Taking advantage of the proliferation of tricycles in Kano State, outdoor advertising is expected to provide brand visibility at a cheaper rate. Since charity they say begins at home, Kano State duo of Mustapha and Abdullahi Usman, the brains behind King Kong Marketing Solutions have taken advertising to a creative level by the use of tricycles (popularly known as Keke Napep) and currently have over 50,000 signed up exclusively with the company.
“We noticed the prevalence of tricycles in Nigeria, and cracked our heads to utilize this growing number. After launching an Online Digital Consultancy in Kano, we realized how low internet awareness and usage is. Hence, King Kong Marketing Solutions was born”. Abdullahi Usman says
Tricycles being the most popular form of transport in Kano state and owing to its sheer amount in the state, by placing advertisements on the back, side and on the inside space of each tricycle, the company successfully developed one of the most effective, and affordable ways for small, medium and large enterprises to reach their audience blending offline and online marketing strategies. By incorporating tools such as qr barcodes, social media links and websites, real time metrics to King Kong's customers regarding the success of their marketing business.
According to Abdullahi Usman, “the cost of advertising a company's brand on billboards, radio, TV, newspaper ranges from hundreds of thousands to millions in Naira and are limited in their reach to customers, while ‘Keke’ advertisement is 24/7, mobile, reaches both general and commuting public and comes only at the fraction of the cost. We are disrupting the business”.
Since King Kong was established to help SMEs, SMBs and Corporations with a cheaper and effective means to advertise their products and services to the public, the use of the tricycles is a welcome development. The company was started in 2015 by Mustapha and Abdullahi Usman who studied Marketing and Advertising in Spain and the United Kingdom respectively. They developed a solid business model partnering with the Tricycle Union and drivers which empowers them by multiplying drivers’ income and expanding the scope the union is involved in, from passenger transportation to logistics.
At the same time, the Kano State Government is paid its taxes, and the company reduces the state’s revenue leakages, while keeping the prices low for companies to advertise their brand to ensure companies of all sizes reach their customers.
Right now we are testing a new service using mobile application to provide logistics services utilizing our network of 50,000 tricycles. This will connect small businesses to final consumers, Business to Business, E-commerce websites to Consumers, as well as covering the last mile for logistics providers. Abdullahi Usman explained.
The use of tricycles to reach consumers either for delivery or adverts is an interesting way to help grow coverage for businesses and provide extra income for the tricycle owners. Considering the terrain and the time of the year, market penetration is key for most businesses and this model might just be the answer to help reach more customers in a cost effective manner.
