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

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

BellaNaija
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In this interview, Lerato Makume, Marketing Director at Burger King Nigeria, reflects on her journey from the University of Pretoria to leading one of the world’s most recognisable quick-service restaurant brands in a fast-evolving African market. She speaks about the formative impact of her early experiences with the Red Bull, her evolving philosophy of brand building, and how working across African markets like Lagos has shaped her understanding of culture, consumer behaviour and localisation. From decoding everyday cultural signals like small chops to navigating the operational realities of Nigeria’s QSR landscape, she shares how brands can move beyond strategy decks to become part of people’s lived experiences.
Enjoy the conversation!

Hello Lerato. Thank you for being here with us today. How are you feeling?
Hello, thank you for having me. I feel ecstatic and well.
Let’s start here: How did your journey into marketing begin?
I still remember my final year at the University of Pretoria as a Marketing student, staring at a future that felt both thrilling and uncertain. I’d applied to multinational graduate programmes that never materialised, and wondered how I would chart a career. Then a friend, the university’s Student Brand Manager, advised me to apply to the Red Bull Wings Team. I’d spent my student days in RAG, the official student-driven fundraising and community engagement committee at the University of Pretoria (UP), as part of resident sports and cultural committees. I loved how the experience allowed me to make moments happen, so I thought, why not bring a global brand to life on campus and beyond?
How would you describe the Red Bull Wings Team experience, and what did it teach you?
The Wings Team became my launchpad. We created a crew zipping around the city, spreading energy like human confetti and having the time of your life doing it. I still remember handing someone a Red Bull with a tired, distracted look and watching their mood instantly change. That moment stayed with me because it reminded me how powerful human interactions can be. I have worked across Red Bull, Bacardi, and now Burger King, and I’ve always loved creating experiences that bring people together and leave them feeling something real. So I stopped looking at people as data points and started seeing them for who they really are: people shaped by everyday habits, emotions, pride and the simple desire to feel connected to something meaningful.
What that taught me is that brands live in real life. Whether launching a beverage at a festival, localising a spirit for African markets, or running a quick-service restaurant, the same principles apply, which is to listen first, move fast and design for the actual places people live and eat. People’s habits aren’t problems to be corrected; they’re clues. Decode them, and you unlock loyalty.
As the Marketing Director at Burger King Nigeria, what does leading a Quick Service Restaurant brand in Nigeria look like in reality?
Leading a Quick Service Restaurant brand in Nigeria is gloriously chaotic. On paper, it is operational metrics, supply chains and promo calendars. In practice, it’s balancing kitchen realities with daily activities, from rush-hour crowds, power outages, street culture, weekend family rituals and making creative decisions that land in those moments. Some days I’m in meetings about tech integration, apps, AI and delivery partnerships. Other days, I’m on the ground, remaking a menu item to match how customers actually order at 11 pm on a Friday. The role is part operator, part cultural anthropologist, part storyteller and always a people leader.
From your experience now, how do you see food in Nigeria beyond just consumption?
Food in Nigeria is identity. It’s how we celebrate, unwind and show love. Street vendors and fine dining aren’t separate worlds but part of a single taste continuum where memory meets aspiration. For brands, the opportunity isn’t only to sell a product but to be invited into everyday eating rituals; lunch breaks, family takeaways, late-night hangs. When a menu item becomes shorthand for a mood or moment, the brand is no longer just convenient; it becomes part of culture and has meaning.
How has consumer behaviour in Nigeria evolved over the last decade, and what are the factors?
Consumer behaviour in Nigeria has changed significantly over the last decade. Mobile technology and fintech have completely changed how people order, pay, and access food; things that once felt like conveniences are now simply expected. People snack more, eat at different times, and increasingly see food as both practical and personal. What I find most interesting is how naturally Nigerians blend global trends with local taste and identity. You see people constantly remixing flavours, experiences and food culture in ways that keep brands evolving and force all of us to stay creative and connected to what people actually want.
Can you talk about a moment where cultural insight directly shaped a product decision?
So, one day, we were wrestling with how to solve for everyday relevance in a competitive market, and after nine years of dancing to the Lagos beat, one truth kept surfacing: small chops. At every Owambe, wedding, and neighbourhood gathering, small chops are always there, and you cannot talk small chops without puff-puff. The clue was in plain sight. We decoded it and created a new meal offering immersed in everyday culture. I’m no chef, but I recognised the moment culture met brand, and we authentically innovated a new menu category. That felt like true localisation: a meal offering born from observation and respect for how people eat and celebrate.
What future shifts are you paying closest attention to?
I’m watching three shifts closely: the continued convergence of tech and everyday commerce; the rise of partnership economies where brands genuinely collaborate with local creators and informal vendors; and resource constraints that will force menu innovation, smarter sourcing, less waste, and value-driven offerings. Building relevant sustainability matters.
What are some misconceptions about running a QSR brand in Nigeria?
There are persistent misconceptions about running a fast-paced QSR here that I constantly correct. First, it’s not “just fast food”, it’s a logistics and people challenge that demands creativity across supply, technology and labour. Second, margins are far more complex than they appear; cost pressures and price sensitivity demand ruthless attention. Third, scaling in Africa is not a linear import of a global playbook; it is iterative, adaptive work, built slowly as trust, operations, and cultural acceptance are earned piece by piece.
How would you summarise your philosophy on building brands in Africa?
If there’s one overarching thread, it’s this: building brands in Africa is not a checklist of cultural signals, it’s a long game of relationship-building. I love brands because they’re a public promise to people. I love people because they make brands matter. My job across beverages and food has been to stitch those two together; to design moments where culture, convenience, and care meet. That’s where loyalty is born, and that’s the work I wake up excited to do, dancing to the beat from Jozi to Lagos.
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