Technology Marketing Lessons from....Uganda??

I enjoyed a rare moment to catch up on some reading this morning during a flight to Virginia and was moved by the article "The Work is Never Done" in Inc. Magazine's May issue. The article highlights Moses Kizza Musaazi, an inventor and entrepreneur in Uganda, and his use of "appropriate technology."  As a crude paraphrase, I might say 'less is more' or 'keep it simple, stupid.'  Musaazi's inventions and ideas are simple, show thoughtfulness and are scaled to the local environment, or his market.  

You should read the article yourself, but what struck me was how stark the contrast is between Musaazi's approach and that of the over-eager technology marketing jargon and buzzwords that far too many firms rely on.  If more companies would base their messaging on their markets, their customers and those customer's pain points, the entire practice of marketing would benefit.  One of our clients recently bucked this counsel, opting instead for an approach that one analyst described as "hyperbole" and "talking the walk, rather than walking the walk."  Not surprisingly, the client's chosen language has failed to gain any noticeable traction in the market.  

Read the article. And keep it simple.