Frontier Marketing Strategies for Financial Inclusion: Unlocking DFS Adoption in Rural Africa

Mobile connectivity has expanded rapidly across rural Africa, creating new pathways for delivering financial services. However, consistent usage of Digital Financial Services (DFS) remains limited among underserved populations. The barriers go beyond access — they include behavioural habits, trust gaps, and limited relevance to everyday financial needs. Addressing these challenges requires a shift in how DFS providers engage potential users.  

This blog examines how psychology, culture, and creativity converge in a range of frontier marketing strategies, including behavioural and gender-intentional approaches, influencer campaigns, and strategic partnerships, that are advancing DFS adoption in rural contexts. These approaches demonstrate the importance of aligning digital financial solutions with the behavioural patterns, social dynamics, and financial needs of their diverse user base, particularly women. 

Behavioural Marketing: Shaping Real-World Decisions 

Across rural Africa, mobile phones are transforming how people access and manage money. Yet, despite increasing connectivity, trust and consistent usage of DFS remains elusive. The issue isn’t just access — it’s behaviour. Bridging the last mile in DFS uptake requires more than infrastructure and apps; it demands marketing strategies that reflect how people think, decide, and live. 

One of the most effective approaches is behavioural marketing: the strategic use of nudges, incentives, and habit-forming techniques rooted in behavioural science to guide people toward beneficial financial behaviours. Behavioural marketing draws from the field of behavioural economics, which studies how psychological, cognitive, emotional, and social factors influence decision-making (Thaler and Sunstein, 2008; Kahneman, 2011). 

Unlike traditional marketing, which often assumes rational consumers, behavioural marketing acknowledges that people: 

• Procrastinate (“I’ll save later”)  

• Avoid complexity (“I don’t understand this product, so I won’t use it”)  

• Follow social cues (“If others are doing it, I’ll try it”) 

• Stick to defaults (“I’ll go with what’s easiest or already set”) 

In DFS, these behavioural tendencies are significant barriers to active usage. For instance, individuals may register for a mobile wallet but rarely use it, or postpone loan repayments despite knowing the consequences. Behavioural marketing helps bridge this gap by introducing interventions that influence choices at critical decision points (CGAP, 2018). 

Common Behavioural Techniques in DFS Marketing 

• Timely reminders: SMS prompts before a savings deadline or repayment due date help overcome forgetfulness and procrastination (CGAP, 2015; Karlan et al., 2016). 

• Social proof: Phrasing like “People in your village are saving with XYZ App” taps into people’s natural desire to conform with their community (Cialdini, 2001). 

• Default options: Automatically enrolling customers into savings plans or digital notifications increases uptake by reducing decision friction (Johnson et al., 2012). 

• Goal-setting: Encouraging customers to set and track savings goals has been shown to improve commitment and performance in mobile savings (Ashraf et al., 2006). 

• Framing: How an option is presented, such as “Save just 100 KES a day and earn interest” — can significantly impact perception and uptake (Tversky and Kahneman, 1981). 

A compelling example is M-Pawa in Tanzania, a mobile savings and credit product. It used SMS nudges to encourage saving behaviour, leading to increased usage. Messages were timed around salary periods and designed with motivational framing (“Your savings today grow your loan limit tomorrow”) (CGAP, 2015). 

In Uganda, the DFS product MoKash used both SMS reminders and automated repayment setups to reduce loan defaults and encourage savings deposits. The interventions showed measurable increases in financial activity, especially among first-time users (CGAP, 2018). 

These behavioural nudges are often small, low-cost changes, but they can lead to large-scale improvements in DFS engagement and financial health, particularly when combined with local language, cultural context, and trusted delivery channels (Deloitte, 2019; CGAP, 2020). 

Beyond Nudges: Influencers, Incentives, and Relevance 

While behavioural marketing helps shape the why and when of user decision-making, it must be complemented by other strategic layers of digital marketing to drive widespread and sustained adoption. These strategies are particularly important in rural and emerging markets, where trust, familiarity, and cultural relevance are key. 

Other strategic layers, such as influencer marketing, can be a powerful tool for introducing and encouraging the use of DFS products, but success depends on selecting influencers that communities can relate to. In Uganda, for instance, when Chipper Cash introduced its virtual card for global payments, it appointed Faridah Nakazibwe as an ambassador. As a popular news anchor and television host known for broadcasting in local languages, Faridah resonated strongly with central Ugandan audiences — the core of Chipper Cash’s target market. Her relatability and credibility helped to increase awareness and trust in the product. 

Another digital marketing strategy to consider is gamification or incentives. Tapping into people’s desire to win is a time-tested and effective marketing approach. Promotions that offer participants the chance to win prizes — from t-shirts to motorcycles or even hybrid cars — have consistently driven increased engagement with DFS platforms. Airtel and MTN, for example, frequently run such campaigns to reward usage, and the result is often a significant spike in transactions made through their digital platforms. 

Effective marketing also ties DFS value propositions directly to the real-life challenges of the target audience. Aligning campaigns with key financial pressure points, such as tax remittance deadlines or school fee payment seasons, can increase relevance and prompt action. By amplifying these seasonal needs through tailored messaging, service providers can more effectively position digital channels as timely, convenient solutions. 

Partnerships That Build Trust and Scale 

Furthermore, strategic partnerships can significantly amplify DFS adoption by embedding services into cultural or community-driven initiatives. In Uganda, Airtel’s long-standing partnership with the Buganda Kingdom is a case in point. Together, they host the Kabaka’s Run annually to mark the King’s birthday — a massive community event that also doubles as a Corporate Social Responsibility initiative. In 2025, over 120,000 people participated, with most purchasing tickets through Airtel’s digital payment platform. This approach not only increased usage but also built long-term brand affinity among users. 

Building networks and enabling partnerships across industries is another way DFS providers can extend their reach. For example, fund managers and banks are increasingly collaborating with telecom operators to allow customers to make deposits and payments digitally, reducing long queues and simplifying user experiences. These collaborations also allow providers to distribute benefits such as insurance payouts or rebates, reinforcing the utility and trustworthiness of digital financial platforms. 

Lastly, lifestyle marketing is another growing trend among financial service providers seeking to broaden their appeal. By associating DFS brands with entertainment and cultural events, providers can connect with audiences in non-traditional but emotionally resonant ways. For example, DFCU Bank recently partnered with organisers to bring a world-renowned jazz artist to Uganda. The collaboration elevated the bank’s public profile while also contributing to the country’s cultural life, showcasing how finance and lifestyle can be meaningfully linked. 

Gender-Intentional Digital Marketing 

Women in rural areas are often not just underserved — they’re invisible in traditional marketing strategies. A gender-intentional digital marketing approach recognises that: 

• Women tend to have different peak hours for digital activity (often late at night or early morning). 

• Their trust-building process often depends on testimonials, peer influence, and assurance of privacy. 

• They may prefer listening to audio content over reading text. 

Marketing teams can use gender-disaggregated data to segment campaigns and test messages specifically tailored to women. For example, Safaricom’s DigiFarm platform ran campaigns highlighting how women farmers were using mobile loans to expand their businesses. The ads were delivered at optimal times via WhatsApp voice notes and Facebook Live AMAs hosted by female farmers themselves (GSMA, 2020). 

Driving meaningful adoption of Digital Financial Services in rural Africa requires more than technological infrastructure; it requires building human connections. Frontier marketing strategies that are behavioural, contextual, and culturally rooted prove that even low-cost, low-tech interventions can drive high-impact outcomes. From behavioural nudges and community-based endorsements to seasonal campaigns and strategic partnerships, these approaches are essential to bridging the last mile. Marketing should speak the language of its audience, in timing, tone, and trust. By embedding gender-aware, data-driven communication strategies into DFS rollout and engagement plans, service providers can expand financial access for women, improve user retention, and contribute more effectively to broader financial inclusion goals. 

Written By: Faith Ekudu (Head of Marketing at Created to Build) and Dané Brown (Marketing Operations Manager at Digital Frontiers)  

 

References 

Ashraf, N., Karlan, D. and Yin, W. (2006) ‘Tying Odysseus to the Mast: Evidence from a Commitment Savings Product in the Philippines’, Quarterly Journal of Economics, 121(2), pp. 635–672. 

Cialdini, R.B. (2001) Influence: Science and Practice. 4th ed. Boston: Allyn and Bacon. 

CGAP (2015) Doing Digital Finance Right: The Case for Stronger Mitigation of Customer Risks. Washington, D.C.: Consultative Group to Assist the Poor. 

CGAP (2018) Testing Digital Credit for the Underbanked in Uganda. Available at: www.cgap.org [Accessed 10 May 2025]. 

CGAP (2020) Behavioral Research for Financial Inclusion. Washington, D.C.: CGAP. 

Deloitte (2019) Digital Financial Inclusion in Africa: An Inclusive Growth Opportunity. Available at: www.deloitte.com [Accessed 10 May 2025]. 

GSMA (2020) Reaching 50 Million Women with Mobile: A Practical Guide. London: GSMA. 

GSMA (2021) The Mobile Gender Gap Report 2021. London: GSMA. 

Johnson, E.J., Shu, S.B., Dellaert, B.G.C., Fox, C., Goldstein, D.G., Häubl, G., Larrick, R.P., Payne, J.W., Peters, E., Schkade, D., Wansink, B. and Weber, E.U. (2012) ‘Beyond Nudges: Tools of a Choice Architecture’, Marketing Letters, 23(2), pp. 487–504. 

Kahneman, D. (2011) Thinking, Fast and Slow. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux. 

Karlan, D., McConnell, M., Mullainathan, S. and Zinman, J. (2016) ‘Getting to the Top of Mind: How Reminders Increase Saving’, Management Science, 62(12), pp. 3393–3411. 

Thaler, R.H. and Sunstein, C.R. (2008) Nudge: Improving Decisions about Health, Wealth, and Happiness. New Haven: Yale University Press. 

Tversky, A. and Kahneman, D. (1981) ‘The Framing of Decisions and the Psychology of Choice’, Science, 211(4481), pp. 453–458. 

UNCDF (2021) Women’s Economic Empowerment through Digital Finance in Africa. United Nations Capital Development Fund. 

 

Established in 2015,  Digital Frontiers Institute is a proud brand of Digital Frontiers. Learn more about the Certified Digital Finance Practitioner (CDFP) programme and find out how to enrol: https://cdfp.digitalfrontiersinstitute.org/