A year ago "More than you can imagine" was proposed as the replacedment but was shelved for being unoriginal, according to Fin24.com.
At the fortnightly post cabinet briefing on Thursday, 8 March 2012, minister in the presidency Collins Chabane said, "After extensive stakeholder consultation by Brand South Africa, Cabinet approved the new slogan for marketing the country." He also said that Brand South Africa, the organisation tasked with marketing South Africa both locally and internationally, would "champion the popularisation of this new slogan."
Commented Miller Matola, CEO of Brand South Africa, "We welcome the approval by Cabinet of South Africa's new country marketing slogan. The new slogan is the culmination of many months of research into what thousands of ordinary South Africans believe captures the essence of our country.
"A diligent management of its global brand has matched South Africa's remarkable transition from pugnacious pariah state to one of the world's most-important regional powers.
"South Africa has recognised that every country in the world has a 'brand', a way in which the country is perceived and the active management of that brand brings trade, tourism and investment, resulting in more jobs and economic growth.
"When we embarked on the development of our new pay off line, our position as the most-developed African economy - spearheading the emergence of the globe's last great market -- saw South Africa adopt a brand position expressed in the phrase, 'South Africa - Alive with Possibility'. The world saw the sense of the proposition and investors, businesses and tourists piled into the country - taking advantage of the possibilities.
"Now, our country has moved to a different phase of its development. We are an important regional power, with a non-permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council, a member of the Group of Twenty Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors of the leading world economies (the G20 group) and a member of the BRICS group of nations.
"South Africa has moved beyond possibility to delivery. Our delivery has necessitated a change in the brand positioning, to keep up with, and lead the way that we are perceived by the world. It is for this reason that we have developed a new brand expression.
"As a country we continue to inspire both ourselves and the world with unique, new and better ways of overcoming our challenges. 'South Africa. Inspiring new ways' is both a description of the best of our national character, our values and the fabric of our people. It is a challenge to all South Africans: to business, government and civil society to build on our reputation for inspiration and innovation.
After exhaustive consultation with our many stakeholders in business, civil society and government, and international benchmarking, Cabinet has now approved 'Inspiring New Ways' as the new nation brand positioning which will orientate South Africa's marketing activities.
"In the coming months South Africans at home and abroad can look forward to seeing the new brand expression in advertising and promotional material that will be used to explain and promote South Africa's attraction to ourselves and to the world," concluded Matola.
Brand South Africa, previously known as the International Marketing Council of South Africa, officially changed its name to best align with its mandate of building South Africa's nation brand reputation in order to improve its global competitiveness.
Updated at 11.57am on 9 March 2012.
Video added at 5.05pm on 13 March 2012.
