Creative Alternatives

Advise on export potential Kenyan fair trade brand

 Creative Alternatives is a Kenyan marketing and sales enterprise for Fair Trade products with its focus on local and international markets. Owner Mike Muchilwa has been a business consultant and social entrepreneur for about 15 years. In 2004 Mike set up Creative Alternatives (CA). The objective of this organisation is to link talented African producers to local, regional and export markets. From 2007-2010 its focus is on jewellery and home decoration. From 2010, Creative Alternatives will also target on food products. The products are not Fair Trade labelled yet, but Creative Alternatives has been involved with COFTA - which is the regional chapter of the International Fair trade Association (IFAT) - and expects to join IFAT in 2010.

Business Case
CA currently has a small team of 6 people. For the supply of its jewellery, Creative Alternatives works with 30 small producers in Nairobi, Kisumu and Mombasa. CA intends to develop a Fair Trade value chain where the main role of CA will be marketing and accessing partners to local and export markets. CA also will be responsible for product development. At this time however, it is also involved in quality control and standardising production.
The social impact of CA is:

• local employment and/or income generation
• transfer of knowledge

Creative Alternatives has requested SharePeople for support on branding, marketing and sales strategy. CA wanted advice on how to strengthen its brand identification, how to increase sales and develop e-commerce. CA's currently exports to the USA and Canada and it's dream is to access export markets in Europe in 2010. Key expectations were  a marketing strategy and concrete results of that strategy like a product catalogue and an improved website.

SharePeople matched Creative Alternatives with marketing consultant Jackie Bekouw, with much experience in social work in Kenya.

Results

Analysis

With CEO Mike Muchilwa Jackie first analysed the situation at Creative Alternatives by discussing mission&vision&goals of the organisation, performing a SWOT and identifying needs&priorities.

Furthermore, on her own, she did a market survey on CA's competitors and developed communication action plans

Advice           

The major advice of Jackie to Creative Alternatives is to not so much think on marketing about products but about Creative Alternatives as a company. This could create loyal customer base via relation management with low cost marketing activities like newsletter and social media. This is especially fitting CA which is more a network than a organization and where customers buy online anyway.

The other advice and discussion was to organize the working methodology: plan, do, act and check. To work with action plans and share responsibilities so that the organization becomes more focused. This is also felt by both Jackie and Mike: Jackie was a catalyst, gave the organization new impuls and organized it that way so that things get done.

"The expert catalysed a process of internal reflection on what the business was doing. It was like looking in a mirrow and asking hard questions.", Mike Muchilwa

Impact on the partners

Creative Alternatives got an action plan on how to improve its marketing & communication to improve customer relations

CA also got insight in the international customers opinion of his products.

Jackie Bekouw gave more focus on the interpersonal process while working with the CEO and was aware of the Dutch result-oriented business mindset, thanks to the intercultural training beforehand.

Follow up

Mike and Jackie co-developed an action plan, where they both have a role. Depending on this, SharePeople will monitor soon on how Creative Alternatives is developing it marketing strategy.