Cities are increasingly recognised as the engines of a country's growth and development and the 2013 Anholt City Brand Index that was released last year attests to the strength of South African cities.
City brands are strongly linked with nation brands. With Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban being seen as strong city brands, there is cause to believe that South Africa's attractiveness as a destination of choice for investment and tourism is steadily increasing.
Speaking about the contribution of South African cities to the country's competitiveness, Brand South Africa's General Manager: Research, Dr Petrus de Kock, says, "South Africa should seize this opportunity of momentum in its cities' images and do more to enhance its international standing in coming years: but this must mean more actions, not more messages."
Conducted biannually with GfK Roper beginning in the first quarter of 2009, the City Brand Index (CBI) measures the image of 50 cities, conducted in a core panel of ten countries. In 2013, approximately 5,000 adults ages 18 and up were interviewed.
According to the 2012/13 Future Brand CBI, "Cities are undeniably the nerve centres of a country. They are home to economic development, a major source of GDP and even a country's most significant cultural export. Warranted or not, to the outside world, a country's cities act as symbols and ambassadors to understand the entire country. Today, over 50% of the world's population lives in cities."
Cities act as a true gateway to a nation and are integral in shaping national identity. The quality and impact of emerging cities, like Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban, will determine how tourists, investors and global citizens judge the countries they call home and the brands behind them.
Research published in the Harvard Business Review (July-August 2013) regarding sustainable cities indicates that by 2050 the number of people living in cities will have nearly doubled. It also suggests that business will primarily drive the growth of cities with the support of government. The upward movement of South Africa's three most well-known cities should inspire business, domestic and international, that investments in South African cities make good business sense economically and developmentally.
The SACF is a call to all stakeholders across business, the government and civil society to provide input and to inspire new ways of positioning the nation brand domestically and internationally. This input will help Brand SA to understand strengths and identify weaknesses, in order to seek outcomes where stakeholders can address common challenges, or communicate on commonly identified nation brand strengths.
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