After the Kenya tourism board unveiled Eddy Kenzo as their ambassador complete with hashtags to drive their point home, Kenyans came back all up in arms explaining that the ambassadors should be Kenyan based and not foreign.
Many suggested that perhaps the board should have picked local celebrities, athletes or rugby players who have been doing their best to wave the Kenyan flag high.
Celebrities like King Kaka also affirmed that the board should have at least picked an ordinary Kenyan before considering foreign celebrities most of whom might not understand the Kenyan story.
Fast forward and a message has been sent out in which the Kenya Tourism board’s influencer campaign strategy for marketing Magical Kenya affirms that:
The first phase of the two- part influencer campaign strategy is currently underway in India, Uganda, Tanzania and will subsequently be rolled out in Nigeria, South Africa as well as other international markets.
The second phase of the campaign will incorporate domestic influencers primarily Kenyan athlete and celebrities who have, and are breaking ground in international and regional markets.
KTB has also been leveraging international celebrities, influencers and key opinion leaders to drive Magical Kenya’s visibility abroad. These include: Mark Zuckerberg, Hu Bing , SWV and Blackstreet.
Perhaps it would have been better to unveil the Kenyan influencers first, but time will tell.