How a Kenyan Startup is Giving MSMEs a New Lease of Life In Online Advertising

Mr Jonathan Ndede, the CEO of Ngamia Africa, is passionate about tech, partly because of his professional background and, of course, since that’s where the future belongs, or the 4^th Industrial Revolution (4IR) as it is known. Mr Ndede is already contributing to that space with grit and wits.

A compassionate, easy-going and smiley gentleman with close to 30-years of experience in Software Engineering, Mr Ndede through Ngamia Africa is shaking up the market with a product called Marquee Africa, an online advertising platform inaugurated in 2021 at the epicenter of COVID-19 pandemic and lockdowns.

Through the platform, Ngamia Africa aspires to give MSMEs a second chance in online advertising – one which is unreachable to many due the to high-cost of advertising in the mainstream media. At their offices along Oloitokitok Road in the leafy suburbs of Kileleshwa, Mr Ndede cuts an inspiring figure, full of positive energy and a vision that MSMEs (micro, small and medium size enterprises) should advertise their products and services even with their tiny budgets.

BUSINESS TODAY sat down for an interview with JONATHAN NDEDE to understand his passion for online advertising, and why Marquee Platform is taking the market by storm.

1. To understand a product well, we need to get to know the brain behind it. So, who is Mr. Ndede?

Software Engineering is my formal craft.  I am thought leader, innovator and entrepreneur in the Kenyan ICT Space.  I am a co-founder of Ngamia Haulers Platform Ltd, currently serving as the CEO. Ngamia offers two products – Haulers Apps for light & heavy commercial e-hailing and Marquee Africa, the best online advertising platform in Kenya.

2. For how long have you worked in the tech industry and what is the biggest inspiration in your career to date?

My combined experience in computing technologies and software engineering spans almost 30-years.  This is an industry where you have to keep on grinding to bring new product-market fit lest you become redundant, or reach software end-of-life (EOL), where patches and hotfixes don’t apply; that means you’re outdated.  The most inspiring element in ICT is innovation, and how technology evolves, making formidable products irrelevant if companies get complacent.

3. What is Marquee, and why that name?

Marquee is a revolutionary online advertising platform focusing on MSMEs, and is available both as a mobile & web app.  It’s a Ngamia Africa product aiming to disrupt the advertising status quo by providing MSMEs in the EAC and COMESA regions an opportunity to gain online visibility for their products and services at pocket-friendly rates. It also focuses on adverts real clicks as opposed to other platforms that are time bound and use impressions.  This makes the advertiser to achieve more with less.

The name Marque originated from Marquee marketing, a strategy that seeks to connect with customers at an emotional level by using creative and engaging methods of promoting a brand.

4. The advertising space is teeming with all manner of online advertising products. What makes Marquee different and unique?

Most of the advertising platforms in the country focus on corporate clients who have the muscle to pay substantial amounts for product presence and visibility, but Marquee is giving MSMEs a chance to play in the same league at affordable prices.  The platform provides advertiser features that are unparalleled: social media links, email, website, phone numbers for WhatsApp, Telegram & SMS for customers use.

It also has the capability to schedule regular advert performance with reference to statistical data on clicks across the contact channels. The weekly reports are shared through a registered advertiser email for MSMEs Business Intelligence (BI) for growth in terms of brand awareness, marketing, sales, and value delivery.

> Marketing Professionals Among The Highest Paid In Kenya

5. What does Marquee target to achieve in like five years?

In Kenya alone, the number of MSMEs are approximately 8 million as per the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS), and the cost to advertise either on social media or mainstream channels is painstakingly steep.  Out of this MSMEs number, we would like to walk the talk technologically in support of boosting businesses through digital transformations, leads generation, growth, expansion, always-on online visibility and presence to help improve value delivery and cash-flow.  In the next five years we should be the trusted home for MSMEs in Africa in online advertising

6. In terms of technology and subsequent cyber security issues, how advanced is Marquee and how do you control who advertises on the platform?

In the 21^st century, and the 4IR, data is gold, and king.  Since identity theft, hacking, information misrepresentation and business sabotage are real, we have considered and implemented various security modules to protect online users and activities. We have 2-factor authentication procedures, file, data and end-to-end encryption, and hawk-eye inspections for every advert posted for publishing.

7. How can I advertise on the platform? In terms of cost versus the reach?

Marquee is a comprehensive platform that caters for the needs of every buyer and advertiser and can be accessed through viewer and advertiser portals and mobile apps.  This makes it possible for vendors/advertisers to register to start advertising.  The platform has got three levels of advert packages namely Platinum, Gold and Silver, which are fairly priced at Ksh3,000, Ksh2,500 and Ksh1,500 respectively.  The platform has a reach of more than 350,000 people a month with a possibility of growing to above 2-million hits every week by 2^nd quarter of this year.

8. Take us through the process of placing products on Marquee, and is it a platform for everyone?

Marquee advert placement is as simple as 1-2-3. For matters Know-Your-Customer (KYC), a user is needed to register by providing minimum datasets like name, phone number and email address.

Marquee uptake in the marketplace has been positively progressive for the few months we have been actively online.

Marquee algorithm uses these mandatory datasets for non-repudiation.  Once the account is set up by the advertiser, it can now be used to place adverts as it’s intuitive enough to follow by providing the necessary info needed for specific ads e.g. photos, contact, other info for every instance of account creation and advert viewing capabilities are free.

9. Does Marquee guarantee Return on Investment (ROI) to MSMEs who publish adverts on it?

Marquee is a unique platform as it supports MSMEs build online presence, generate leads and perform sales through Call-to-Action buttons that are in-built and available for selection when placing an ad.  Marquee advertising isn’t time-bound or impression based.  It’s clicks that count with reference to the contacts channels provided.  Given the traffic volume and reach on the platform vis-à-vis advert placement cost implications, we believe that the pricing is considerable and affordable, which makes ROI guarantee an understatement because the value delivery definitely supersedes the investment made threefold as we are price sensitive, and customer-centered.

Read >> Meet The Career Nomad Who Has Worked For 10 Employees

10. What is the one thing you really like about Marquee as a product – that keeps you all motivated and all smiles at your offices?

We have decided to persistently focus on enabling MSMEs to advertise online at pocket-friendly pricing with cutting edge features and options.  We would like to demystify the idea of advert boosting as applied on other media largely for impressions and are time-bound.  This modus operandi motivates us all to keep innovating by providing the best-engineered software products to support the cause.  Marquee uptake in the marketplace has been positively progressive for the few months we have been actively online, and we would like to add value to target clientele.

11. Where can customer and advertisers find the Marquee Mobile Apps and What are links for the Web Portals.

We are on App Store at https://cutt.ly/qR7juUC & Google Play at https://cutt.ly/1R7hDIg.  Also visit https://ngamia.africa/marque

Marquee on Social Media 

1. Twitter: https://twitter.com/MarqueeAfrica/
2. Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/MarqueeAfrica/
3. Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/MarqueeAfrica/
4. YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCa2OYHjnHYukPlnT9Hx4SXQ
5. LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/MarqueeAfrica/

Next >> Digital Transformation Has Created a New System In Kenya