He arrived on stage sharp-looking. Well-fitted in a white cap and a white long-sleeved shirt with orange, green, blue and black stripes on the centre neckline, and the characteristic NASA logo. Perfect length, cut to precision, bold across the shoulders, gentle slits on the sides, the flawless inverted triangle: exactly the sort of attire a top NASA leader would wear to an event of this magnitude. It fit well, it made him look very handsome, and when he smiled, it was a tad bit enchanting, best served with an ice cold Amarula. Sorry, fruit juice.
Then he started to speak, nodding his head forwards and backwards, as he alternately swayed his left and right hands towards the crowd. He said something that made me a little nervous. He advised his supporters to abstain from sex on the eve on the election. And it wasn’t the first time Kenya’s 2017 presidential election’s candidate and opposition leader, Honourable Raila Odinga was making this plea. He has on more than one occasion asked supporters to abstain from sex until after the August 8th election results are announced. Moreover, Baba, as he is commonly referred to by his fans, is not the first politician to encourage abstinence on the days leading to the election. During the mass voter registration in January, Mombasa Women Representative Mishi Mboko asked women in opposition strongholds to deny their spouses conjugal rights until they show their voters’ cards.
So, what has sex got to do with financial services? You rightly ask.
Choosing the right words is essential.
By carefully diagnosing the above sentiments expressed by both Honourable Odinga and Mboko to influence voter outcome, we can learn a thing or two on how the tactical choice of words and expression can affect what financial services we consume and even believe in.
Let’s look at 4 lessons that what we can learn today:
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Be memorable.
Sex sells. And Baba knows that. The core of his campaigns is that most ideas he presents will boil down to that short phrase or moment that his fans will remember. His detractors on the other hand, to ridicule him will also be sharing the story not realising that it is registering in their subconscious and may influence a few percentage points especially among the undecided voters. And more certainly should he triumph, his victory will be remembered by that one little piece. His supporters will find the humour while sharing the story of how they went on a sex-fast to bring him to power.
FSPs can also take advantage of social cues to influence uptake of their services. A good example of an early attempt at this by an FSP is when Safaricom launched M-PESA. They boiled their market campaign down to a single phrase for remembrance and ingestion – Send money home. Thereafter, the words “send money home,” were a likely reminder of the product.
Be aspirational.
When I shared this clip with some of my colleagues, one concern was the question of the men doing a strategic move to divorce their wives. On the contrary, NASA diehards are more likely than not to enjoy the dry spell (read starvation) as they look forward to a grand celebration. In fact, Raila advised his supporters to consider this election like a warfare and that they can have celebratory sex after sending the incumbent government home. On the flip side, should Raila lose, it will be like “breakup sex” which is equally good, if not better.
FSPs can apply this principle by framing their messages with a higher or nobler goal to be achieved. So, for example, in place of having workspaces and people sitting behind screens, or the view of Nairobi from a top KICC on an FSP’s website page dedicated to personal banking; go for the picture of a family holding hands, or a mother holding and gently holding a giggling baby. Last time I checked, most Kenyans still value relationships.
Credibility is Key.
Honourable Raila didn’t just ask his supporters to abstain. He went on to elaborate that in the olden times, during war, people abstained. Even the Good Book in 2 Samuel 11: 5-27 tells the story of how Uriah, a faithful servant of king David refused to have sex with his wife because as far as he was concerned, it was unbefitting of a soldier to enjoy the night with his wife while others were out risking their lives in battle.
In the financial services industry, perception is the reality. Credibility is your best man or so to speak. Thus, if an FSP delivers on its promise, they become credible in their consumers’ eyes, which means more business. The reverse is obviously true. For example, just introducing a new savings tool may not be sufficient to entice people to use it if they do not trust you as the FSP
offering it. According to FinAccess 2016 findings, roughly a third of adults (32%) are loyal to a particular mobile financial services agent. Aside from proximity, the main reason cited for this is trust (just above 22%).
Consistency Matters.
That Baba keeps repeating these sentiments over and over in spite of the ridicule means he’s ready to stand by them. In the end, the crucial point he wants to be linked with his election campaign – nothing is more important that casting your vote, not even sex – is highly likely to come through and stick with his supporters.
For example, for the longest time, Equity has maintained its image as the mwananchi’s bank, setting itself apart with it.
So there you have them. 4 lessons that business can borrow from these politicians. No wonder these guys are also successful in many other non-politics related fields.
Photo by Clever Visuals on Unsplash
