Joyce Sagoe is the marketing and communications director for Société Générale's Ivorian subsidiary. Since July, she has also been responsible for regional communications for sub-Saharan Africa, covering 14 countries.
With 20 years of experience in marketing and communications, she began her career at Unilever and then moved on to Ocean Ogilvy as advertising manager. She alternated between assignments with advertisers and assignments with communications agencies. From the agri-food industry to the tobacco industry, a more restricted sector in terms of advertising, Joyce Sagoe has held positions in Côte d'Ivoire and Senegal, at both country and regional levels. She was appointed Account Director and then Strategy Manager at the pan-African communications agency Voodoo before moving to Telco (MTN Ivory Coast and Tigo Senegal) when she realized their impact on the continent.
In 2018, she joined the banking sector at Société Générale, a sector which, in her opinion, is developing very well in the sub-region, particularly thanks to the development of digital solutions, mobile banking, and alternative banking in general.
Joyce Sagoe is the marketing and communications director of Société Générale's Ivorian subsidiary. Since July, she has also been responsible for regional communications for sub-Saharan Africa, covering 14 countries.
With 20 years of experience in marketing and communications, she began her career at Unilever and then moved on to Ocean Ogilvy as advertising manager. She alternated between assignments with advertisers and assignments with communications agencies. From the agri-food industry to the tobacco industry, a more restricted sector in terms of advertising, Joyce Sagoe has held positions in Côte d'Ivoire and Senegal, at both country and regional levels. She was appointed Account Director and then Strategy Manager at the pan-African communications agency Voodoo before moving to Telco (MTN Ivory Coast and Tigo Senegal) when she realized their impact on the continent.
In 2018, she joined the banking sector at Société Générale, a sector which, in her opinion, is developing very well in the sub-region, particularly thanks to the development of digital solutions, mobile banking, and alternative banking in general.
As Marketing and Communications Director, what are your main responsibilities?
Today, I am in charge of marketing and communications at Société Générale Côte d'Ivoire.
On the marketing side, I am responsible for the bank's product policy. I also manage customer service, which includes the call center and handling complaints.
On the communications side, I am in charge of the bank's communications strategy, including external advertising, press relations, CSR strategy, and internal communications, working closely with Human Resources.
One of my main tasks is therefore to build and maintain the bank's image and reputation in line with the strategy and values of the Société Générale group, through an effective product policy and a high-quality customer experience. I ensure that our target audiences are familiar with our products, recruit and retain our customers, and optimize our costs. Basically, I help ensure the profitability and sustainability of the company.
From a regional perspective, since July I have been supporting the group's 14 subsidiaries in sub-Saharan Africa in pooling their communication campaigns, based in Côte d'Ivoire but adapted to local realities. Little by little, we are building the image of a pan-African bank while remaining consistent with the group's overall strategy.
What are the key skills to develop for this job?
On the communications side, I think it's essential to have skills in communications strategies and media planning in general. We have to think "strategically" because today, it's necessary to build long-term communications. Secondly, internal communication skills are essential, as employees are the brand's primary ambassadors. Finally, crisis communication and management skills are useful. I would also like to add that it is necessary to continuously develop your 360° communication skills. By this I mean media communication, digital communication, and all non-media communication tools. Another point that should not be overlooked is acquiring skills in market research and image research to be able to measure the impact of our work.
What are the main challenges?
One of the major challenges of the communications profession is the ability to quantify the impact and return on investment of some of our communications activities in the short term. Admittedly, more and more executives understand the importance of communication. It gives visibility and dynamism to the life of the company. It often requires large investments that are not always easy to justify because of the longer-term rather than short-term results of communication actions.
Another difficulty is the place and role of communication in our companies. Communication is not limited to billboards; it cuts across all departments. It is not always easy to convey that in our choice of company vehicles, in our agency design, in our commercial stance, we are conveying an image, we are communicating.
Has the profession undergone major changes in Côte d'Ivoire?
The profession has undergone many changes in Côte d'Ivoire. Numerous communications agencies have been created over the last 10 years. The profession is increasingly appealing and attractive; it is also increasingly in demand by companies because the Ivorian market is dynamic and all sectors are highly competitive. We are seeing a strong desire among players to speak out and differentiate themselves.
The development of digital communications has greatly contributed to accelerating this dynamic. Traditional media remain predominant, but today everyone can access some form of advertising at a lower cost thanks to digital channels, particularly social media.
Holding these positions for an entity operating in a sector that is still growing must be a real challenge. Is that the case?
It is indeed a great challenge. Barely 20% of the population has access to banking services. There is still room for growth, which is reassuring! There are also many opportunities for activities that can enrich traditional banking activities.
Banks still suffer from a negative image. So we have a lot of work to do to rebuild and modernize our image, but we also need to develop digital tools and activities (products) to stay in tune with the times in order to convince, attract, and retain our target customers.
We want to show that we are not just a service provider, but above all a lifelong partner, attentive to our customers' needs and constantly seeking solutions to improve their daily lives and help them achieve their personal and professional goals.
We also have a duty to prepare the younger generations for banking and to establish ourselves as an essential solution for them in the face of the rise of mobile banking and other services.