Nokia is calling upon leading corporates and brands in Kenya to take advantage of the Nokia Store to increase interactions with their target audiences through mobile apps. This was communicated at an elaborate VIP event dubbed “POWER APP YOUR BRAND” held on 3rd April 2012 at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Nairobi. According to Agatha Gikunda, EDX Lead, Nokia East and Southern Africa, Mobile technology trends such as apps are now providing an additional marketing solution to traditional media, especially in terms of direct marketing, with more than 1.3 billion consumers using a Nokia device each day.
“67% of Kenyans now have access to mobile phones. The local mobile penetration grew over 10% in only one year. This is a clear indication that there is a ready market for corporates to tap into to increase market penetration,” added Gikunda during a presentation to corporates in Kenya.
CCK statistics show that in Kenya, 99% of internet subscribers are using their phones for access with Mobile data/ internet subscription growing from approximately 4.2 million downloads in June 2011 to almost 5.4 million downloads in September the same year, which reflects a quarterly increment of almost 30% thereby increasing the use of apps by consumers as their source of information on services. Nokia’s proposition is that this information could be from you and about brand.
The Numbers
Nokia Store statistics speak for themselves;
- 500 local apps on Nokia store up from 2 in May 2010
- 15 of these belong to local companies
- 10 million Nokia Store downloads in Kenya
- Network of 200 plus capable developers locally
- Globally, Nokia Store is home to more than 100,000 apps
About 10 million downloads from the Nokia Store have been recorded by Kenyan consumers;
54% are using mobile internet to personalize their devices, 31% are downloading apps, while another 13% are downloading games. “These statistics are an indication that Kenyan brands need a mobile strategy, apps need to be part that strategy and Nokia’s extensive penetration in this region provides the most rational choice for app development and publication,” Gikunda pointed out.
Peter Karimi also of Nokia and speaking at the VIP event said that with top brands in Kenya already on Nokia Store, this is the leap of faith for your brand to get on the Nokia Store. Some of the big brands there are Bata Kenya, Villacare, Safaricom, Orange, Nation Media and Capital FM.
Developer outreach program
Nokia has also engaged in an aggressive developer outreach program with the aim to localize content for Nokia mobile users. The Company locally focuses on app development for Series 40 apps and has an active network of 200 capable developers in Kenya. Last month, Nokia awarded Kshs 8 million to James Mwai, a Kenyan mobile developer at the global Create for Millions Competition Awards for developing the largely successful app ‘Around Me’. This global developer contest received submissions from 61 countries. About 70 of the total 1,200 submissions globally came from Kenya. This resulted in the same number of new apps published to Nokia Store for use on Nokia Series 40 phones, including the new Nokia Asha line.
