Remember those days when every commercial break seemed to feature a Wonga advertisement? Back in 2014, if you lived in the UK, Canada, many parts of Europe or even South Africa then the name likely rings a bell for you. While they share a brand name, the companies are independently run and today we’re focusing on South Africa.

The South African short term lending giant was pouring a staggering 90 million Rand (approximately $5 million), into advertising, with TV commercials leading the charge. It was a different time in Africa – streaming was in its infancy, and traditional TV still ruled supreme.

But times change, and smart companies change with them. Wonga South Africa’s transformation from TV advertising giant to digital pioneer tells a fascinating story about adapting to shifting consumer habits.

The Old Way: Broadcast and Hope

TV advertising had served Wonga well – for a while. The strategy was simple: flood the airwaves and wait for customers to roll in. Yet beneath the surface, cracks were beginning to show. The model relied heavily on customer ‘churn and burn’, a cycle that wasn’t sustainable in the long run.

As Brett van Aswegen, Wonga’s CEO, recently put it: “In 2015, it was all about television—that’s what people had access to. South Africa has shifted so quickly away from that.”

His observation cuts to the heart of a seismic shift in South African media consumption. The trusty 30-second TV spot, once the crown jewel of advertising, was losing its shine.

A Digital Dawn

By 2015, Wonga’s leadership saw the writing on the wall. South Africans weren’t just changing channels – they were changing screens entirely. Netflix and Showmax were making inroads, and smartphone availability was booming, with penetration surpassing 90 per cent in 2020. The company faced a choice: evolve or risk irrelevance.

Table: Smartphone penetration in South Africa. Source: ICASA

Their response? A complete marketing overhaul that would make most traditional advertisers break out in a cold sweat. Gone were the blanket TV campaigns, replaced by something far more precise. The new approach used digital datasets to understand exactly who their customers were and what they needed.

Think of it as moving from a megaphone to a personal conversation. Instead of shouting messages to everyone watching TV, Wonga began crafting targeted messages for specific audiences. Their marketing became smarter, more efficient, and – crucially – more measurable.

Real Results in Real Time

The beauty of digital marketing lies in its immediacy. Unlike the old days of waiting weeks to gauge a TV campaign’s success, Wonga’s team could now see results instantly. This meant they could fine-tune their approach on the fly, optimizing campaigns based on actual customer behaviour rather than gut feeling.

Social media platforms became powerful tools in their arsenal. Facebook and Google advertisements could reach potential customers at exactly the right moment – when they were actively seeking financial solutions. It was a far cry from the spray-and-pray approach of television advertising.

South Africa’s Changing Media Landscape

Wonga’s transformation reflects broader changes in South African society. Traditional broadcasters like DStv are watching their once-loyal viewers drift away to streaming services. Mobile internet access has exploded, changing how people consume content. The days of families gathering around the TV for prime-time viewing are increasingly becoming a memory.

Looking Forward

Today’s Wonga looks very different from its TV-advertising heyday. The company has established itself as a fintech leader, using technology not just to reach customers, but to serve them better with innovative short term loans and instalment loan products. Their marketing approach continues to evolve, always with an eye on the next digital innovation.

The lesson here isn’t just about abandoning TV for digital platforms. It’s about recognising when consumer behaviour is shifting and having the courage to change course accordingly. Wonga’s journey from broadcast behemoth to digital innovator shows what’s possible when a company truly commits to transformation.

As South Africa’s media landscape continues to evolve, more companies will face similar choices. The winners will likely be those who, like Wonga, recognise that the future of customer engagement lies in smart, targeted, digital-first strategies. The era of one-size-fits-all TV advertising isn’t just ending – in many ways, it’s already over.

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Categories: Advertising, Articles, Broadcast

Tags: advertising, south africa