ISA Weekly Newsletter

Brand Bistro Newsletter

Happy Holidays,

Please treat this salaam as your reminder to activate the Dec promo campaign. Welcome to the last issue of the Brand Bistro for November. The 4th quarter is in, and everyone is scrambling to hit those rev goals before Christmas.

It’s crunch time in marketing land and most b2c brands are already taking advantage of the festive cheer. These brands chased the cheddar this week like their end of year bonus depends on it.

MARKETING WALLSTREET

Black Friday Round Up

JUMIA

Jumia stretched Black Friday into an entire month, slashing prices by up to 50% on over 10 million products. They set up 300 pickup stations across Kenya, including 60 new ones in places like Lodwar and Lamu. Meanwhile, NIVEA dangled a Toyota Auris, and L’Oréal gave away daily prizes worth Ksh 1 million. Interestingly, growth from upcountry orders outpaced Nairobi by 3x.

Xiaomi

Xiaomi also jumped in, offering smartphones from as low as Ksh 8,999. Their Redmi series took a hit across the board. They backed it with their “24+1” months warranty, pushing both Jumia and their own retail stores.

LG (via Opalnet) ran a “Shi Ngapi” blitz, discounting TVs, fridges, and appliances by as much as 55%. Their campaign ran the entire month, and with so many other brands riding the Black Friday wave, Kenyan wallets were definitely feeling the heat.

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EVENT SCENE

Its end of year, and most brands are winding down with AGMs and calling it a day. The cool kids/culture freaks? These are the brands that don’t sleep in December. As others take a kip, they keep the marketing engine running on full throttle.

Nairobi Burger Week 2025

EatOut Kenya has confirmed Nairobi Burger Week will run December 9–15 across 40+ restaurants citywide. The formula remains beautifully simple yet devastatingly effective. They presentlimited-time gourmet burgers priced KSh 500–800, digital “passport” check-ins, BOGOF deals, and heavy influencer amplification.

Last year’s edition drove foot traffic spikes of 200–300% for participants. This is textbook F&B experiential marketing. Create urgency, reward sharing, turn customers into content creators.

EatOut owns the foodie calendar by making participation easy for restaurants (menu curation, central promotion) while harvesting valuable consumer insights. Brands sponsoring categories or venues get instant association with “fun, affordable indulgence” right when wallets open for Christmas parties. Pure ROI gold for QSR and casual-dining players.

CAMPAIGN CAFFEINE

We might just have to switch this to Campaign Kapain coz whueeh! Things are happening!

Fresh Fri Ad

Marketers’ relationship with AI is on and off. Sometimes they are having the time of their lives, other times it’s just pure strife! Coca-Cola is not the only brand taking Ls on social for AIGen ads. Fresh Fri caught the attention of the marketing police when they dropped a Christmas-themed ad. People couldn’t help but spot the AI slop.

Major hallucinations from excessive oil that dripped from a single spoon to dough that sprang back to life, ‘Mr Fantastic’ style, when rolled. Not to forget contextual irrelevance with the snow. Good ‘Homecoming’ storyline, wait, is that what Kenyans call visiting shagz the days? Anyway, chapos are king of Dizemba after all, but AI messed up the execution.

INTERNATIONAL SCENE

Disney Festive Ad

Disney+ (via VCCP London) dropped an emotional 90-second spot that tracks a family across decades. From a girl in the 1950s watching Snow White to her as a grandma streaming Moana 2 with grandkids. The tagline: “A lifetime of great stories, all in one place.” No hard sell, just nostalgia. It’s already trending on TikTok in “my Disney lifetime” videos. Brilliant way to lean on legacy while promoting new content.

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