South Africa
Alive with Possibility

A recent brand equity study has valued Brand South Africa at US$74billion, up from US$52 billion in 2003. This figure is a measure of the selling power of the South African brand, that is, its ability to attract foreigners to the country’s products, industry and shores. South African Ambassador to Oman, HE Yacoob Abba Omar, explains how South Africa changed from the polecat of the world because of Apartheid to a world wide recognised brand.

In 1998, the South African government wondered why it was not enjoying dividends from its “miracle”. South Africa became an independent state in 1994 led by President Nelson Mandela. However, it was not enjoying the increase in investment and tourism we thought we should have.

The government decided, after looking at a number of successful country branding experiences, to embark on promoting South Africa in an integrated and co-ordinated way. This meant ensuring that all the government departments and levels collaborated. The departments of Finance, Tourism, Trade and Industry and Foreign Affairs alongside the promotion bodies of the nine provinces and the major cities were all jostling for the attention of the international market.

It was also felt that since the private sector benefited from and contributed to the South Africa brand that it was essential to have them involved. This led to the creation of the International Marketing Council (IMC). The IMC was established in 2000 to create a positive, united image for South Africa. Using the slogan, “South Africa: Alive with Possibility”, the IMC’s mission is to articulate a brand for South Africa in order to attract tourism, trade and investment into the country.

A vital part of the campaign was to get South African to be committed to the brand. Personalities such as President Nelson Mandela, Archbishop Desmond Tutu and current President Thabo Mbeki were enlisted to champion the brand. A number of measures were used to promote the brand amongst South Africans. This was essential so that the entire nation could be seen to be living the brand, which was being used to attract tourists, investors and buyers of our goods and services.

For example, in conjunction with the South African Coin Exchange, the IMC launched a competition on its web portal and on radio stations to encourage South Africans to suggest new ways to celebrate our heritage. The winners each received a silver Democracy coin valued at US$250, which features a collage of South Africa’s national symbols. In addition, the IMC supported a number of campaigns initiated by other organisations, such as National Be Positive Day. The Caring Nation campaign was conceptualised to capitalise on the prevailing festive mood in December when South Africans celebrate Christmas and New Year. The campaign was used to amplify the brand value “Caring Nation” by focusing on what South Africans can do to help others and the sharing of compelling facts on the country.

In the process of amplifying Brand South Africa messaging, the IMC aligns itself with events of specific organisations, their programmes and initiatives. Some of the tactical opportunities seized upon are :

• Creating a downloadable ‘Alive with Possibility’ logo for cell phones. The link was posted on the web portal for South Africans and friends of South Africa – both locally and abroad to share.

• The Grammy – award winning group Ladysmith Black Mambazo used Brand South Africa messaging and rhythm during their European tour in June 2004. They also wore Brand SA t-shIrts and tattoos and distributed the SA Story Booklet.

• The Brand SA logo was painted on the roof of the Sci-Bono Discovery Centre, which is visible from the M1 Highway in Johannesburg – one of the busiest stretches in South Africa. This initiative led to a flood of requests from property owners to put the logo on their rooftops as well. This campaign is on-going. The branding of roofs is being negotiated in other parts of Johannesburg, Durban and Cape Town.

The IMC has a number of tools to address international audiences. It developed adverts which can be seen in key media such as CNN, the BBC, and magazines such as Fortune and The Economist. Also country managers have been appointed to the USA, UK and India. Pele, the Brazilian soccer legend, visited South Africa in September 2004 and the IMC awarded him Brand Ambassadorship at Sun City. Furthermore, the campaign built on a successful visit to South Africa by London cab drivers by branding ten London taxis.

The IMC appointed Dr. Hischam El-Agamy, Director of Corporate Development for the prestigious International Institute of Management Development (IMD). Dr. El-Agamy’s appointment is strategic, as he enjoys unusual insight into the competitiveness of nations and is well positioned to use his platforms to give a credible view on South Africa. The following countries have asked the IMC to share their experience: Brazil, India, China, Kenya, Tanzania and Botswana.

The IMC tracks research on the impact of its work. It found that an extraordinary 93 per cent of adults South Africans said: “I am proud to be South African”. Eight percent said they were willing to do whatever they could to help make South Africa a better place, and two thirds said: “When I am with people who try to run South Africa down, I use my positive knowledge of the country to give them a better picture.”

Internationally, it has conducted perception audits. Of note is that while just 7 per cent of foreign importers would consider the South African brand when buying from the country in 2003, this figure has increased to 10.7 per cent. For investments, the figure has shifted from 27 to 35.4 per cent while for tourism the figures have increased substantially from 50 to 74 per cent. This has seen South African tourism rise from about 600,000 in 1993 to about 7 million in 2005.

Says Yvonne Johnston, CEO of the IMC: “In 2003, we were the first country in the world to do a brand evaluation. This study gives us a benchmark against which future brand improvements may be measured.

“It will also allow us to evaluate any improvements in the perception of the South African brand post the massive marketing opportunity that the FIFA 2010 World Cup allows the nation.

“It sets a yardstick to see if gains made for the World Cup are being sustained in the future.”

The South Africa Nation Brand Valuation report uses the BrandMetrics tool to value brands. This tool was developed in 1999 by two professors based at the University of the Witwatersrand. In five years, BrandMetrics has completed some 330 valuations for some of the world’s biggest brands.

The IMC also runs a Communication Resource Centre which monitors all the major international media – newspapers, radio and TV stations. It issues a daily bulletin of global coverage as well as a weekly analysis. It has a daily teleconference with government departments to work out responses to development in the media.

Perhaps one of the best indicators of the IMC’s impact can be seen by the number of visitors to SA’s information portal: www.southafrica.info. Launched in 2002, it has almost 2 million visitors per month from 157 countries.

Furthermore a number of companies and organisations have been involved as brand champions. The IMC inducts the management and staff, getting them to appreciate the essence of the SA Brand: The range of enterprises includes tour operators to insurance companies.

Having such a strong brand to work from has made my work as an Ambassador a lot easier. From the beginning of my term in Oman in September 2003 until now I have found that we have benefited from the promotional efforts of the IMC.

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