Woolworths, FNB tie for top brand position

In the third annual study, Brand Africa Finance found that the Top 50 corporate brands in the country are valued at approximately R1.5tr, with many of these companies also contributing to national priorities including uplifting identified and targeted communities.

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Significantly, an analysis of the top 10 corporate brands is that nine of these operate in knowledge intensive sectors - in the telecommunications, banking and oil and gas sectors. This suggests that South Africa must begin to make the necessary investments in our human capital development to ensure that government, working with the corporate sector, develop skilled citizens in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics fields to drive these sectors and move the country in its entirety towards a knowledge based economy. This will be critical to ensuring the successful implementation of the National Development Plan as well towards the sustainability of the South African economy.

Brand South Africa's CEO Kingsley Makhubela said, "While developing, strengthening and maintaining a nation's brand is a multifaceted task, there are a range of factors which can assist in positioning the nation positively. These factors, if based on a solid foundation, can help the nation brand weather the storms posed by the global political and economic environment. One of these factors is national corporate entities.

"It is for this reason that Brand South Africa and Brand Finance Africa congratulates South Africa's Top 50 brands. Your excellence in the corporate field contributes immensely to the strength and positive reputation of the South African nation brand. Your brands are sometimes the first point of contact between consumers and the South African nation, especially where corporate brands have an international footprint. Your product quality, customer service and ethical framework contribute to perceptions about our spirit of Ubuntu, our innovation and the values that drive South Africa. South Africa's corporate sector is therefore critical to enabling Brand South Africa to position the country as an attractive inward destination of choice."

CEO of Brand Africa Finance, Thebe Ikalafeng said, "Brands have therefore become more than just a logo or slogan. They are now seen as corporate assets that are amongst the most valuable that an organisation can have. By extension, national corporate brands also contribute to a nation's assets in terms of the value they add to the country - both in terms of GDP as well as reputational impact. The brand managers and executives who oversee and manage these brands therefore play their part to contribute to corporate profitability and visibility and we Finance salute you."