How Can We Market Kenyan Films & Shows Better?
Admit it, you love memes. Now think of memes about your favourite film or show? Absolute winners! This, among other things, is what we need to encourage in the Kenyan film and TV industry.
I know I’m not alone in this but have you ever been on a social media platform and you saw something that catches your eye but before you truly engage with it, it just disappears? Twitter is a big culprit here but Instagram and Tiktok are no better. Anyways, I came across a tweet that said, (... to paraphrase), “don’t underestimate the ability of a smartphone to provide entertainment value, scrolling on Facebook is just as entertaining as watching TV..” I'd credit the tweet properly but you know, pulled a Houdini on me.
I’ll not delve into the theory that attention spans are diminishing but we all know everyone’s on their phone nowadays. “Are you still watching?” is the meme-fied Netflix line that pops up on our screens to re-engage us to keep us watching and contrary to what the Internet has you believe, most viewers might just be on their phones, distracted from what’s on TV, and not just engaging in umh bees & birds activities.
Kenyan films and TV shows need to start capitalizing on the power of mobile devices, social media and new forms of media. As a consumer and ambassador of Watch Kenyan, here are some ideas I have.
Memes
Amazon Prime’s The Boys is one of the most meme-able shows we’ve seen. The latest season in particular gave us a ton of clips and moments to work with. The Real House Helps of Kawangware is another show that’s been heavily meme-fied thanks to DJ Shiti’s one-liners.
Producers and filmmakers need to start working with content creators who can turn some of their scenes into fun memes. It’s no longer enough to create fantastic work, it needs to be backed up by engaging content to drive curiosity, interest and ultimately consumption.
If you abhor memes and think they cheapen everything (they kinda do sometimes), there’s another solution. Powerful quotes can be turned into moments for social media consumption. Game of Thrones is one show (despite its terrible ending) that’s banked on its strong dialogues to continually drive engagement. Kati Kati, an award-winning Kenyan film also had strong lines that, unfortunately, never quite made it to the Internet.
Country Queen, currently on Netflix, has managed to immerse itself in the Internet culture by sharing quotes and touching scenes. To drive more conversation, we need to be deliberate in plugging local shows and movies into the Internet culture.
Virtual Activations
I love beautiful things, doesn’t everyone? DSTV, through MNet, gave us Legacy, a sumptuously done South African high-end telenovela. One of the things they did to promote the show was doing a virtual tour of the exquisite mansion featured in the show. It was an immersive experience that didn’t need me to leave my house. They also had a YouTube feature breaking down the family tree, essentially introducing us to the characters.
When Nia DaCosta’s Candyman came out last year, they had a website dedicated to engaging fans. You could say Candyman five times and you know, what happens happens. Wanna see for yourself? I dare you.
What are some online activations we can do for Kenyan shows and films going forward?
Twitter Spaces
The trendy podcast feature on Twitter is a must-use! We have a plethora of spaces for Kenyan finance Twitter but it’s a little quiet for Kenyan film Twitter. When Showmax’s Igiza dropped, I was waiting for a space for it. It’s a high-octane show, full of gripping drama. What happens next to Linda and Nicole? Can we join a 20 minutes space to discuss, please? Same for County 49 and Crime and Justice. Hello, why’s it so quiet?
One of these days, we will host a space through the Watch It account. Watch this space and I hope y’all tune in.
Watch Parties & Fan Sites
Citizen TV has always had a way with the Kenyan audience through their local shows. Zora, one of their most popular shows, had a Facebook group dedicated entirely to updates about the show. Maisha Magic’s Njoro wa Uba and Selina also had fan accounts. Are we truly utilizing these pages? They are a great way to drive interest, viewership and engagement with real fans.
I don’t know what Netflix Kenya is dropping soon but if they’re planning a big production, can they organize a virtual watch party? Netflix Director of Original Series for Africa, Dorothy Ghettuba said in an interview with Variety that they’re looking for Africa's next show that’ll be as big as Squid Game. Maybe re-looking how we market our titles will get us there.
The Internet and Smartphones have afforded us the opportunity to do a lot more to push our films and TV shows. We’ll get there, I know it.
What Next?
Twitter and Variety have already teamed up to share a list of top trending movies and TV shows based on engagements, inclusive of a map of the continental US showing who’s watching what. Engaging online communities will become extremely central in marketing films considering how exhausting it’s become to pick a good film or TV show to show to watch because we’re now bombarded by infinite choices.
What’s on your mind, how else do you think we can reach more audiences to watch our shows?