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I've always found that you've got to start with the customer experience and work backwards to the technology. You can't start with the technology and then figure out where you're gonna try to sell it!
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Steve Jobs' statement was right in 1997, and is still valid in 2024
Our project
What we do
mechanism for entering the African market using an application for classified advertising
law of category
Having studied the popular and, in our opinion, high-quality products such as - Avito , YouDo, Head Hunter, and the Craigslist ad site, we came to the conclusion that, following the IT trend of combining services on one resource and using the experience of studying local - consumer culture and market needs, this is the most successful way to create a loyal to the brand community.
We create a regional aggregator, a PWA app for classified advertising baobab.zone, also using domains: baobab.co.na and tout.cd in DRC (in English this means "all of DRC", the easiest way to reach local customers with offline advertising), that also aims at e-commerce (SaaS), and other app's services.
By attracting millions of users to the application and promoting the Baobab brand, we gain a huge audience to whom we can offer a large number of various services, united by a common ideology and brand, which will be turned into a pan-African ecosystem.
Our marketing concept of creating a global African Baobab ecosystem is as follows:
The reason for the appearance of our hero - Baobab, the prototype of our brand, in Africa, his life's task is to unite Africans to catch up and surpass today's world leaders.
since 1999 in africa
Some of our team members have more than 25 years of business experience in Namibia and other African countries, and more than 10 years directly in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. In addition, we have the "validated" members of the Namibian and DRC communities in our team.
The law of leadership
Summary: It’s better to be first than it is better…*
*It is safe to say that there is nothing like the above-described resource in Namibian market, although the need for such a service is unusually high. The only resource that is powerful in numbers but weak in functionality is the Facebook marketplace, which should not be considered a competitor; a detailed study of this, in our opinion, not entirely logical service allows us to hope for its use in attracting new users.
validated brands
just online
Based on the lack of specialists and high costs of an offline presence in many of the Afrian countries, we are going to use the online office and call center services, which allows minimizing local employment, office space, logistics, and other offline expenses.
the law of perception
Summary: Marketing is not a battle of products, it’s a battle of perception*
* We prepare the local community to accept our product long before the product hits the market by creating a cartoon character “Baobab - Rescue Ranger”, and a series of thematic social cartoons, tied in meaning to future advertising, but veiled, which should be converted into ad series and continue to run, as soon as the application and web are presented.
learning the experience
The right way is: to learn what your predecessors did and move on*
*We must use this unique advantage - by learning the experience of others, such as the: Avito, Samokat, Craigslist (the smartest business, in 2016 with a revenue of $690 m, it has a net income - of $500 m), and by adapting the product to the local conditions, much faster than moving by touch - to reach the desired result.
progress
ONLY A FEW STEPS LEFT BEFORE we START
1. Software
- The back-end engine with all databases is fully set up.
- The final integration of the front-end and back-end was completed, testing is almost complete. Web versions for users and a personal cabinet for a professional account are being completed; the next stage is the integration of a bonus system.
- We use Cape Town based AWS Cloud service.
- SMS APIs for OTP and ad services are set up (Telesign).
- Integrated payment aggregator for monetization (Stripe).
- Following our desire to use highly qualified specialists from various countries and reduce offline costs, we have decided to create a completely online application management. Thus, we use our own CRM system for internal corporate communication, and Jivochat for our customer support service.
2. Marketing
- The trademark BAOBAB ®™ & BAOBAB.ZONE ®™ of most classes is registered in DRC, Namibia, and ARIPO, also filed with registrars for OAPI, and South Africa.
- Registered ~ 40 baobab domain names with various 1st and 2nd level extensions.
- The number of subscribers in social networks is in the tens of thousands, and within few months their number increases exponentially (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, and Telegram, will give the organic number of app downloads immediately when the project is launched.
- Five episodes are already shown on YouTube (the number of views is in the tens of thousands), and the next episode is ready for release a presentation of the application - from the social cartoon series “Baobab - Rescue Ranger” (according to the fourth law of marketing, see above). The premiers of four episodes were a success on the central TV channel of the DRC - RTNC, which is significantly increasing brand awareness due to the multi-million audience of the channel,and prime-time shows will continue.The series also began showing with success on the popular television channels -"Antenne A" and "B-One", and "Tele 50" channel; and NBC in Namibia. The shows are carried out on behalf of the Baobab Mercy Fund (our parallel project, to minimize costs and create a positive brand image).
- Concepts and designs for offline advertising were created, including t-shirts, mugs, posters, and many small souvenirs to attract offline customers. The first part of the stuff as already been delivered to DRC and tested with good feedback.
- The kiosk was 3D printed for offline consultations and sales of services, crypto/fiat exchange, after the launch of the project.
- Three e-bikes are ready to be used for marketing purposes to attract small retail buyers.
3. Vertical/Related DRC diversification
- Adding the additional services to the super app, such as Baobab.taxi, Baobab.doctor, Baobab.delivery, Baobab.loan, Baobab stream service, and so on.
- Creating a rubricator, which will be integrated with the application, in which all types of public services, and businesses will be tied, such as universities, schools, medical, and so on.
- Creating the B2B & B2G - (afri-afro-biz-pro-gov).baobab.zone resource for the Pan-African business communication.
4. Horizontal/Unrelated DRC diversification
- Due to the successful development of brand awareness, and the presence of registered trademarks in many classes, the establishment of turnkey enterprises with future marketing support in various types of local industries and services, such as - food and drink, Baobab branded clothing, legal services, marketing agencies, etc.
- To allow the use of the recognizable Baobab brand in third-party retail for fairly high royalties, of course, after a thorough check of the quality of goods and the reliability of the retailers.
- Using the millionth Baobab audience, to provide the merchants with marketing, for the sake of the faster market penetration of new products.
5. Geographical diversification
- Using the Namibian online and offline marketing experience, media and social content, which should only be adapted to the locations and mentality of new countries, the cost of entering these countries will be cheaper at times, and significantly reduce the time of introduction to these markets.
- The application's most requested services will be tested in Namibia. Therefore, in the following countries, we will launch and implement these best services.
This is what it looks like (TEST MODE)
OUR app's LANDING PAGE:
we created
a revolution in apps
Using our app, you will always know - what is, where, and how much.
Our PWA app will take up less space on your phone than a few text messages, no more bulky app downloads, and endless updates!
mission
eradication of - digital slavery, enshittification, and financial nihilism
evolution of slavery
In addition to direct slavery, other stages of human history are also slaveholding:
- During feudalism, people were exploited by taking away their land.
- Under capitalism, the exploitation of the population occurs through the alienation of means of production.
- In the modern era of web2 and .com, people are exploited through alienation from them and full ownership of their data by the world's largest IT giants.
- Another proof of the dominance of monopolies is the global computer failure caused by CrowdStrike. Any monopoly, if it is unnatural (that is, it is not the only possible form of market organization under given conditions), is harmful - including government, corporate, and any other. The networked world will continue to squeeze decrepit hierarchies.
So, we are here together with Baobab to, with the help of web3, cryptocurrency, and the concentration of the instruments of production in the hands of workers, get out of this slavery and never return to it again by any other way.
FINANCIAL NIHILISM
A little about the reasons for the phenomenon:
The main reason, in our opinion, for youth financial nihilism is the colossal and catastrophically growing gap in access to ownership - property, capital, financial instruments, etc., between modern youth and their peers from previous generations.
As a result, young people do not see the possibility, and therefore the point, in self-realization, understanding that using standard financial instruments, bank deposits, and earnings, at current prices for real estate, cars, and shares of public companies, they will be able to achieve their goals only in the next life, and they lose interest in the present life, which is why the notorious financial nihilism arises, which, if this process is not stopped, will lead to the degradation of the economy and society as a whole.
The big mistake of young people is that they tie this problem to geographical location, but in all countries the gap is approximately the same, that is, with relatively high salaries in US, real estate prices there are also very high and therefore for young people it is necessary to make it clear that the problem can be solved locally, in their home country.
Further on how we see a way out of this situation:
Baobab Mercy Fund
Bringing needs and opportunities into harmony through:
Explanation of the meaning of the “Epoch of Resumption”, that is, the prevalence of the necessary over the excess (an example of the pre-marketing, early 20th century, period - contentment with 2 suits, 2 pairs of shoes, everyday and formal, 1 house, etc.); disdain for hedonism, a return to lost meanings in life (examples of a hypertrophied attitude towards food, relaxation, investment, etc., so, when young people come to a restaurant not to enjoy food, visit a resort not for fitness and relaxation - but to take a selfie with a beefsteak or a view of the sea and share it on social networks; or constantly point your finger at a virtual "hamster" not for real earnings, but to be presented as a participant in the process, an adherent of the virtual community). After all - a car is a high-quality and economical means of transportation, and a house is an economical and comfortable home for your family, and not object for others to determine your status.
It is also our serious task to explain to young people that they should ignore the life values and goals constantly imposed on them by the media in the form of yachts, castles, airplanes and other nonsense that has no meaning in this life.
Thus, by lowering the bar of needs, young people raise the bar of opportunities by reducing the gap between them and increasing motivation to achieve a realistic goal in terms of time and finances.
Baobab ecosystem
The algorithm for interrelations of the Baobab ecosystem, using the concept of PaaS (Purpose as a Service) based on AI, will make it possible to offer the user a product, service, access to financing, etc. based on the individual preferences of the latter, and not a mass of unnecessary but advertised things, including real estate, vehicles, work, services, financial assistance, etc.
Our strategy is a client-centric business, that is, we are interested in investing in the development of the clients. We want them to be richer and more self-sufficient and remain our clients, whom we consider and call a PARTNERS, as long as possible.
Integration of predictive analytics, also based on artificial intelligence, into the application will help manufacturers around the world receive real information about the consumer market in African countries.
Our business model, even in the case of rapid and sustainable growth and scaling, is protected from such a disease - enshittification, which affects almost all major IT giants, because for us "See the soul among the digits" - this is not only the motto but also the life position of our team.
Baobean
The introduction of first a Baobean - utility token (Baocent as a bonus system unit), which gives its holders special access to a product or service in the future, and distributes to reward investors, in our case, ordinary users of the ecosystem, for their interest in a project, and then a Baobean transactional token, which gives the user of the Baobab ecosystem automatic access, by integrating with the Baobab security token, to a secure and fast-growing investment product using DAO, with no entry threshold.
solution
Thus, within the Baobab ecosystem, a community of young like-minded people is formed, united by the idea of the “Epoch of Resumption” and an understanding of the means to achieve goals based on this idea and Baobab financial opportunities, with a clear vision of their future, and who are not subject to financial nihilism.
Sustainable Development Goals
we are together
We support all global sustainable development goals, here we have described the closest to us and our company's concepts.
While international organizations are busy with declarations, we will get down to business:
1.1.1 Proportion of the population living below the international poverty line by sex, age, employment status and geographic location (urban/rural);
8.b.1 Existence of a developed and operationalized national strategy for youth employment, as a distinct strategy or as part of a national employment strategy;
12.1.1 Number of countries developing, adopting or implementing policy instruments aimed at supporting the shift to sustainable consumption and production;
17.8.1 Proportion of individuals using the Internet.
Goal 1.1.1/C010101
•Users of our application will automatically use first internal and then external payment methods of our Baobean Cryptocurrency, which is automatically integrated into the investment service. That is, all our partners will be involved in the investment process and will earn good money.
Goal 8.b.1/C080b01
•There are two major psychological aspects that we want to eliminate among young people. The first is financial nihilism, as they do not see a path and possibility to achieve their goals, and the second is the lack of faith in their country. Through the work of the Baobab Mercy Fund, we will eliminate these two serious problems.
•And one purely technical aspect: many young people do not have a job not because there is none, but because there is no effective tool that would connect employers and job seekers, and the goal of the Baobab.Zone application is to eliminate this gap.
Goal 12.1.1/C120101
•In our opinion, the creation of rational consumption models should start not with global organizations, but from the lowest level, with specific individuals, explaining to them with Baobab Mercy Fund the value of the “Epoch of Resumption”, that is, the prevalence of the necessary over the excess (an example of the pre-marketing, early 20th century, period - contentment with 2 suits, 2 pairs of shoes, every day and formal, 1 house, etc.); disdain for hedonism, a return to lost meanings in life, and we must use the opportunity to start this process precisely from Africa, since the local population is not corrupted by luxury and excessive values, unlike the so-called developed countries.
•And after that, projecting this psychology onto production and business objects will not be so difficult.
Goal 17.8.1/C170801
•First, in many African countries there are a sufficient number of Internet providers with very reasonable prices, and internet penetration remains low. In our opinion, the most important thing is to form a culture of Internet consumption, because many people do not even have smartphones and our task is to use offline sources of promoting the Baobab.Zone application to explain to them the need to own means of communication connected to the Internet.
•Also, with the help of Baobab.Zone application, we will help the population of Africa make two very serious jumps, first – by bypassing the presence on the Internet through their websites to get a decent representation on our SaaS platform immediately.
•The second jump is from offline straight to web3 since the African market is not so much of interest to IT monopolies and there will be no need to overcome their resistance as it could be in developed countries.
creators
team of like-minded people
system architect
ruslan korolev
Those who do not know where they are going will be very surprised if they find themselves in the wrong place
ADMINISTRATION
Pauline manga
It doesn't matter what color the skin is, what matters is what it's stretched over.
marketing manager
daniil petrov
The deputy is not the second person, but the first person in second place
project manager
Andron narinsky
There is only one good - knowledge, and only one evil - ignorance
We are preparing the market in advance for the appearance of Baobab products:
Launch of our app in:
