GiveUsAName brand ambassador Alex Muhangi answers all your questions about the campaign

Alex Muhangi who is the face of the campaign, headed into the streets to find some inspiring names choices for the Telecom Company from the public. Watch what happens when he bumps into Babaluku a HIP HOP Ugandan artist based in the US.

Who is “GIVE US A NAME” and where do you come from?

We are your new mobile network operator that will be launching in East Africa very soon with the ambition to be different. We are an innovative, socially responsible and maverick telecom like no other, promising to raise the bar for subscribers by investing as a priority to improve lives in the community and countries in which we operate, and ensuring that people are empowered to be the driver of their destiny.

“The #SamsungTwitterParty is back! Get ready to party the night away come 19th December at Zone 7 with fellow tweeps. Entrance is 15,000shs. Call 0775439894 for details. Great music and drinks.”

You recently launched a campaign themed “GIVE US A NAME” tell us a bit about it.

“Give us a name” is the campaign designed for a new, one of a kind mobile Telecom operator in East Africa. The new telecom launched without a name simultaneously in Uganda, Tanzania and Burundi with a creative online and SMS campaign dubbed “Give Us a Name”. The campaign focuses on consumers, so much so, that we’re asking East Africa to name our company. No company in the world has ever launched without a name setting the stage for what will be an exciting campaign with people allowed to propose and vote for what they think would be the best name for the company.

 Why did you come up with this “GIVE US A NAME “idea?

One of things that motivated us to create this concept is that we wanted to get to a richer communications level with consumers.  And we are doing that by allowing Uganda to pick our name. One of the really innovative things to come out of what we are doing with “give us a name” is how we as a company are making more of our interactions with consumers.  I think there’s an opportunity with this campaign to move from a simple dialogue relationship with consumers to nurturing brand advocates and having fun with them.

So how do people participate? Can I suggest a name too?

Absolutely you can, we’re looking for the most imaginative entries and anyone can participate. To suggest a name is extremely easy and quick. You can do so Via SMS and Facebook. Right now, East Africa is being asked to propose names they would like the new telecom to be called. You can make your proposal by logging on to www.giveusaname.net or logging on to www.facebook.com/giveusanameafrica  to register what they think our new company should be called.

From 12th to 22nd December 2013, a shortlist of names will be submitted for the general public to vote for the most unique and creative name. At the end of the campaign, a token of gratitude will be given to 45 of those who proposed the most liked names, and also to those who voted for the winning name.

We have some pretty big telecom providers in Uganda how are “give us a name” telecom different?

We have set out to change the paradigm for our brand interactions; we’re putting ourselves out to the public by inviting consumers to take real ownership of the brand by naming it. This new mobile network operator is different because it cares. It’s not afraid to trust the people and ensures that people are empowered to be the driver of their destiny.

It is a true African and believes in actively participating to build an Africa where people are more positive and optimistic about theirs and their country’s tomorrow, an Africa where people wake up every day feeling in control of their destiny.

We’ve adopted an ‘always on’ approach to create an engaging and constant dialogue with consumers. Today, this means being more proactive in serving their needs; so no just waiting until they reach out to you with a question or a request but being customer-centric. To us, customer-centric means making decisions based on what customers have expressed and this campaign reflects that thinking.

Over and above just providing good products and services, we think it is our obligation and mission to help improve the lives of the people we live with. Being involved in the community and looking at the social impact we can make as company plays a massive role in our business strategy. That’s why we will be investing in community based projects and helping people to initiate projects that influence positively the lives of Ugandans and drive Africa forward.

What are some of the funniest or the worst names which have been suggested?

We received dozens of responses — from the patriotic to whimsical. To give you an idea of the breadth of the entries, Africa should log onto www.giveusaname.net or www.facebook.com/giveusanameafrica  to view some of the ‘funniest’ names. Basically you will be over whelmed by the creativity and innovativeness of the New African people.

Who or what would ‘GIVE US A NAME’s” ideal customers be?

First and most importantly you are passionate about a strong Africa, you are optimistic about this continent and have a “can do” attitude.  If you’re the type of person who lives and breathes Africa and believes that Africa; the maverick who always thinks “Yes you can, Yes we will, and Yes you can make the difference! Then you’re one of us!

Do you think there is saturation in the Ugandan telecoms market?

We are some distance away from saturation in the Ugandan telecoms market. The interesting thing about Africa generally is that mobile connection growth rates far exceed most places in the world. When mobile telephony started in Africa, it was post-paid and you had to have a lot of money to be able to participate.

The prepaid innovation allowed more people to participate and now data connectivity is the next frontier so the telecoms industry is always evolving. These changes open doors for different kinds of people, product development and create space for innovative new companies like ours to operate. Basically we look at competition in two ways; in terms of improved services and increased access, when you have competition it makes people work to secure their market position this shows that competition is good, that it works for both the subscribers and the providers.

Babaluku and part of the “Give Us A Name” Team lead by Alex Muhangi having a little chat.

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