Like many young Cameroonians, I have been made aware that a popular (and successful in her own right) Cameroonian intends to visit the country next month along with some of her celebrity friends. The most prominent of her friends, Blacc Chyna, is to accompany her, along with other celebrities who are to be announced in due time. As someone interested in marketing and branding, my first question was “why...what’s going to be marketed?”
As someone also interested in PR, I thought “what a neat way to get some international buzz on Cameroon.” The content creator in me also thought “some people’s content is going to be lit!”
It was obvious to me that this visit would not just be a social call - with Dencia being the business woman she is, I was curious to see what her angle would be with this visit to her homeland. Was the launch of more bleaching creams coming? Would she and Blacc Chyna be starting some sort of joint clothing line? If so, would Cameroon be a good target audience?
Then, this week, I stumbled upon flyers announcing an almost week-long party to occur in June and it left me with more questions than answers.
The tickets cost 162.000CFA, 404.000CFA, 538.000CFA, 1,600,000CFA. Thus, access to the party will be largely out of the reach of a fraction of Cameroonians, and by default, the fraction of the population that know who Dencia and Blacc Chyna are.
I was really curious as to what Cameroonians thought about this and decided to pose my question in the comment section of a blogger’s post. I had noticed that a fellow Cameroonian in the diaspora had mentioned that if they were in Cameroon, they would have gone because of the networking opportunities. I responded asking honestly, what kind of networking they thought could be available and how a regular Cameroonian who attended may potentially benefit from attending this event.
One person responded saying I should do my research and check out Dencia’s website to see the different ways to make money through her website - which was a very unhelpful response seeing as I was asking specifically what networking opportunities the party could bring to a regular Cameroonian and not her website.
The original poster of the comment provided a somewhat more insightful response by mentioning that a regular Cameroonian would not gain anything but she would have been there to shoot her shot and would want those attending like her to become clients. My questions now became: Who are those attending? What type of networking can actually happen when it comes to events such as these?
As someone who has attended her fair share of social events, mixers, symposiums, conferences and networking events, I will tell you 2 things right now: First of all you need to have a plan. And secondly, not all buzz-creating events are worth your time and money.
There is networking with the purpose of exchanging info and/or knowledge, there is networking in a mentorship form, there is networking to seek new clients/customers, there is networking to seek employment/contracts and yes, there is social networking and networking “for the gram.”
For an event such as the one in June, knowing that the cheapest ticket costs more than the average salary in Cameroon (In fact it is almost as much as the basic salary of general practitioner (180K)), I think it is important that prospective attendees think about what they wish to get from attending. By far and wide, most people would just be getting the trendy snaps, photos and reels with the short-lived excitement of being reposted in the stories of Blacc Chyna and/or Dencia.
To those who think they are actually going to get any long-lasting networking or get an endorsement from either of the visitors, you may be better off putting your money in the stock market. Before Cameroonians say I am just a hater, as we like to do, try and see things analytically.
Very few celebrity events/gatherings are ideal networking environments because you are not seen as a peer. You are seen as someone wanting something from them. I speak from experience. When you go for a party such as this, how do you expect to network? At the bar over loud music? The bathroom stall? Celebrities also detest unwarranted solicitation. You think you’re the first person to think of slipping a celebrity your business card at a function? Well, they have a thing called security for that. How about that elevator pitch you've nailed down to 30 seconds? If you accidentally end up in the bathroom at the same time as them, you would be lucky if you get so much as a “that’s awesome! I wish you all the best.”
Pay attention to the people who move with celebrities and not just the celebrities themselves. I’ve had my pieces featured in GQ, The Shaderoom and ELLE thanks to Yvonne Orji from the HBO hit show "Insecure," but I have never met the woman. This was via networking; not not with her, but rather with her assistant. A blogger I know was able to get a brief interview with Rihanna over a decade ago because she struck up a conversation with Rihanna’s best friend at Fashion Week.
Now, if you say you intend to network with your fellow attendees, I say proceed with great caution. Your fellow attendees are not going there to be solicited by a peer - they are going for a good time and hopefully a photo op. I am not sure what kind of business exchanges one can expect at a party where everyone else came to see 2 people. That’s like trying to chat up a woman at a Chris Brown concert while he’s thrusting on the ground - she did not come for you. I could be wrong however, the odds are not in your favour.
Mark my words: The real networking shall happen outside of this party via silent or genuine endorsements. The Mami at Makenene with the small stall selling roasted fish and plantain. The local car wash that would wash their vehicles, the restaurants they will eat at, the hair stylists and nail technicians who shall service them, the mechanic who will change their tire when they are stranded under the hot sun, the free merch a number of businesses shall send to their hotel. You see, these people will not be at the party - and most likely would not be able to afford to and yet, they stand to benefit the most from this visit because the networking would be more genuine - one on one. Providing them with an immediate service they require then and there.
This is no TED Talk or Career symposium coming to Cameroon, it is a party. So before you use your business’s entire profit of 2020, telling yourself that you are going to network, ask yourself what exactly and how you intend to gain whatever it is you seek.
If it is clout you seek, with some “exciting” posts, that is fine. There is nothing wrong with that. Just do not fool the person in the mirror because that person would still be left with lights to keep on after their plane has departed Cameroon with half your yearly earnings used on some litres of jet fuel.
- Brenda Chuinkam
Brenda is Cameroonian fashion designer and stylist living in Canada. She is a founder at 'Melapteh,' an online African fashion consulting agency which also provides select ready-to-wear garments from various brands. You can follow her on Instagram at @theankaraqueen. You can also follow Melapteh on Instagram at @melapteh as well as right here Melapteh on Facebook.
Photo credit: Dencia's social pages