Ads in Kiswahili, English (Kenyan) and the mix your customers speak

People buy from brands that sound like them. A voice-over in the wrong accent, or a slogan in stiff textbook Kiswahili, tells a customer the ad was not made for them.

Six languages, chosen per ad

On every quote, open Look and feel and set Language of speech and on-screen words:

• English (Kenyan): English as Kenyans speak it, with natural Kenyan accents
• Kiswahili: clear Kiswahili as spoken in Kenya
• Kiswahili and English (Kenyan mix): the everyday switching between the two, the way people talk in Nairobi
• English (international): a neutral accent for audiences outside East Africa
• French
• Chinese (Mandarin), with on-screen words in Simplified characters

When you leave it empty, the director uses English as Kenyans speak it, unless you write your idea in another language, in which case it follows you.

What changes, and what does not

The language applies to every spoken line, the voice-over, any song and every word on screen. The director writes the prompt for the model in English and puts the spoken lines and on-screen words in quotation marks, in your language, so the model knows exactly what to say and show.

Some things never change: your brand and product names, prices, phone numbers and web addresses stay exactly as you typed them.

The Studio itself, its buttons and menus, stays in English for now.

Scripts in your language

The language you picked also shapes /script. Ask for a 30-second script after choosing Kiswahili and English (Kenyan mix) and the dialogue comes back mixed the way people actually talk, ready for you to read and correct before anything is made.

Pictures too

The same choice applies to words inside pictures: a poster headline in Kiswahili, a price tag in French. For posters with a lot of text, pick Ideogram 4 (clear text) as the model; it is built for sharp, correctly spelled lettering.

A tip on accents

Pair the language with the right model. AK1 (African Kontent 1) keeps speech grounded and conversational; AK2 (African Kontent 2) suits energetic, music-led spots where the voice-over carries the hype.