Meet our Comms Spotlight for the week, Victor Oloo, Senior Communications Manager at Coca-Cola East and Central Africa. He started his career by taking the bold step to start his own company as a second-year university student. Years later, he’s not only grown in leaps and bounds, he’s done amazing things like leading Communications for the FIFA World Cup Trophy Tour in Kenya, Ethiopia, and Tanzania. In his interview with us, Victor shares how he creates and executes strategy across 14 markets, what makes Communications effective across cultures, and why communicators should begin early and keep improving their skills.
How did you begin your career in Communications?
I began my career in Communications about 14 years ago, during my second year at the United States International University Africa. My passion for storytelling led me to co-found Chromatic Pictures Africa with a classmate, Mark Wambui.
Our company specialised in helping organisations tell high-impact stories through creatively curated written and video content. Essentially, my innate love for storytelling naturally guided me into the field of Communications.
What does your role as Senior Manager, Communications at Coca-Cola East and Central Africa involve?
As the Senior Manager, Communications at Coca-Cola East and Central Africa, I lead our communication strategy across 14 countries. This encompasses corporate reputation, Brand PR, Sustainability Communications, and Internal Communications. I am responsible for developing and executing comprehensive communication plans that consistently deliver measurable results.
This includes maintaining top-tier reputation scores, elevating executive thought leadership, and managing complex multi-market narratives across digital, media, and internal platforms. My approach blends strategic oversight with hands-on execution, fostering collaboration among internal teams, agencies, and external partners to ensure our work creates maximum impact for the organisation.
Could you share details about a particularly memorable campaign or project you’ve led?
One of my most memorable projects was leading the communications and media amplification for the FIFA World Cup Trophy Tour in Kenya, Ethiopia, and Tanzania in 2022. This wasn’t just a communications effort; it required strategic PR, effective stakeholder engagement, and a deep understanding of key consumer passion points.
We generated exponential media coverage and orchestrated one of the largest consumer football fan experiences in the region. My strong grasp of the football landscape, combined with excellent writing and media relations expertise, allowed me to craft compelling narratives that resonated with diverse audiences and significantly boosted brand equity during that period.
How do you ensure Communications initiatives are effective across countries and cultures?
Throughout my 15-year career, my driving purpose has been to shape powerful narratives that inspire action and deliver measurable impact across Africa. To ensure communication initiatives are effective across diverse countries and cultures, it’s crucial to first understand your audience and identify the specific problem you’re trying to solve for them and the business. From there, you can devise clear strategies to achieve your desired solution.
In a business context, always start with the overall business objective and clearly define the role your communication initiative will play in achieving it. Each country and culture is unique in how it receives and reacts to communications, so your strategy must include a tailored approach for each specific initiative.
Factors like language, communication platforms, and local dynamics are all critical considerations when choosing your communication approach. These steps are fundamental to ensuring your communications resonate effectively across diverse regions.
What changes would you like to see in the field of Communications?
I firmly believe that Communications should be recognised as a strategic contributor to the success of any business or organisation. I would like to see more businesses and organisations led by individuals with a strong communications background.
Effective communicators have a proven track record of leading and inspiring change. The ability to influence is key to driving team performance, and communicators inherently possess this skill.
What advice would you give to someone starting out their career?
My advice to anyone starting out in communications is to start early, start young, and continuously sharpen your skills.
Communications is a field where the more you practice, engage, and interact with others, the sharper you become. In today’s rapidly evolving world, the need for effective communication is greater than ever.
