Marketing Communication in African Languages

This edited volume considers the use of African languages for marketing communication. The importance of an indigenous language stems from its benefits, which include increased comprehension and a sense of resonance among the target audience, which makes it more memorable as opposed to foreign languages.

Chapters in the book variously examine African traditional advertising and marketing; popular culture as a channel for advertising and marketing; political communication, advertising and marketing; commercials and public relations in African languages; as well as branding, corporate and public communication in African languages. The use of African languages for marketing communication is considered on the traditional mass media and the digital media. Readers will gain a lot of insights into the theory and practice of marketing communication in African languages.

Abiodun Salawu is Professor of Journalism, Communication, and Media Studies and Director of the research entity, Indigenous Language Media in Africa (ILMA) at the North-West University, South Africa. He has taught and researched journalism, media, and communication for close to three decades in Nigeria and South Africa. Prior to his academic career, he practised journalism in a number of print media organisations in Nigeria. He has to his credit, well over a gross of scholarly publications in academic journals and books. He has also edited/co-edited eleven books and authored one. He is a regular presenter of papers at local and international conferences. He is a co-vice chair of the journalism section of the International Association for Media and Communication Research (IAMCR) and a member of editorial/advisory boards of a number of journals. He was involved in the founding of the International Association for Minority Language Media Research. He is rated by the NRF as an established researcher at the level of C1 (with international recognition) and he is a member of Codesria’s College of Senior Academic Mentors.

Kehinde Oyesomi holds BSc (2004), MSc (2006), and PhD (2013) degrees in Mass Communication. She also obtained a Post-Doctoral Fellowship in Communications from North West University, South Africa in 2018. She has 17 years of working experience spanning journalism, corporate communications, and teaching. Award winner during her undergraduate (Best student in Media Planning, overall best student in Public Relations and Advertising), NYSC days in Enugu State where she researched and wrote a book on HIV/AIDS that was circulated around secondary schools in the State and she has won several research papers and grant awards both nationally and internationally. Dr. Oyesomi has since traversed wider terrains in different but related fields of media and gender, development communication, Journalism, and Public Relations. She is the immediate past Head of the Department, Mass Communication at Covenant University and currently the Editor-in-Chief, Covenant Journal of Communication. Passionate and energetic in matters of women and children, and Development Communication, Dr. Oyesomi is a member of the International Association for Minority Language Media Research (IAMLMR), African Council for Communication Education (ACCE), Association of Communication Scholars and Professionals of Nigeria (ACSPN), Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR), Advertising Practitioners Council of Nigeria (APCON), International Advertising Association (IAA), South African Communications Association (SACOMM), Council for the Development of Social Science Research in Africa (CODESRIA) among other international bodies and fora, and she is a reviewer and editorial board member for several local and international journals. She has published in several local and international high-impact journals. She also has book chapters and an edited book to her credit.