Tag Archives: Brand South Africa

Freedom Day 2014: reflecting on 20 years of democracy!

SA FlagIt was the interview with a Cape Argus reporter on Friday that made me reflect on how far not only our country, but also I personally and my business have come in the 20 years since we voted on 27 April 1994.  The Argus interview was focused on the progress over the past 20 years I have seen personally, business-wise, and politically.

My very first feedback to reporter Dylan was that 1994 was the first and only time that I was allowed to vote, having a German passport.  I do not recall how it was possible for all foreigners (by passport) to be allowed to vote, when it has never been allowed before nor since then.  I loved standing in a queue somewhere in Sea Point, being part of the exciting day that would change our country forever, and how much goodwill there was amongst South Africans whilst waiting patiently in the queues. Little did we know that the rest of the world waited anxiously for the outcome of the election, fully expecting a revolution to take place, unbeknown to us residents, with thanks to the SABC in ‘protecting’ us from this world scenario.

I moved to Cape Town in 1990, and transferred my marketing research consultancy Relationship Marketing from Johannesburg, changing its emphasis to Public Relations for food clients such as Baker Street Snacks, Bonnita (now Parmalat), Aylesbury, and more.  The late John Harrison was a favourite client when he was GM of the Table Mountain Aerial Cableway.  Even Mark Shuttleworth was a client, before he became famous for selling his Continue reading →

Brand South Africa new slogan “Inspiring New Ways” meaningless for tourism!

After many years of marketing South Africa with the senseless slogan ‘Alive with Possibility’, followed by the short-lived ‘More than you can imagine’, which had to be canned as it had been used by various other countries/cities/brands, our country has a new slogan: “South Africa: Inspiring New Ways”, which was approved by the Cabinet earlier this week.

Brand South Africa CEO Miller Matola said: “It’s a challenge to all South Africans, from business, government and civil society, to build on our reputation for inspiration and innovation”. The organisation conducted market research to test which one of five finalist slogans was most suitable, having consulted widely to create the slogan short list.

The organisation responsible for marketing South Africa, previously called the International Marketing Council, has itself been rebranded as Brand South Africa, and has a new CEO.  The company ‘lobbies and networks extensively among global opinion leaders to shift perceptions about the country and the continent’.   With TIME magazine Brand South Africa brought global business leaders to the World Economic Forum at Davos, to debate the role of Africa in global transformation.  Similarly, during the Mining Indaba held in Cape Town last month, Brand South Africa partnered with the Financial Times of London, to debate the future of mining in Africa.  International journalists are brought to South Africa, to connect with local government officials and business executives, to experience our local life and culture, and to learn about technological developments.

Although the new slogan has just been approved, Brand South Africa is patting itself on the back for its success already, in having moved up one place to 36th of 50 country names measured by Anholt-Gfk Roper Nielsen on tourism, culture, people, exports, governance, and investment/immigration, ‘confirming the steady improvement in the country’s reputation’!   Majola is quoted as saying that his organisation’s focus is ‘on positioning the country more as a business destination and an attractive emerging market on the African continent’.

One must seriously question the slogan and what impact, if any, it will have on the marketing of South Africa by SA Tourism. Our country appears to be developing a series of meaningless marketing slogans, no doubt developed by a branding agency at great cost to taxpayers!

POSTSCRIPT 9/7: Details of the new International Marketing Council TV commercial, flighted last week for the first time to launch the slogan ‘Inspiring New Ways’, have been made available by Bizcommunity.com. The TV commercial features better and lesser known South Africans that have ‘Inspired New Ways’:  ‘Yvonne Chaka Chaka, Baby Jake Matlala, Natalie du Toit, Trevor Noah, Lucas Radebe, Brian Mitchell, Greg Minaar, Trevor Rabin, John van der Ruit, Shaun Thomson, David Tlale and Khotso Mokoena and lesser known ones who have also defied the odds to become top achievers in their fields – such as Toya Delazy, Colin Thornton, Oyama Matomela, Andile Dube, Andy Higgins, Tebogo Skwambane, Nhkensani Nkosi, Emile Engel, Simon Ratcliffe, Zibusizo Mkhwanazi and Fatima Vawda’.

Chris von Ulmenstein, Whale Cottage Portfolio: www.whalecottage.com Twitter:@WhaleCottage

R 2 billion World Cup coverage for brand “South Africa”

The value of the coverage for brand “South Africa” could exceed R 2 billion in the 30 day period of the 2010 World Cup, writes respected marketing consultant and writer Chris Moerdyk, reports bizcommunity.com.

Moerdyk calculated the brand exposure value as follows: for each of the 64 matches the broadcasters have to allow FIFA 14 minutes of airtime, of which the soccer body has promised 2 minutes will go to marketing South Africa.  With 28 billion cumulative viewers expected to watch the soccer tournament around the world, according to FIFA, the value of South Africa’s exposure is R 1,5 billion.  In addition, the 30 minute opening and closing ceremonies, newspaper and magazine coverage, TV coverage in the form of pre-World Cup documentaries on BBC, SkyNews, CNN, and ZDF, as well as the soccer players and their fans posting comments on Facebook and Twitter, will add at least a further R 500 million in value.  Brazilian soccer star Kaka wrote on Twitter “Just arrived in South Africa … Amazing atmosphere!!”, a country endorsement said to be “priceless” in value.

Moerdyk quotes other figures by highly regarded local media planners Dick Reed and Heiner Kuehnel, who question FIFA’s optimistic TV viewership figures for the World Cup, saying only 125 million soccer fans will watch each match, giving a total cumulative TV audience of 8 billion, an advertising TV exposure value of R 800 million, and therefore a reduced total exposure value of R1,3 billion.

Whichever calculation method is used to estimate the TV viewership, even the lower value of exposure will exceed any marketing budget S A Tourism or the International Marketing Council will have ever spent on marketing brand “South Africa”.

It is interesting to note that locals are becoming vocal on Twitter in criticising SkyNews for its negative reporting about South Africa.  The TV channel has been happy to accept S A Tourism’s advertising budget for the past year, and will state that its editorial independence is separate to its advertising income!

Chris von Ulmenstein, Whale Cottage Portfolio: www.whalecottage.com