Does Your Brand Appeal To The African Diaspora?
Here is What You Need to Know about the Africa Diaspora Population.
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While we’ve seen a recent shift in the tourism sector from high-end international travelers to domestic travelers, a group of people whom one could consider as half locals and half international travelers, are being overlooked or ignored—the African Diaspora.
One can hardly dispute the relevance of the African diaspora. While I might seem to be generalizing the Africa diaspora community, l do acknowledge their differences in traditions, religion, values and the generational differences.
It’s time that brands and tourism agencies come up with business models that cater to the diaspora community and offer rich, rewarding experiences, which in return produce a more profitable business. Currently, I sense a void in the marketplace. Brands are not aware of nor acknowledge the diaspora presence, their relevance in the economy, and their buying power.
Which leads to my questions: Does your brand appeal to the African diaspora? What marketing opportunities do you foresee that would appeal to the diaspora and international travelers?
When diaspora visit Africa, whether in search of their family roots and heritage, or for leisure or business, their interests go beyond sun, wildlife, sea and sand. They want to be part of the backstage experience and have a better understanding of themselves. So, when your business decides to woo the diaspora tourism market, you’ll need to relate to their struggles and victories. You need to invite them to tell their own stories, whether or not they consider their parent’s country as homeland or as a new destination to visit.
For example, appeal to the diaspora’s spending habits and need to connect to their homeland. Have tailor-made trips, deals, initiatives for them to share their experiences with you in social media using a specific hashtags. A great example would be: “travel home” or “tembeanyumbani.” Brands can tell a story that fosters an emotional connection with the African diaspora by offering nostalgia gifts that form a personal connection. #travelwithirine
As first or second generation diaspora community members travel to their parent’s country of origin—the place their parents once called home—they might feel unfamiliar, as if strangers in their own country. It’s unfortunate but fairly common for the diaspora to experience less welcoming treatment in hotels and restaurants. If hotels and tourism businesses hope to attract diaspora travelers, it’s important to ensure that the staff are trained to engage with the diaspora because of their cultural familiarity and ability to speak the local language. I’m not suggesting that the diaspora receive special treatment, but rather acknowledgement.
The underlying meaning and notion of home is different for every diaspora. What they see, feel, and the kind of service they receive are key to future purchases. Most diaspora anticipate positive feelings about their country and feel connected to their roots and culture, which in essence, can boost the local economy through leisure and diaspora tourism.
Another way businesses can engage diaspora is by offering services that allow them to help their families and friends back home. By helping their families, the diaspora feel more connected to their important community. Anchor your campaigns on those emotions, help them support and surprise their families. This could be as simple as making it easy and convenient for a diaspora to buy a dress for the person’s mother and have it delivered with a personal heartwarming note.
Restore the diaspora’s sense of adventure and have them reevaluate their bucket list this coming year. Remember, word-of-mouth is powerful and that the diaspora can influence the way others see and experience Africa as a destination and homeland.
Attribution: Here are links to my sources and reference on this blog post that inspire me to write this article. You can read more about this topic by visiting the migrationpolicy.org , semanticscholar.org and diasporaalliance.org
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