Last week, Safaricom launched Hook, “a new platform that seeks to empower the youth by leveraging the power of technology.”
Full of references that are not new to us – we heard the company say pretty much the same things a few years back with the launch of yet another youth-centred platform, Blaze – Hook looks to have the company tap into the Gen Z demographic. Gen Z is the term used to refer to those born between the mid-1990s and early 2010s. In Kenya, this segment of the population is the largest and the most active, according to available data from the last census.
Onboarding to the platform, which targets those aged between 10 and 24, is via the Safaricom Hook app (which is unavailable publicly at the time of publishing this) and the *555# short code.
“Focusing on three key hooks; technology, career, and culture, the platform aims to nurture and support the aspirations of the Gen Z demographic and transform their lives by being a technology enabler, through offering access to custom-made offerings that will leverage Safaricom’s extensive mobile network,” Safaricom said.
“Safaricom Hook seeks to enable Gen Z to maximize their online potential and enjoy a digital lifestyle by facilitating smartphone access, providing relevant value propositions such as Make Your Own Bundle, which gives users the freedom to decide how much they spend on data and voice, and availing loyalty rewards and delight offers.
“In the Tech hook, Safaricom will empower the youth with digital skills for a tech future through touchpoints such as Safaricom’s Digital Talent Programme, and the Safaricom Engineering Community, and partnerships with several organisations, including the Power Learn Project, who empower African youth through software development.”
“The Career hook, which aims to prepare the youth for conventional and unconventional careers, will come to life by working with an array of partners including Meta and Wowzi, who will provide digital training to enable the youth to access the gig economy, and Brighter Monday, who will provide guidance for those in conventional careers.”
“In the Culture hook, Safaricom seeks to enable GenZ to pursue passion points such as sports, via Safaricom Chapa Dimba and the upcoming Safaricom Athletics series; content creation, through Baze, which enables creators to monetize their music and video content; and Fashion, through partnerships including Artfit, who will mentor upcoming designers, among others. To promote a savings culture, Safaricom Hook will leverage M-Pesa Go, and the Mali wealth management platform.”
All of that said, what happened to Safaricom Blaze? Is it still a thing? Has it been replaced by Hook?
