Business Action for Africa (BAA) â the business arm of the Commission for Africa â has created a brand identity and website with marketing agency Folk, which encourages companies to invest in Africa with the aim of eradicating its debt.
Matt Butterworth, MD of Folk, comments, âIt’s about kicking businesses up the arse and getting them to work with businesses in Africa to get rid of the debt. With this help, Africa can build towards a more positive future.â
The website launched at the end of May and coincides with the BAA’s contact strategy, including above-the-line advertising. All of this activity is building towards the G8 Business Summit in London on July 5/6 which will be preceded by the highly publicised Live 8 concert organised by Bob Geldof on July 2.
One of the key propositions behind the BAA’s website and brand identity was to create a positive image of Africa. Butterworth comments, âWe don’t want it to look like a charity site â it’s a business site with a corporate feel so we looked more to the B2B side for guidance.â
The logo uses the colours of the South African flag: red, green, blue, yellow and black. Dave Stansfield, senior designer at Folk, adds, âThese strong, primary colours inject some vibrancy, make it more upbeat. These people have gone through a lot but they’re still enthusiastic â the logo aims to reflect that.â
The site contains a number of case studies from companies such as Intercontinental Hotels Group, Rio Tinto and De Beers who already operate in the region.
Businesses involved in the BAA must support the Action Plan for Africa ie. they must commit to acting in one or more than one of these areas: policy advocacy, promotion of Africa, business conduct, business impact and partnership.
For more information go to http://www.businessactionforafrica.org/.
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