On Saturday, 5 April 2008, all roads lead to the Nelspruit Show Grounds in Mpumalanga for the radio station's 26th birthday bash, at which the new brand and logo was unveiled.
“There were a lot of bad perceptions associated with the old brand. It could not attract advertisers as it was perceived to be broadcasting for people in rural areas who do not have buying power. African language stations have always been looked at as a rural stations that are backwards and not innovative,” explains Mfundo Ntsibande, marketing manager for Ligwalagwala FM.
The recently launched MPower has been giving Ligwalagwala FM a run for its money, making it scramble for listeners and advertising – something that has lead to the station feeling threatened.
“That is why we felt that we needed to change; we did introspection and embarked on research, and found out that the young market has power where the economy is concerned. We wanted to know what was going on in the day-to-day life of a listener. Young people are brand-conscious; they have an influence in households buying decisions,” says Ntsibande.
“The new positioning of the station is about positive afro-urban lifestyle while maintaining the cultural elements. The new pay-off line ‘Injalo Lentfo', meaning that's the way things are, aims to portray everyday lives of their listeners,” adds Ntsibande.
The new logo aims to reflect a modern radio station that is still traditional. It has maintained its old colours – red and black – and introduced yellow, which symbolises the birthplace and home of the radio station – Mpumalanga.
The final phase of renovations at Ligwalagwala FM includes a new website which, according to the marketing manager, is still under construction. “We are looking at have a website that will enable listeners [interact with it]. We want to move in line with the latest social media bug that has hit young people.
“We have started a new campaign whereby we are targeting students to open email accounts with Ligwalagwala for free because we want to encourage them to use electronic media tools also,” continues Ntsibande.
Previously known as Radio Swazi and based in Pretoria before the State Broadcasting Re-organisation Act 91 of 1996, which provided for the closure of broadcasting services from the former Transkei, Bophuthatswana, Venda and Ciskei, Ligwalagwala FM broad to Swazi-speaking people. In 1998 it rebranded and moved to Nelspruit, where the station was broadcast in Mpumalanga only. The station now reaches Limpopo, KwaZulu-Natal, North West and Gauteng provinces –a listenership of 1 498 0000.
