The role of language in building brand identity in African markets

Abstract

Background: This research examines the key function of language in shaping brand identity within culturally varied and multilingual markets in Africa.
Objectives: While branding is increasingly acknowledged as a catalyst for consumer loyalty, insufficient focus has been directed towards the strategic use of language by creative intermediaries to engage audiences.
Method: The study adopts digital ethnography and a qualitative case study approach, analysing advertising campaigns from Mobile Telecommunications Network (MTN), Safaricom, Coca-Cola, Nigerian Breweries and Ethiopian Airlines across Southern, Western and Eastern Africa. Data were drawn from online adverts and marketing content, with focus on linguistic strategies such as code-switching, idioms, humour, proverbs and culturally rooted narratives. Affective stylistics and reader-response theory guided the analysis to show how stylistic choices evoke emotional engagement and shape consumer attachment.
Results: The results show that creative intermediaries are very important for getting brand messages across by making them culturally relevant and more persuasive and visible.
Conclusion: Brands effectively use humour, celebrity endorsements, indigenous languages and cultural references, supported by music, colours, gestures and symbols, to enhance trust and loyalty, although balancing global brand consistency with local linguistic diversity remains challenging.
Contribution: The research shows the value of culturally sensitive communication and the role of creative middlemen in bridging language gaps, enriching scholarship and practice in multicultural marketing.