Southern African financial services platform Mukuru has launched a new marketing campaign following the announcement of a series of sponsorships, including English Premier League side Crystal Palace and Springbok legend Tendai “The Beast” Mtawarira.

The company says it wants to reflect its evolution from a remittances-based business to a broader financial services provider for African consumers.

The ad campaign features Crystal Palace forwards Wilfried Zaha and Jordan Ayew, alongside versatile midfielder Jeffrey Schlupp, as well as Mtawarira, Mukuru’s 2022 brand ambassador.

Bronwyn Pretorius, Executive Head of Marketing at Mukuru, said, “The campaign captures the passion the continent has for sports and culture, but also the tenacity of our customers, people that rise each day, regardless of their circumstances, to earn a living and provide for the needs of their families.”

“Mukuru is a business for Africans, by Africans, and the representation of iconic African talent, as showcased in the new campaign, was key to illustrating the opportunities and possibilities for our customers. The new ad highlights the different ways the brand aims to take Africans forward - which is why we used top African forwards playing for Crystal Palace in the upcoming 2022/23 EPL season.”

The ad also features Palace striker Jordan Ayew, a Ghanaian who enjoyed a landmark season in 2019/20, finishing as the Eagles' top scorer as well as Jeffrey Schlupp, who represented Ghana in the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations.

The campaign recognises Africa’s rising global stature in both Fintech and sport, and the star player in the ad is rugby legend Tendai “The Beast” Mtawarira.

The Beast is a Zimbabwean-born South African professional rugby union player who represented the South African national team and the Sharks in Super Rugby. Mtawarira went on to become a highly respected global star and Roc Nation Sports International client. With 117 caps, he is the most capped prop in South African history and the third most-capped Springbok of all time.

He is also a 2019 Rugby World Cup Winner.

Beast said, “Mukuru started in my homeland in Zimbabwe and what this brand does is amazing in the way it connects Africans all around the globe, giving them the ability to provide for their families back home. I remember a certain time when I was trying to provide for my mom and family back home in Zim and Mukuru is that solution, making it easy to send money back home. This brand is truly something special.”

Pretorius added, “The new ad encapsulates our brand purpose of unleashing possibility by placing iconic African people at the centre, as we do daily with our customers. Our mission is understanding their pain points, working together as a partner and not just a service provider, to tap into opportunities through financial solutions that address the limitations and challenges they face each new day.”

E-commerce explosion

In December 2021 the company launched its Mukuru Card in South Africa, which the company said allows users to engage in e-commerce, irrespective of whether they have a traditional bank account.

In May 2021, a World Wide Worx report found that online retail in South Africa grew 66% in 2020, valuing the sector then at more than R30-billion.