Stuck in traffic on Ngong Road a couple of days ago, I got a 2-for-1 ‘billboard surfing’ session that turned into a marketing insights opportunity — courtesy of two very different brands,

On the left is Charged, what appears to be a new energy drink in Kenya. The billboard is large, colourful and visible. But as a potential consumer, I have no trust or brand signals telling me who is behind it or what it stands for.

The PET bottle packaging does not strike me as premium — it feels mass market, squarely for the ‘mwananchi’, clearly targeting the youth market segment? There is no website, no QR code, no social handle. Nothing that takes a curious consumer anywhere next.

I am probably not the target audience anyway — I would reach for Red Bull or Monster any day over an unknown brand. The lack of any way to find them online from the billboard means I am unlikely to consider it seriously.

On the right is what also seems to be a new offering from Smirnoff, a Diageo brand marketed locally through EABL. Even though this is a previously unknown variant, I immediately know who they are and what quality to expect. The pink colour palette tells me it’s probably targeting young women? There is a far greater likelihood of driving sales here from my perspective even if there are no calls to action on the same.

The lesson is the importance of co-branding alongside digital calls to action — not just to create awareness, but to drive consumers into a customer journey that actually converts.

Here is the interesting twist. I Googled Charged afterwards and discovered it is actually a Coca-Cola brand. Coca-Cola — and their name is nowhere on that billboard? Perhaps it does not fit their brand propositions as things stand, or maybe they feel it could compromise their positioning? Or perhaps it is simply an experiment? I genuinely have no idea. But the absence is telling.

Two billboards. One road. One clear lesson: a billboard without a pathway to action is a very expensive poster. Also, if you have one of the world’s most powerful consumer brand names behind your product — use it.