Lerato Makume on Building Brands Rooted in African Culture in Her Role as a Marketing Director

Lerato Makume, Marketing Director at Burger King Nigeria, traces her career in marketing to her time as a student at the University of Pretoria, where she joined the Red Bull Wings Team after graduate programme applications failed to materialise. Her role involved activating the Red Bull brand on campus and in urban spaces, creating high-energy experiences that shifted her view of marketing from data-driven strategy to human-centred engagement. She recalls how handing a Red Bull to someone distracted and seeing their mood shift underscored the emotional power of brand interactions. This philosophy carried through her work at Bacardi and into her current role at Burger King Nigeria, where she emphasises listening to consumer habits rather than treating them as deviations. In Lagos, she navigates a complex landscape shaped by power outages, street culture, family dining rituals and late-night ordering patterns, which influence everything from menu design to tech integration. She describes her role as a mix of operator, cultural observer and storyteller, focused on embedding brands into everyday life. Makume views Nigerian food culture as deeply tied to identity, celebration and connection, seeing street vendors and upscale dining as part of a continuous spectrum. She highlights a moment when Burger King Nigeria introduced a menu item that responded directly to local eating habits, calling it an authentic innovation where culture and brand intersected. The brand's approach prioritises real-life behaviour over theoretical models, adapting quickly to how and when Nigerians engage with food.

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