How local brands can leverage Brand South Africa

Being a South African brand comes with both challenges and prestige, depending on what customers and business partners are looking for. Brand Asset Valuator’s (BAV’s) annual country ranking report gives insight into how the world perceives our country and how brands can make the most of it.

Anyone with an older sibling understands the power of association. If yours was the school delinquent, your teacher probably had a detention slip already waiting with your name on it before you even walked through the door. And if your sibling was a top performer, the pressure was on you to follow suit.

Brands have a long history of tapping into the power of association. It’s why they collaborate with celebrities and sponsor sports teams. But a country’s brand can also have a profound effect on how businesses from that country are perceived. The BAV report gives us insight into what those perceptions might be when it comes to association with Brand South Africa.

The BAV rankings are based on a comprehensive survey that measured 80 countries, with input from over 17,000 respondents, representing a diverse global sample. “The robust nature of BAV’s country data is unmatched globally —  so much so that governments around the world are using this data to understand the pulse of their own country and brief themselves on country partners,” says David Roth, WPP executive and CEO of The Store.

Overall, South Africa came in at 46th in the world and third on the African continent, behind Egypt (34th in the world) and Morocco (40th in the world). By delving deeper into specific categories we can identify the positive attributes associated with South Africa that local brands can use to their advantage, as well as the challenges about perceptions the country brands can expect to encounter.

Good: political influence and economic leverage

In this respect South Africa came 28th in the Movers category and 29th in the Power category. These attributes reflect the nation’s potential for growth and influence.

Economically, South Africa can benefit from its leadership and influence within Africa and trading blocs, as well as its potential for difference, dynamism, innovation and adaptability, and a favourable tax environment. Local brands could benefit by pitching for business with international partners that are looking to expand across Africa.

Good: compelling stories

One should never underestimate the power of a good story, and South Africa  has a lot going for it when it comes to capturing the imaginations of an international audience.

The country scored highly on Cultural Heritage (24th) and Adventure (35th), two key ingredients for an enticing narrative. Brands can leverage these qualities to turn even mundane interactions with customers and clients into exciting and memorable experiences. This could be as simple as sharing the local folklore about the indigenous ingredients in a product or as lavish as hosting a client event at a game reserve.

Socially, South Africa can leverage its fun-loving and friendly culture, modernised heritage, sporting talent, geographic attractions, rich history, environmental consciousness and care for the environment.

Bad: barriers to business

South Africa fared dismally in the categories Open for Business (79th), Quality of Life (55th) and Agility (43rd). For brands, recognising these areas in need of improvement is essential to fostering development and progress. Being aware of these perceptions can help inform strategy and risk management.

As South Africans, it’s easy for us to focus on negative aspects of our everyday lived experience. But looking at our country through the eyes of the world reveals  a lot of good that we can leverage as we promote our brands beyond the country’s borders.

Read South Africa’s complete ranking here.

Dono White is the strategy director at VML South Africa.

The big take-out: It’s easy to focus on negative aspects of our everyday lived experience, but looking at our country through the eyes of the world reveals a lot of good that we can leverage as we promote our brands beyond the country’s borders.