Influence of social media marketing on brand equity at Safaricom limited in Kenya

Abstract

Over 30.7 million Kenyans have mobile phones; over 9.4 million have data enabled devices. Internet penetration in Kenya is at 41.1 % as per CCK figures in April 2013. With this Kenya has experienced a phenomenal growth in the ICT sector with more and more consumers taking to the internet and social sites. Companies have followed suit in an attempt to market their products and services online and especially through social media. Safaricom limited being one of the biggest brands in Kenya has not been left behind on this. The research project will thus seek to investigate this phenomenal growth of Social Media in Kenya. The objective of the project will be to provide insights on how Safaricom Limited can use Social Media as a marketing and branding tool in consumer marketing in the Kenyan market. More specifically, this study attempts to define what kinds of social media are used in Kenya and which opportunities and challenges the use of them in marketing creates for Safaricom Limited. Moreover this study aims to illustrate the role social media has on brand equity, and to describe how the Safaricom can use Social Media to improve on brand equity. In addition, this study describes the objectives, strategies and tactics that can be used for social media marketing activities. Finally, the goal of the study is to specify which key performance indicators Safaricom can use in measuring the impact of marketing and branding activities through social media. The theoretical framework rests on literature of social media marketing and as well as previous studies on social media in Kenya.