It has been established that good branding elevates and differentiates your like for like products or services. A good brand is one that will obviously satisfy customers. It is therefore important that you invest only in valuable brand positions. Below are the top investment brands in South Africa.
MTN – MTN tops the list as the Most Valuable South African Brand with a global value of R43.3 billion and is also the only South African brand in the Brand Finance Global 500. MTN South Africa is part of MTN group, a multi-national telecommunications that boasts over 152 million subscribers across its company with operations in 21 countries in Africa and the Middle East. Launched in South Africa in 1994, and provides voice data and telemetry offerings and solutions to its 20 million customers. The company is listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE) and has the largest primary listing on the exchange. The company enjoys 37 percent of market share in South Africa and continues to expand its presence and brand across the African continent and now has a firm footing in the Middle East.
Netcare – The group provides innovative, quality healthcare in South Africa and the UK. It operates the largest private hospital group, primary care network and emergency service in South Africa. It is also the biggest private trainer of emergency medical personnel and healthcare workers.
Investec – This is a distinctive Specialist Bank and Asset Manager providing a diverse range of financial products and services to its niche client base. It operates in three principal markets, South Africa, the UK and Australia as well as certain other countries. In July 2002, the Investec group implemented a dual listed company with listings on the London and Johannesburg Stock Exchanges.
Shoprite Retail – This brand is one of the leaders in South African food retailing and is according to market research the brand of choice of the highest percentage of South African consumers. It started life as a small chain of supermarkets in 1979. It now boasts some 309 stores and across 16 African countries it has a further 71 stores.
First National Bank (FNB)- FNB is the oldest bank in South Africa and can be traced back to the Eastern Province Bank formed in Grahamstown in 1838. Today, FNB trades as a division of FirstRand Bank Limited. A landmark in the company’s history was in 1998 when the financial services interests of Rand Merchant Bank Holding and Anglo American were merged to form FirstRand.
Nedbank – Nedbank is a bank holding company and one of the four largest banking groups in South Africa measured by assets with a strong deposit franchise. Its principal banking subsidiary is Nedbank Limited. The group provides retail banking services, insurance and asset management. Its headquarters are in Sandton and it has a 1,000-strong regional branch network.
SASOL – Sasol is an international integrated energy and chemical company that leverages the talent and expertise of its more than 34,000 people working in 38 countries. It develops and commercialises technologies, and builds and operates world-scale facilities to produce a range of product streams including liquid fuels, chemicals and electricity.
ABSA – ABSA is listed on the JSE Limited and is one of South Africa’s largest financial services group. It is a subsidiary of Barclays Bank PLC (Barclays) which owns 55.5 percent. It offers a complete range of retail, business, corporate and investment banking insurance and wealth management products and services.
Standard Bank – This institution has a 150-year history in South Africa and started building a franchise in the rest of Africa in the early 1990s. It currently operates in 18 countries in the rest of the African continent, including South Africa, as well as in other selected emerging markets. The bank employs 52,000 people and has about 1,200 branches including loan centres and some 7,945 ATMs on the African continent.
Vodacom – This is an African mobile communications company providing voice message, data and converged services to about 50 million active customers. From its roots in South Africa, the company has grown its operations to include networks in Tanzania, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Mozambique and Lesotho. It is owned by Vodafone and has its headquarters in Johannesburg.
