Beatrice Ndung’u is an award winning Branding and marketing expert, and considered one of the best marketing and branding experts in East Africa, based in Tanzania. Beatrice has also been officially honored the name Doctor by for her exemplary work.
With a huge clientele base of Businesses, Government, celebrities and Hon. Ambassadors. She is also the co founder of Good people that houses @sanaa_studiostz and projects such as Brand power, Sanaa Ni Jambo, Sanaa Radio TV and Mtaa wa Kijani. Her branding and marketing strategies have made her receive several awards and recognitions, internationally and in the continent.
Through her strategies, Beatrice and her team have been a strong link between countries through the network created with Hon. Ambassadors. As a front liner in planning Embassy events such as economic forums, farewell dinners, and a strong link in integrating economic opportunities between countries in terms of exports and imports, she has managed to bring together Tanzania local small scale traders, with Embassies to create a strong and sustainable, direct business relationships with foreign investors.
Can you share with us your journey into the world of branding and marketing? What motivated you to pursue this career path?
I consider myself as an Ambassador for entrepreneurs, an impact entrepreneur, and a multi-hyphenate businesswoman. I am a big believer in the power of a creative strategy for a business. Strategies are important for growth, direction and leadership.
I always wanted to own a media house, with a public relations and marketing agency, from the time I was a teenager. I always had a keen interest in business. So I decided to be an entrepreneur and just follow my dreams.
With that I have won many awards and accolades, having worked with Hon. Presidents, Hon Ambassadors, Politicians as well as business people and celebrities, in spearheading their brand strategies.
Through my work, I am also called to big congregations, my voice has made me a sought-after speaker at various workshops, conferences and events, inspiring others to embrace their business brand journey.
Being honored with the title “Doctor” for your exemplary work is a significant achievement. How has this recognition impacted your career and personal life?
To whom much is given, much will be required. I believe that God has an appointed time for everything. With a huge clientele base of Businesses, Government, celebrities and Hon. Ambassadors. Our strategies have received several awards and recognitions, internationally and in the continent.
Through the recognition, my team and I have been a strong link between countries through the network created with Hon. Ambassadors. As a front liner in planning Embassy events such as economic forums, farewell dinners, and a strong link in integrating economic opportunities between countries in terms of exports and imports, We have managed to bring together Tanzania local small scale traders, with Embassies to create a strong and sustainable, direct business relationships with foreign investors.
Through this recognition, we have also understood that political structures and operations determines society prosperity. In understanding this, my team and I have shown our contribution in strategizing development programs in relation to society participation. Politicians are to be in a position to mobilize resources and coordinate social economic activities so as to achieve the vision. This has been successfully done by introducing the value of art in products and services, in Government agendas and societal issues.
My deepest appreciation goes to the Government, especially Hon. Sharif Ali Sharif, Minister of State in the President’s Office (Labour, Economy and Investment) for recognizing our work.
As the co-founder of Good People, which houses Sanaa Studiostz and various other projects, what was the vision behind starting these initiatives?
A long time ago our grandparents used to give us tales, and they told the stories, with boldness and brevity. We often gathered at our grandparent’s house to listen to their stories. We sat around the fire, under the stars, creating a series of mental images associated with words. We used to stare at them with smiles, and lean forward to hear more.
Storytelling is the exercise of the mind, and the words have great power. The world’s biggest brands understand the power of storytelling in marketing. We are creative storytellers and performers who entertain, inspire, and educate the audience through, branding, marketing and advertising.
Unfortunately not many people know the difference between all these, so I’ll try explain abit. Let us suppose, you have planned to produce shampoo. Now, you want to sell it in the market so you give it a name and you make your product to be uniquely identifiable in any shop or salon because of its signature or the unique shape of the bottle. This is BRANDING.
When you communicate its benefits to potential customers through different tools (tools can be anything from print, TV, FM, social media, merchandise, visibility etc.). This is ADVERTISING your product. Customers buy your shampoo then you have SALES.
So this whole process from producing the shampoo, naming it, finding potential customers, advertising it, and selling it is called MARKETING.
Therefore our vision is to build more creative narratives, characters, and plots to convey messages that indirectly market products or services. It’s about making such a strong connection with the audience that they feel as though they’re right there in the middle of the conversation.
Can you explain the main goals and impacts of projects like Sanaa Ni Jambo and Sanaa Radio TV?
The journey to building a brand always starts at the same place—with a dream. A dream to launch a business, introduce a new product, create something memorable, and perhaps even make a difference in the world along the way.
Sanaa Ni Jambo is a campaign that aims to develop the understanding, and build the capacity between the artists, so as to make their work more sustainable and become income generating activities.
Through our work we have understood that art is the major medium of communication of different messages in any society. Art sets the mood, response, application of different perceptions or ideologies towards products and services and agendas. With that, we have created a very strong cultural bridge between celebrities and corporates, and celebrities with Government and society. The projects show that the Government is the bridge between artists and business. This is how Sanaa Ni Jambo and Sanaa Radio TV were Born.
Sanaa is Swahili for Art.
How do you manage to balance and prioritize such a diverse range of projects under the Good People umbrella?
Self – motivation, focus, clarity, and discipline are the key attributes that get us ready for rooms we may never believe we need to be part of.
With the many projects on my table, I ensure that I have the right support structures in place and communicate my needs and gaps in order to get the correct assistance.
I have an eco-system of people, a strong team, whose different skill sets and abilities even inspire me.
What are your future aspirations for your career and the various projects you are involved in?
I am working on an audio talk show interviewing leaders and business people in Africa. This is a platform that connects Africa’s visionary young people with leading figures, and provides a unique and youthful platform that connects ground-breaking innovators and leaders with young people from across the continent, who want to understand what it takes to be successful.
Are there any new initiatives or projects you are excited about that you can share with us?
Product distribution and sales, with one of the leading cosmetics line in Tanzania Emat scents, and Ryn essence. I decided to get my feet into this because they are products that I have used, and I know the benefits. The owners of these brands are also young entrepreneurs who have shown that if you believe in something, go for it.
What advice would you give to young women aspiring to become leaders in the branding and marketing industry in East Africa?
I believe that, it is through women who were celebrated and put on platforms, that I am where I am, they walked so I could run. Therefore my advice for young women aspiring to become leaders is “Let the struggle be a story to tell, not an excuse to stop. The one thing that you have that nobody else has is you. Your voice, your mind, your story, your vision. So write, and draw, and build, and play, and dance, and live as only you can. You are almost there, keep pushing, keep praying.”
