The time travelling corporate giants

by:Kevin Kogo

      photo from google

"The best way to predict the future is to create it.'' Abraham Lincon.Yes.Thats why safaricom beats Airtel and Telkom.Its why Naivas is still here while Nakumatt and Uchumi are gone,still the same reason Nyashinski is still rocking and the other two kleptos are not.Do you remember Mr Nice of kuku kapanda baiskeli or  Z-Anto of binti kiziwi ? Naah.But you are still streaming Alikibas songs in Millions.Why?Re-read lincons statement

History about war,Tyrants,Queens,Musolinis and Hitlers are intresting but not amusing as corporate history(atleast to me) So let me give you a trailer

In 2002,Yahoo had a chance to purchase google,it backed out,in 2006 it had a chance to buy facebook but complained zuckerberg was too expensive.Well in 2021 we don't even know what Yahoo is,do we?You are probably running to google yahoo right now before you tab to facebook(whatsApp or Instagram)

in 2000,Reed Hastings the founder of Netflix, approached John Antioco C.E.O of blockbuster with a proposal to let Netflix supply blockbusters DVD'S online.He was flatly turned down.It was a proposal that would have saved blockbusters future.But if your company is worth billions of dollars whats the future for?Blockbuster filed for bankruptcy in 2010.Well Netflix is still creating the future in 2021 despite being 100 times more worth than what blockbuster was in 2000

In 2005 Chris Dewolfe C.E.O of my space got an offer from Mark Zuckerberg.75 million dollars for facebook.And he was like '' is this kid from Havard Crazy?Seventy whaaaat?.2021 July Facebook's networth is 1001 Billion dollars.My space Networth is 110M dollars.Zuckerberg simply tried to sell the future to Dewolfe in 2005.Yaah i too wouldn't risk 75M dollars,would you?

This is a story of transistions,innovations,fails and lessons so lets start from home.

KBC & CITIZEN TV

48% of kenyans watch citizen tv every evening,followed by KTN Home's 11.9%,Inooro at number three,NTV,KTN News,K24  and now at number seven comes KBC with a viewers percentage of 3.35%.I guess we only watch KBC when our Dstv subscription expires and now we have no choice.You know where the margin came in?KBC was the future for a long time but failed to caution itself for the unpredictable days ahead,Citizen on the other hand had to be sure about the future so they created one.

KBC was founded in 1928 and remained the only broadcasting channel  till the 90's,monopoly must have got into their head or they thought the world was going to remain what it was,1 regime,1 broadcasting channel,1 programme,one everything.

in 1999 when citizen Tv was launched it focused on giving its few viewers the best.Hooked us up with local drama,nice mexican soap Operas,a skillfull,detailed and engagive news presentation...the next day you would tune to citizen and the rest of that month and that year.In mid 2000's KBC was still giving us some low quality footage,poor audio,going off air sometimes till we couldn't watch it anymore.

Citizen had it all;good programme,good presenters,majority of the viewers.They could sit back relax and reap,but they chose not to do what blockbuster did in 2000's. Failure to transit.Smartphones were here,people didn't want to wait till it was 7Pm to watch news,or sit fixed in their coaches so as to access citizen programmes via their mgongo Tv's.On August 7th 2008 they joined Youtube then proceeded to join all social media platforms available

Now their infinite innovation,  viusasa,creation of an everlasting future.KBC is still around in 2021 but Citizen is securing its 2035.    

           

SAFARICOM

You have got to give it to safaricom or the innovation team atleast,have you tried the M-pesa App its legit.

Lets face it.Safaricom is too expensive for an ordinary jubilee oppressed kenyan.But you are still using it aren't you? Why?You know it.

In March 2007 safaricom launched its future.Mpesa.The reason that you are using sim1 for cheap Telkom bundles and Safaricom in sim 2 is because of Mpesa and it will be in there for a long time.Without Mpesa Safcom would have loosed the future race(A future they themselves invented in 1993) Now this is not just a case of creating the future seating back and seeing it roll.Its about fashioning it,beating all the Odds and emerging out a monopoly.So i will give you a preview of the struggle ( feel free to skip)

    1) Safaricom launches a campaign named '' send money home'' they brand it so well that it    wins best broadcast comercial award in Spain year 2008

    2)18th March 2008 : Safaricom patches with housing finance to offer Mpesa services from housing finance Outlets all over the country 

   3)14th July 2008:Safaricom signs an agreement with pesa point to allow users widhraw money from pesa point directly on their saflines

   4)1st December 2008 mpesa signs deal with western union to allow mpesa customers receive money from U.K   

   5)20th April 2009 safcom patners with kplc to allow their customers pay bills through Mpesa

    6) 22nd October 2010 safcom patners with supermarkets to allow payments of goods through Mpesa

A string of patnerships,deals,proposals,trials and resources.(As the story goes ''mpesa was a stolen idea''  naah without safaricom this thing wouldn't even have launched)

As of December 2007,Mpesa had 1 million active users.By 2011 it had 11 Million users

Its 2021 Mpesa has over 30Million users,98.8% of the total mobile money subscriptions.And they are still going.

In the 2nd part of this i will be writing about international companies   like Kodak that created the future,doughted it,stayed in the sidelines till the digital revolution wiped it off the market.About Nokia,Blackberry and Motorola.

Till Next time.