The state of the brand

The reason for this modern day evolution of the brand is really quite simple. It's all about choice. Too much of it, in fact. No longer can we ask the cheery grocer - by name - to scoop stuff out of hessian bags into paper ones, or take our wages to an imposing building simply marked ‘bank'. There are so many options in every area of endeavour that each one has to shout out for our attention, and offer some compelling proposition that will encourage our business in its favour rather than another's. Some do it with bright colours, some with interesting names, attractive pictures and sounds. And most accompany these with a short string of words, designed to ignite some kind of feeling or emotion. Once drawn in, a proposition is made. “Spend your bucks here and..." The idea that it's something better than over there. This is the realm of the brand promise. A great many brands fail hopelessly to deliver on these promises.

You see, the whole ‘branding revolution' took place the wrong way round. An entire global industry was born of the idea that you could creatively suggest things to customers, package an idea and an offering in a compelling way, and thereby generate more customers and more profit. And companies began scrambling, in ever-increasing droves, to do so. Overwhelmingly, they forgot to consider who was going to fulfil those promises, let alone whether the people who were expected to deliver them had any idea of what was being promised of them, nor how to make it real. Now that the panic to compete for external visual attention has calmed, the job of brand development has finally taken a more reasoned turn. The new brand world is all about generating the brand inside the organisation, and allowing a promise to be created and made by the people who must deliver on it.

So what is the state of brands in South Africa today? This year's Top Brands Survey by Ipsos Markinor and the Sunday Times gave us very few surprises, with global brands being overwhelmingly rated as South Africa's best. The real meat is in those that are no longer there. Eskom, in particular, has experienced a sudden decline, whereas a few years ago it was being recognised for it's upliftment of South Africans, for outstanding advertising and has previously won the award for the most admired South African brand. It's not hard to understand why this has changed. The promise of power seems easily fulfilled when the lights are generally on, and issues with customer service are tolerated, because there is nothing to compare the brand to in its category, or to switch to. But the utility has been dramatically found out for being a monumental liar, and right at the very top.

Whilst we work out whether South African's will ever forgive Eskom, we must take stock of the impact of that disaster on other South African brands, and most importantly on Brand South Africa itself. We're beginning to see the real economic effect - an effect that was said to be none by our Public Enterprises Minister, but that the people have felt all too harshly. The world's eyes have been on South Africa for some time, as our political wrangling makes for an ever more unstable image. The combined effect doubtlessly dents our image as a tourist and business destination, and brands that have positioned themselves as distinctly South African would be well advised to consider their positions, and understand a potential dent to their own equity internationally. Many a brand has been known to die by association - one only has to cast one's mind back to Andersen's and Enron to remember it.

Having a national team go to the Olympic Games without a single corporate sponsor is somewhat humiliating. Coming home with but one silver medal cringe-worthy. To what extent, we must ask ourselves, did sponsors shy away from the opportunity to avoid being presented on a global stage with a nation that is not behaving itself very well? Today a brand is made up of ideas, associations, perceptions, memories and emotions. As people we do because we feel, and if we don't feel good we don't do. The leadership of Brand South Africa would be well advised to take serious stock of the promise and the delivery, and quickly become better brand managers.

The lesson we are learning is that looking good and sounding good is important - people are seriously influenced by such things. But making a real, believable and deliverable promise is the most vital starting point. And deriving these promises collectively with the human beings that make up an organisation is critical, else it stands little chance of being believed and bought into, let alone fulfilled.