Building tech platforms in the developing world
Emerging markets
Scaling up the profit
Developing countries hold huge potential for tech brands. The numbers are vast and are perfectly suited for low margin, high volume scale-up tech projects like mass banking. So Thoburn’s has been helping raise the profile of a scale up fintech company in Nigeria.
But while an African company may have very capable in-house PR talent, it often does need support. PR efforts that work in Nigeria are unlikely to work in Europe or the US, where the tier 1 media play by a very different set of rules.
At Thoburn’s we help companies expand into this unfamiliar media environment where the relationship between brand and media is altogether different.
Small business can be big business
Helping fintech platform establish itself beyond Nigeria is part of helping rural business folk, famers, mini retail and workers do transaction in a digital economy.
Nigeria, home of a new bank
Our fintech client had established itself from its startup roots when it came to us in the spring of 2020. It had good credibility in Nigeria and had become known for being a trusted brand for transactions in the rural parts outside cities like Lagos. But could it translate into a more international presence?
Towards the digital wallet
Part of this company’s strength was that it had good relationships with local newspapers, and had no problem placing more or less whatever article they chose. But expanding into the larger international arena required a more nuanced approach.
From start up to scale up
Western media has a much less deferential approach to brands that have something to sell, and this required our client to work with a different playbook. Thoburn’s helped this cleint make this shift and the start up has become a scale up in the space of just a few years.
“If you’re not in the business for fun or profit, then what the hell are you doing here?
Robert Townsend