My first month at SunCulture - Irene Auma

Irene Auma joined SunCulture in March 2022 as the Senior Marketing Executive. A role with great impact as SunCulture scales its market leading presence in Kenya and embarks on new markets. Besides her intoxicating energy, Irene brings with her 9 years of solid marketing experience across various sectors – Media, research, FMCG & Social impact corporates She has now embarked on a new journey at SunCulture with the ultimate goal of growing the SunCulture brand anchored by ‘customer centric approach, differentiation and a strong value proposition anchored b y it’s brand promise It’s a totally different sector for her with already immensely new experiences; however in her own words ‘I am ready to breathe fire into the SunCulture brand’

What drew you to SunCulture?

At first glance of SunCulture – I thought wow, this is a gold mine! SunCulture has a powerful ambition of building a Kenya where people take control of the environment in rewarding and sustainable ways. It achieves this through provision of solar water pumps and lighting solutions that are highly efficient. SunCulture has a very powerful brand promise having in mind Kenyan’s dire need of water accessibility & lighting more so in rural areas. Being part of SunCulture means I get the chance to drive environmental sustainability and driving impact in our customers’ lives while strongly positioning the SunCulture brand at the center of it all. I truly can’t wait for the journey that lies ahead at SunCulture!

Marketing in a growing industry like this is daunting, what are you most looking forward to achieve in your first year?

I’m looking to have a strong connection with the consumer that transcends beyond the consumer enjoying the benefits that our products have to offer. In my first year I would like consumers to love SunCulture products by virtue of the product being present in almost every sphere of their life that matters to them most; the core benefit being provision of water for various purposes- farming, household etc. Moreover, I intend for the SunCulture brand to be the talk of town when it comes to Solar Water pump solutions

How is Marketing to small holder farmers different from marketing to the different industries you have been to in the past e.g. FMCG, media etc.?

I must say it’s very different! With marketing to small holder farmers there are so many dynamics to factor in when developing a marketing campaign that will strongly resonate and reach the small holder farmers at the right time. For instance, one has to understand the farming seasons tied to dependency of purchase of solar water pumps, farmers are very practical and prefer to experience solar water pumps functionality in a proper setting – in this case a product demonstration at the farm for believability to purchase and so on. I have come to learn, in a short amount of time understanding the farmer’s needs and pain points and strategically synchronizing the same with a powerful marketing plan is the make or break of the marketing initiatives that I intend to roll out

What Inspires you everyday?

People inspire me everyday. It’s amazing how we can move mountains by working together with the drive and will to achieve what we set out to achieve! Personally, I love helping people become a better version of themselves; helping people to unearth their unknown potential and going the extra mile to offer the helping hand to do so. I believe this world would be a much better place if we all endeavored to improve ourselves and learn from each other

My first month at SunCulture – Irene Auma