Speaking during a panel on the “Role of brands in supporting national causes”, organized as part of the annual meeting of communication and marketing professionals “Les Impériales“, they affirmed that the company is forged, thanks to to this approach, a competitive advantage through the emotional factor, which can sometimes be more relevant than marketing campaigns.
“These actions give the company a competitive advantage thanks to the emotional factor which is nourished by the company’s societal commitment,” said Kenza Bouziri, Director of Corporate Communication and Social Responsibility and Environment at Inwi.
Ms. Bouziri, in this sense, highlighted the societal actions of her company, deployed in two main areas: volunteering supported by its Dir Iddik program implemented for 12 years, particularly in remote areas. The second axis, dedicated to education, is deployed through the Inwi Challenge program aimed at putting technology at the service of training students and teachers in information and communication technologies, and which has benefited more of 30,000 students.
For her, it is crucial for any company to listen to customers and study their concerns and consumer trends to be close to all segments of society, particularly young people, the most connected category to whom special attention should be paid. . International studies have shown that the majority of customers want companies to be equally committed to their values, she insisted.
For his part, the executive director of the THOP communications group in Ivory Coast, Kwame Senou, noted that consumers are more connected than ever, hence the importance for the company to have a communication strategy. social action based on a relevant study of the needs of citizens and customers.
“Customers now have a way to demand and react, which calls, beyond concern for consumption, for a proactive approach by the company to serve communities and fully assume its social and civic responsibility,” he said. -he explained.
The question of values, added Mr. Kwame, plays an increasingly important role in shaping consumer trends, requiring companies to be sensitive to people’s expectations and to anticipate crises and events that fall under the causes. national.
This commitment, he noted, contributes in practice to protecting the reputation of the company and sometimes even its operating contract in a country, noting that many companies are even more focused on themselves than on their environment. The panelist also called for action strategies in favor of communities and for a qualitative and quantitative evaluation of these societal programs.
Societal commitment is indeed essential in the opinion of Laila Majdoub, Incubation Director at the 1000 Fikra Entrepreneurship Program of the Maak Foundation (Akwa Group), who advocated projects embodying the identity and sector of activity of the company.
And to highlight in this wake the actions of the Akwa Group for the promotion of entrepreneurship, particularly for the benefit of young people, 800 of whom were supported in their projects as part of the Fikra program.
According to Ms. Majdoub, the societal approach must be an integral part of the value chain of any company, including internationally, specifying that the Akwa Group, in particular the Afriquia company, integrates African entrepreneurs into its ecosystem of promotion of entrepreneurship.
“Les Impériales 2024” will close this Friday with a gala evening during which tributes will be paid and prizes will be awarded to the actors who distinguished themselves last year in the communication, marketing and advertising sectors.