Boasting 11 official languages and a diverse set of cultures, South Africa is not an easy market to navigate. Marketers are challenged to think more deeply about how trust is built and how loyalty is sustained. In this industry, questions around authenticity and meaningful measurement are becoming central to an effective marketing strategy.
Offering insight into these challenges is Eben Keun, Managing Director of iPendoring. With years of experience working at the intersection of culture, creativity and strategy, Keun has a unique vantage point on what separates surface-level localisation from marketing that creates measurable value.
In Part Two of this Q&A, he unpacks how brands can foster trust and evaluate success in culturally diverse markets.
What drives audience trust and loyalty in culturally diverse markets?
Authenticity is the foundation of trust and loyalty in culturally diverse markets.
When brands demonstrate genuine respect for cultural traditions and linguistic heritage, audiences recognise and appreciate it. This means involving cultural experts and ensuring that creative work is accurate and culturally respectful, not just superficially representative.
Consistency across the entire campaign also builds trust. When indigenous language content is woven into every part of an idea rather than just one channel, audiences can see that the brand's commitment is genuine and sustained.
This integrated approach shows that the brand values the culture and language throughout the customer journey, not just in isolated marketing moments.
The emotional connection created when brands speak to audiences in their own languages is also crucial. This goes beyond functional communication to create a sense of being truly seen and valued.
How does identity and cultural pride factor into consumer engagement with campaigns?
Identity and cultural pride are powerful drivers of engagement, particularly when campaigns honour heritage whilst imagining fresh ways to express it.
Drawing on local stories, traditions and everyday life to create work that only South Africans can produce. This authentic expression of cultural identity creates deeper engagement, because it reflects audiences' lived experiences and values back to them in ways that feel genuine and empowering.
When brands tap into this cultural pride authentically, they're not just selling products, they're contributing to the ongoing vitality of South African cultural identity.
How can marketers adapt content to suit both urban and rural audiences effectively?
Radio and audio formats offer one of the most effective ways to reach both urban and rural audiences. Radio is still how we're able to reach large audiences in South Africa without the same access limits that digital or internet comes with, or the high costs of television.
This year, we saw radio and audio stand out particularly, with work that leaned into strong storytelling, sharper use of language and a willingness to experiment beyond traditional formats.
The key is creating pieces that feel immediate and conversational, with rhythm, tone and linguistic nuance playing a bigger role. Audio can carry cultural detail in a way that feels intimate, which resonates across different contexts.
Many successful entries showed that when you get the language and cultural nuance right, the format becomes almost secondary — the authenticity of the communication transcends the medium.
Marketers should also recognise that cultural groundedness works across environments.
Which platforms (social, radio, digital video, etc.) perform best for indigenous language content and why?
Radio and audio platforms continue to perform exceptionally well for indigenous language content. This year, radio and audio stood out because the work showed a clear move towards pieces that feel immediate and conversational, with rhythm, tone and linguistic nuance playing a bigger role.
The intimacy of audio allows cultural detail to be conveyed in ways that feel personal and engaging.
The practical advantages of radio are significant. It remains the primary way to reach large audiences in South Africa without digital access barriers or the prohibitive costs of television production. This accessibility is crucial for indigenous language content, which often needs to reach audiences across diverse socioeconomic contexts.
However, the success of campaigns like Machine's ‘Khuphuka Nathi' for Spotify Africa demonstrates that indigenous language content can work brilliantly across multiple platforms when properly integrated.
The campaign swept multiple categories. This shows that when the cultural insight is strong and execution is consistent, indigenous language campaigns have the flexibility to succeed across the full creative spectrum. The platform matters less than the authenticity and cultural groundedness of the content itself.
How should marketers measure success when running multilingual or culturally specific campaigns?
Success measurement should go beyond traditional metrics to include cultural impact and authenticity. The winners that we saw this year demonstrate that quality and effectiveness can be recognised across different dimensions: creative excellence, cultural authenticity, strategic insight and execution across various media.
Recognition within the industry through awards like iPendoring provides valuable validation, but marketers should also look at deeper engagement metrics. Are audiences responding emotionally? Is the work being shared within communities? Does it strengthen brand affinity and loyalty over time?
Long-term impact is equally important. Is the work contributing to keeping South Africa's languages alive, relevant and central to how stories are told? Is it nurturing the next generation of creators who can continue this tradition?
Ultimately, success in this space means proving that indigenous language campaigns can compete at the highest level across the full creative spectrum whilst maintaining cultural authenticity and creating genuine emotional connections with audiences.
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*Image courtesy of contributor and Canva