Brand SA examines Africa’s view of SA, stronger harmonisation needed

31st October 2014

By: Natasha Odendaal

Creamer Media Senior Deputy Editor

  

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While South Africa may have the strongest reputation in Africa, the nation needed to enhance harmony with the continent’s other inhabitants to further spread the benefits of the “Africa rising” trend through boosting regional trade.

Brand South Africa (SA) had been fleshing out South Africa’s position in terms of perception within other African countries – and vice versa – with ambitions of streamlining interactions between the 55 African countries.

While there were many challenges to interregional trade and cooperation that impeded development, perception emerged as the “invisible” barrier to trade within Africa.

Speaking at a consultative dialogue on Friday, CEO Miller Matola said that, while image was often not a true reflection of reality, a positive image was what attracted investors.

Brand SA research GM Petrus de Kock questioned whether there was enough encouragement for partnerships between the countries.

“We all need to play our part in Africa’s competitiveness,” he said, noting the need to “move together as a continent to leverage the ‘Africa rising’” status.

South Africa’s National Development Plan placed strong focus on intra-Africa trade; however, smaller countries fell to the wayside with low or nonexistent trade with neighbours.

Matola encouraged the development of a strong “continental” brand, which would give Africa a leg-up in terms of perception and strengthen South Africa’s own brand image.

A CLOSER LOOK
Brand SA’s “South Africa Incorporated” research project, currently under way, aimed to determine what South Africa’s “face” looked like in the African markets it was already active in and how the citizens, businesses and governments of other countries perceived the nation.

De Kock said the group hoped to interrogate South Africa’s exposure to, reputation in, and strategic relations with African anchor states, as well as what opportunities emerged for intensified intra-Africa trade and cultural exchange.

“The goal is not merely to embark on image marketing, but to understand the environments in which South Africa and South Africans travel, invest, source business partners, lecture, and live in more substantial ways,” he explained.

The research project kicked off in Kenya during July and Nigeria during August this year. Brand SA would start similar research in Ghana in November, with research in other countries targeted for next year.

Preliminary fieldwork results indicated that, while South Africa was respected for several historical accomplishments across politics, business, cultural and academic spheres, and had a “tremendously strong and appealing profile” in many respects, its citizens were seen as arrogant.

The initial findings revealed that the country’s reputation was shaped by much more than foreign policy, any trade restrictions, government activity, policy or leadership.

Much of the perception created of South Africa emerged from the way South Africans behave toward, interact and engage with African peers in business, social situations or government, which showed many South Africa’s as “pushy, imposing and unwilling to listen to the advice of locals and industry experts”.

“South Africa is [often] seen as welcoming and open. However, South Africans are also viewed as aggressive and domineering in their business relations in [Kenya and Nigeria].”

De Kock said a nation’s brand was often based on criteria such as its culture, export environment, governance, its people, the tourism space and immigration and investment.

The outcome of the programme would likely set the path for strategy development that would enable Brand SA to “work more effectively” with stakeholders from across the continent to market and profile South Africa.

Brand SA also aimed to unpack the challenges other African countries were faced with when doing business with South Africa and their recommendations on how to improve continent-wide relations with government, civil society, trade and security bodies.

OTHER OUTCOMES
The research undertaken in Nigeria and Kenya revealed the perception that South African corporate entities did not take sufficient notice of particular market conditions and the needs of the market.

Kenyans believed South Africans should be more nuanced in their business entry strategy when considering expansion into the East African country.

In Nigeria, respondents suggested that they view the management practices of South Africans “very positively” and “wish to take lessons” from the way in which South African corporate entities were managed.

Both countries lauded South African culture and its creative industries, such as music, entertainment and film and video production capabilities.

Edited by Chanel de Bruyn
Creamer Media Senior Deputy Editor Online

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