#LongPostAlert I #ExpertOpinion
Dear @UgandaMediaCent, here is some free (but expensive-sounding) advice on patching your brand before attempting to fix ābrand Ugandaā.
To be honest. Right now, the centre feels more like a notice board. In a world where governments are building media ecosystems, the centre still issues statements and communicates as if itās 2003. Here are 10 expert suggestions for how you can fix it.
1ā£. The centre has no identity, or does it? If it does, itās a borrowed identity. The national emblem is not your logo in its entirety. Itās everyoneās logo. If you want to be taken seriously as a modern communications institution, build a distinct visual identity, including colours, fonts, templates, and brand elements (that can easily be associated with Uganda). You need to start thinking less of the ācoat of armsā and be cleaner, sharper, and more recognisable. Even the central banks and revenue authorities have distinctive identities.
2ā£. What exactly are you as a media centre? Are you an NRM government mouthpiece? A national information hub? A media liaison? President Museveniās personal media dissemination centre? Right now, youāre trying to be everything and, honestly, landing nowhere. Clear positioning builds trust. Without it, you are just another voice in an already noisy government choir.
3ā£. The media centre needs to communicate like humans. Like Ugandans! Not like circulars. Ugandans donāt read statements. A majority of todayās news consumers scroll on their phones. Ā If your communication sounds like it was drafted by three government committees and approved by ten people, itās already lost. Simplify. Be direct. Be understood. Also, your press releases are a little too frequent. Your press conferences are too long. You might need to review that.
4ā£. Your digital presence needs an urgent revamp. Letās not sugarcoat it. Your digital platforms feel scattered, inconsistent, and underwhelming. Your website is not befitting. Itās ugly. You have a paltry 7K followers on Instagram, and your Instagram page looks like a content-dumping ground. You have no strong LinkedIn presence (youāre missing out on engaging policymakers, professionals, and global stakeholders). There is an unbranded YouTube channel for a certain Uganda Media Centre with a paltry 700 subscribers (they should at least be double that). Visibly, there is no real YouTube content strategy beyond numerous clips of press briefings. No Flickr presence, your visual assets and depository. No Tik Tok. Visual identity? Inconsistent at best. Meanwhile, globally, over 60% of people now consume news via social media. That means your first impression is digital, and right now, itās your weakest entry.
Here is what you (could) need:
āŖļøA cohesive visual system across platforms.
āŖļøA content strategy, not just uploads. Invest in a studio setup and podcast format (owned and managed by Uganda Media Centre).
āŖļøCreate some engaging formats featuring Ugandan voices from business, tourism, sports, and culture. Uganda is not short of interesting personalities for this. You have @wekesa_amos for tourism, and Joshua Baraka (currently a major export of Ugandan music). You have @rkabushenga et al. You can also partner with leading clean podcasters in the diaspora. The idea is for you to create a community. Please note that news narratives are no longer sourced; they are now scripted and produced.
5ā£. Not everything warrants a press briefing. The weekly podium-style media engagement format (with shabby banners in the background) needs to evolve. Itās tired and boring. Shouldnāt the media centre be a centre of excellence? Shouldnāt it be a brand custodian for the whole country? To break away from, or at least mix in with, these many press briefings, start by turning lesser-known policies into short videos, infographics, and explainers. That recent AI-generated video from filmmaker Loukman Ali was a weak attempt at content creation. For example, the recent copyright law that provoked debate among different stakeholders could have been fodder for the kind of content the media centre can break down for the public. What can you tell a 22-year-old Ugandan about it? If a Gen-Z doesnāt find your press briefings impressive in 30 seconds, youāve lost an entire generation.
6ā£. Once again, media relations are not necessarily about hosting press conferences. Journalists donāt need an open-tent gathering every now and then; they need a partner. Build relationships. Visit newsrooms. Engage and cultivate media influencers. Recognise them monthly. Rethink the idea of media awards. Blogger awards. The most influential TikToker or YouTuber. Work with credible digital voices. Better yet, train and empower emerging media creators. If you donāt shape the narrative ecosystem, the naysayers will, and they already are.
7ā£. How ready are you for crisis communication? Ugandaās PR challenge is not breaking news, and we all know what is missing. āBad news from Ugandaā is beginning to seem normal. The centre needs structured responses, including up-to-date fact sheets, rapid-response messaging, and consistent alignment among spokespersons. Recently, we were in a crisis over news that Uganda would send troops to Iran to defend Israel. This was triggered by X tweets from top officials. A Ugandan UN ambassador responded differently. A foreign affairs official responded differently. A friend of the top official involved in the debacle responded as well, differently. Uganda Media Centre didnāt pronounce itself on the matter. The centre was silent. The silence on such issues creates confusion and erodes reputation.
8ā£. Too many voices, no single message! With Ugandaās PR and communications today, the Uganda Police say one thing, the parliamentās spokesperson says another, the judiciary adds spice, and the Minister of Youth voices yet another opinion. The result? Confusion and, most times, global embarrassment. The Uganda Media Centre should coordinate messaging rather than compete with it.
9ā£. Not All Audiences Are the Same (And thatās the point). Gen Z, foreign investors, foreign diplomats, and foreign media are all different. And yet the Media Centre should be designed to speak to all of them using different tones. How does one respond to an article in The Economist, a professor at Harvard, a would-be Chinese investor, or a disgruntled youth in the Middle East? Segment your communication. Tailor your tone.
š. Lastly, the big question is: Who trusts you?
Have you ever measured your credibility? The Uganda Media Centre needs to carry out surveys and perception audits, gather feedback loops (from the Ugandans it serves), and, from this, build thought leadership by publishing insights, issuing newsletters, hosting experts, inviting scholars, and creating a network of credible voices tied to its platform.
This article is originally published on the Business Insights Africa I @Afro_Insights website here [link] https://t.co/SNHHPlvydn
#BrandUganda
@MTNRwanda@MTNRwanda Could you clarify why queries sent via customer service email and X DMs arenāt being clearly addressed?
Iām repeatedly asked to ākeep waiting,ā but without any timeframe or resolution. How long should a customer realistically expect to wait for a proper response?š¤·š½āāļø
Dear @grok please forbid any modification of any photos and personal information I have posted on X or any other public channels. This also includes any I will post in the future.
One thing I am seriously learning, or rather unlearning, is to not stress and overthink things but rather look on the brighter side of things⦠problems will come and go. Deal with whatās in my control and take it easy w/ stuff thatās beyond my control
Some of the biggest books are 600pages, if you read 100 pages daily split into 25 papers in the morning and 25 in the evening, youāll be done in 6 days. Attention time for 25 papers is 30-40 minutes, some of you average 7hrs of screen time on your phones daily.
Priorities!
No One Warns Immigrants About the Silence
When people move to the UK, everyone says, āYouāll be fine.ā
But no one warns you about the silence.
The kind that fills your chest when you come home from a 12-hour shift ā¦too tired to cook, too broke to order food ā¦and the walls donāt answer when you talk.
Back home, in Africa, there was always noise ā¦neighbours arguing, radios playing, kids laughing outside, boda guys shouting across the road.
Here, even the air feels like itās watching you quietly.
At first, you think youāre strong.
You smile through the cold, through the confused looks when you donāt catch the accent, through the āwhere are you really from?ā that hides behind polite smiles.
But itās the small things that wear you down.
Having to repeat your name until it doesnāt sound like you anymore.
Being called āloveā but never truly seen.
Hearing your qualifications donāt count because theyāre ānot UK standard.ā
You start from scratch. Again.
Washing dishes. Cleaning houses. Sending money home like it doesnāt ache.
Telling your family youāre fine, even when you cry at the bus stop because your card declined.
Still⦠there are moments.
Catching the eye of another African on the bus and sharing a silent smile.
Hearing an Afrobeats song in a corner shop and feeling your heart breathe again.
Cooking familiar food in a cold kitchen and, for a moment, it smells like home.
And slowly, life rebuilds itself.
Not the way you imagined, but piece by piece ā¦.quietly, stubbornly, beautifully.
Because being an immigrant isnāt just about survival.
Itās about learning to belong in a place that never expected you to stay⦠and still daring to call it home.