Transnet takes a new road

Positioned as a catalyst for South Africa's economy, Transnet's new brand positioning strategy, identity and launch campaign, anchored on the corporate strategy and conceived and delivered by The Brand Leadership Group over the past six months, captures the new direction of an integrated and focused business.

“Re-branding Transnet is no small assignment, particularly for a company whose mandate is to set the pace for economic growth,” says the re-branding project leader and MD of The Brand Leadership Group (BLG), Thebe Ikalafeng.

“The new brand's role is multi-faceted: to co-ordinate and differentiate the portfolio of port, rail and pipeline businesses, each having built their own varying degrees of brand affinity and recognition; to reflect Transnet's global appeal; to differentiate the parastatal among other parastatals and global South African businesses; to signal a new era in the transformation and restructuring of Transnet; and to communicate the ‘one company, one vision' platform for Transnet going forward, whilst becoming a rallying point for building a new Transnet culture internally.”

The implications of the re-brand means there is now one dominant, overarching brand with the various sub-brands identified only descriptively in relation to the parent brand. This has necessitated a name change for some of the familiar Transnet operating divisions: While Transnet Limited's corporate brand remains, Spoornet has become Transnet Freight Rail, South African Port Operations is now Transnet Port Terminals, National Ports Authority is now Transnet National Ports Authority, Transwerk becomes Transnet Rail Engineering, and Petronet becomes Transnet Pipelines.

In the first stage of the phased roll-out anticipated to take 12 to 18 months, The Brand Leadership Group has revamped the corporate website, developed the full stationery and marketing collateral, as well as the signage at Transnet's corporate head office and operating divisions' head offices. BLG has also launched a campaign across key South African business print and on-line media to communicate the Transnet's new value proposition and introduce its brand identity.

“Guided by the visionary leadership of Transnet and Brand Leadership Group partners, we are confident that the brand - the third in the parastatal's 100 year history - succinctly communicates Transnet's united new vision and reflects an integrated ports, rail and pipeline offering, while leveraging off the strong Transnet brand name as it sits amongst the world's greatest global brands,” concludes Ikalafeng.