So my last blog post was on the laudable strides into blogging by Cameroonians. However while a lot of Cameroonian bloggers are coming up, few have reach that hallowed level of making a profit off their blogs. A dynamic woman and PR-extraordinaire Adeline Sede Kamga are bent on changing that.
To start, she rallied Camer bloggers in the country for a bloggers hangout on the 14th of June 2014. The event sponsored by one of her clients Ethiopian Airlines with a free wine tasting by another of her clients Duvas Wines held at White House Bonapriso, Douala and was in one word: Fabulous!
Adeline, who is also the founder and CEO of FabAfriq Magazine a beautiful publication battling the negative portrayal of our continent on a regular basis, says she wants to start a revolution leading to bloggers and their blogs being seen as equal options for advertising.
In Cameroon, companies limit themselves to billboards, newspaper layouts and TV ads. Those who don’t have enough to spend on those three means are left out. However with the popularity of social media and the rise in blogging amongst Cameroonians blogs are as good a place as any to advertize and Adeline is leading her clients along to this new plane of advertising.
The first client to “bite the bait” is Ethiopian Airlines. They fully sponsored the get together where bloggers came together to learn from each other on everything from the best blog engines to the types of blogs to advice on consistency, increasing followers and marketing.
After talks and group discussions we were then made known of the amazing deals Ethiopian Airlines offers. As Africa’s leading (the largest and fastest growing) aviation company they cover everything. And by everything I mean EVERYTHING! There’s a medical package for those traveling with patients (at a 20% discount) which would make most health insurance deals look like a fraud, they handle the obtaining of visas for students who wish to study in certain Asian countries and for those who wish to travel to Ethiopia for any reasons. The airline recently launched a campaign called “ETHIOPIAN HOLIDAYS” and the services they offer make travel agents and tourist agencies seem null! To say I was impressed is euphemism. Did you know Ethiopia has the lowest visa cost internationally? While a visa to another African country is usually 50USD (and much higher for visa’s to non African countries), the visa fee for Ethiopia is just 25USD!
Well let me tell you, the event got me thinking when most Africans decide to vacation, they think of traveling abroad (as far away as possible), belittling our own continent and the exotic, exciting sites it offer. Africa has a lot of amazing places to visit but unfortunately, we in our globalization warped perception overlook them.
But the multiple awards winning Ethiopian Airlines has partnered with some hotels, resorts and touristic sites in Ethiopia to offer amazing holiday’s discounts to attract tourists from around the world and Africa in particular to Ethiopia (Other airlines and countries can take notes THIS is how one does tourism!).
One of such partners is the Kuriftu resort and spa, which in the last few years has been a destination of choice for many travel lovers. Find out more about Kuriftu Spa and resort here (www.kurifturesortspa.com/). To find out more (or schedule that trip to Kuriftu when you see what it has to offer), here are some direct contacts to Ethiopian Airline staff (DesireeN@ethiopianairlines.com or Tel: + 237 73350059
As if all that information, networking and the AWESOME 3-course dinner at White House wasn’t more than enough, we bloggers literally entered a raffle draw by attending the hang-out. Ethiopian Airlines offers one lucky attendee a Fan Trip to Singapore to be validated by June 29th!!!!
Now if you’re a blogger reading this I know you’re jealous but don’t hate me (Because, hey, I could be the lucky one!). Future hangouts are being planned as you read! Yep, Ms. Kamga is on the roll and she won’t gather no moss as she promised in a recent article with Tip Top Stars she and her team will be evaluating active blogs and looking at how they can help them cover some basic costs through placing advertising features and content as well as encourage other companies to advertise using blogs.
I for one can’t praise this enough. Imagine the number of creative yet unemployed youth in our country who could earn something by using their personal blogs to advertise? This is innovation lets embrace it.
Lest I forget I had the good fortune to meet the lovely ladies and gents behind blogs and websites I had only formerly followed from afar…
Elodie behind LesmarchesdeElodie.blogspot.com
Tiptop Stars (http://www.tiptopstars.com)
Clifford Ako of Wasamundi (http://www.wasamundi.com/)
Hughes Kamga of (http://huguesleandre.wordpress.com/)
Nkiacha Atemnkeng of Writerphilic (nkiachaatemnkeng.blogspot.com/)
And of course, moi of Musings… Yes I met myself (and fell in love with myself) all over again… Till next time folks; Keep Calm, bloggers progressing here….
4 Comments
Very nice post Monique. Its great to see other Cameroonian bloggers trying to make a name for themselves and supporting each other.
Thanks! Those of you in the diaspora will be able to join in if you are here in December for the next hangout session!
Great post Monique. Mine coming up soon. I finished the write up since wednesday but internet problems want kill me
Amazing write up. I think Ethiopian Airlines is an employer of choice.