The competitive nature of the African mobile space has forced several ‘early bird’ mobile brands to seek markets outside Africa for business. Nonetheless, some innovative mobile brands have stayed put; making relevant upgrades to their smartphone offerings thus winning over consumers.
One of such mobile brands that have shown doggedness is Tecno.
Tecno’s rise to eminence in the African smartphone market is a tale that can easily connect with the typical African story. Having started out at the base of the mobile spectrum – shipping low-budget phones to African markets, the brand hasn’t grown without suffering perception setbacks as consumers, fueled by threatened competition tagged Tecno products as inferior.
In the years that followed however, the brand continued to reinvent itself, becoming one of the most sought-after smartphone brands in Africa.
Global mobile brands have struggled in African markets as the space evolved rapidly, amongst the notable stories of rise and fall of top mobile brands, are those of the Norwegian multinational Nokia and the once-upon-a-time American powerhouse Motorola. These top OEMs reigned supreme in the African space about two decades back. Surprisingly, within this same period, Tecno clawed its way into the market and within a decade, has succeeded in making itself a success case study for brilliant marketing strategy that combines innovation and competitive pricing.
Understanding the market is key to a brand’s success and the Tecno brand has understood the need for balance between value and pricing.
Year on year, the Asian multinational releases smartphones targeted at different market segments and pegged at the right price. Quality is not compromised either and this is because at the core of the brand’s philosophy is innovation, geared to keep product quality at par with global best practice, more so as an increasing number of mobile consumers continue to embrace the brand.
Take for instance, the Tecno Phantom Series, which is one of the best reviewed annual flagships from the stable of Tecno. These high-end smartphones always drop with top-class upgrades on mobile specifications. The Tecno Phantom brands have proven in five years of its official rollout, that the product line is as competitive and appealing as any other top smartphone brand in the market. And much to the Tecno brand’s delight, consumers are taking a liking for Tecno Phantom products. In 2014, Tecno Phantom Z was rated the best smartphone in the Ghanaian mobile space; marking the second year in a row for a Phantom to cart away the same award in Ghana.
TECNO has consolidated its presence as a top mobile brand in Africa; displacing erstwhile mobile leaders. The Tecno Phantom Series is set to make its voyage for the international markets – particularly the west, with the launch of the Tecno Phantom 6, Tecno’s sixth generation Phantom set to be unveiled this September in Dubai. According to several unofficial reviews, the Tecno Phantom 6 will stomach top-of-the-line specifications including groundbreaking upgrades in camera technology and security.
