Kenyan Brands Weigh Traditional Media Prestige Against Digital Reach

Kenyan companies are increasingly interested in reaching audiences online, but many still attach greater importance to coverage in established newspapers and television outlets, according to a discussion on the ninth episode of the Voices & Visions podcast.

Mary, who runs Glass House PR, said clients of public relations agencies may request digital coverage while treating it as an addition to appearances in traditional media. The discussion focused on how companies and their advisers judge media prestige, audience relevance and the results of a campaign.

Voices & Visions is produced by Tutto Passa Agency in partnership with TechCabal. The podcast explores people and ideas shaping Africa’s innovation economy.

Traditional outlets retain influence

Mary recalled clients expressing a preference for major Kenyan outlets, including Daily Nation, Business Daily and Citizen TV. In one example, clients welcomed online attention but continued to regard established media coverage as a priority during a technology company campaign.

“I still want to be on Daily Nation, on Business Daily,” Mary recalled clients saying. She also quoted a client as saying: “I want to be featured tomorrow on Citizen TV.”

The discussion suggested that recognition from well-known media institutions can carry significance for executives and companies, even when their customers or professional audiences are active online. A company may therefore approve a digital placement without viewing it as a replacement for newspaper or television coverage.

Different outlets, different objectives

The conversation also examined the distinction between broad media recognition and specialist relevance. A publication may receive a company’s press release without being considered important enough to receive the first interview or an exclusive opportunity.

Mary acknowledged that agencies and clients sometimes refer to startup and technology publications as “bloggers”. At the same time, specialist digital publications can build authority by consistently covering an industry, scrutinising developments and attracting readers who need that information.

That difference can matter when a company is trying to reach a specific professional audience. The source discussion gave the example of software sold to banks, whose potential buyers could include technology executives, procurement teams and heads of particular business divisions. For such a campaign, a specialist publication may offer relevance even if it does not carry the same general prestige as a major newspaper or television station.

The challenge of measuring impact

Digital coverage can provide more opportunities to observe readership and engagement, but those figures may not always be available to the agency or the company being covered. Publishers may know how many people opened a story, while having little reason to share that information with the organisation featured in it.

The discussion also cautioned that appearing in a respected publication does not, by itself, amount to an endorsement. Nor does it establish how many relevant people read a particular article.

A clearer campaign brief can help resolve the choice between traditional and digital media, according to the source discussion. Agencies and clients should first identify the intended audience, determine what those people should understand and agree on what would constitute a useful result.

That approach allows media selection to be tied to a campaign’s purpose rather than relying only on institutional reputation or the assumption that online visibility will automatically produce meaningful engagement.