From free lunches to airfares for just Sh1000, Safaricom is redefining festive gifting
From boardrooms to the family backyards, not only are there more parties, dinners, and social events to attend, but also presents, outfits, and of course the tasty bites the festive season has to offer.
It’s that period of the year again when carefully curated gifts for the ones you love go a long way to providing the holiday cheer for family, friends, and close acquaintances.
Across Kenya, tech giant Safaricom teams are as busy as Santa’s workshop preparing and delivering a variety of gifts that make merry for thousands of customers across Kenya.
Dubbed Uteo Wa Furaha, Safaricom’s festive season campaign is putting a smile on the faces of customers from all walks of life.
From getting free fuel to the payment for your family shopping at a supermarket near you to the prize of goat or chicken, which is perhaps one of the most significant ingredients of holiday partying in Kenya, Safaricom’s Uteo Wa Furaha campaign is pointing to one thing: business is changing.
Between the pandemic woes, and climate change debate that has engulfed the world in the past year, certainly no brand can move forward as if the status quo is stable.
“Be the first 100 people to buy a local flight ticket on the new Book a Flight mini-app on M-PESA App and pay just 1000 bob for a one-way and 2000 bob for return tickets across Kenya,” Safaricom said in one of its Uteo Wa Furaha campaign messages.
Read also: Coca-Cola delivers festive season cheer and a toast to fresh hug logo
This is a message that is bound to resonate very well with thousands of Kenyans, who are eager to travel for the holidays at a time when airfares have shot up significantly.
At the moment, air ticket prices from Nairobi to Kisumu have surged to Kes15,100 from Kes6,800 during weekdays and about Sh10,000 on weekends. Travelers eyeing the coastal city of Mombasa from Nairobi have to budget Kes17,000, from an average of Sh7, 200 in November.
By unveiling a variety of surprise gifts that are identifying with their customers’ daily lives, Safaricom is defining the shift whereby companies are now recognizing that customers are emotional beings and they yearn for meaningful, mutually beneficial relationships. Purely transactional gestures don’t cut it anymore.
In the emerging new reality in business, brands that care and show their human side will reach people, and therefore their customers.
Safaricom is partnering with homegrown change-makers such as popular artists to entertain while reaching out to their customers under the Uteo Wa Furaha campaign, which is set to come to an end on January 15.
“Look out for our activation trucks in an area near you, and stand a chance to spin the #UteoWaFuraha wheel and walk away with awesome goodies,” said Safaricom.
Loyalty matters, but it’s not easily won, however, the simple act of gifting with thought behind it has a significant impact on thousands of customers. It embodies a human gesture and a real connection with customers.
