A., & Slabbert, E. (2019). Repeat tourism, destination image and behavioural intentions: Implications for sustainable development in South Africa. Tourism Recreation Research, 44(3), 392–398.
Vasudeva, S., & Mogaji, E. (2020). Paving the way for World Domination: Analysis of African Universities’ Mission Statement. In E. Mogaji, F. Maringe, & R. Hidson (Eds.), Understanding the higher education market. Routledge.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2021 The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Mogaji, E. (2021). Africa Is Not a Country: Rebranding and Repositioning Africa as a Continent. In: Appau, S. (eds) Marketing Brands in Africa. Palgrave Studies of Marketing in Emerging Economies. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-77204-8_11
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-77204-8_11
Published:
Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-030-77203-1
Online ISBN: 978-3-030-77204-8
eBook Packages: Business and ManagementBusiness and Management (R0)