Top 40 South African brands on Mxit on 31 May 2014

CLICK HERE for the full list of Top 40 Brands on the Mxit Brand Index

Snapshot: PEPcell snatches top retail brand position; Castle Lite debuts on Brand Index. Mobile tech and SP brands show strong growth in May. World Cup fever drives growth for Coca Cola and PSL brands. KFC's sustained growth brings the brand close to its millionth subscriber mark.

PEPcell's advertising campaigns propelled the brand into the Top 10 brands on Mxit's Brand Index report for May 2014. With a growth of 58,218 new subscribers, PEPcell moved from 12th to 8th position and is now the top retail brand on Mxit. Sister brand PEP clothing retail showed a 20% growth of 35,369 new subscribers following their advertising campaigns, and the brand debuts on the Mxit Brand Index in 36th place.

Nokia was the top performing brand in May, with 119,083 new subscribers adding the brand app, a growth of 34%. Also in the mobile tech and network operator space, MTN moved from 22nd to 18th position. 65,547 new subscribers swelled the brand's subscriber numbers by 19%. Vodacom showed a 9% growth of 18,261 new subscribers, moving the brand from 36th to 35th position.

Castle Lite, in 38th position, used a 'beer codes for music' exchange mechanism, coupled with a splash advertising campaign to reward fans with free music. Using codes found on the Castle Lite product, subscribers to the app on Mxit could download free music from top local and international artists like Mxit's Brand Ambassador, Zakes Bantwini; Mi Casa; Wiz Khalifa and others. The enticing campaign sparked a 32% growth in subscriber numbers, with 48,685 new subscribers adding the app.

FIFA World Cup fever is starting to take hold, and 23rd-placed brand Coca-Cola's Mxit campaigns that included top prizes of tickets to the World Cup in Brazil drew 22 326 new subscribers to the brand's Mxit app. Football had a positive effect for PSL brands Kaizer Chiefs, in 26th place and Orlando Pirates (not featured in the top 40 brands), who added 12,595 and 12,258 new subscribers, respectively.

KFC's growth of 65,770 new subscribers brings the brand to the brink of having one million subscribers to the app. The 5th-placed brand now has 895,539 subscribers, and has grown in the past three months by 196,919 subscribers, following strong campaigns.

Brands to watch: Nando's and SA Government

Thanks to their advertising campaigns delivering a 9% growth of 15 796 new subscribers, Nando's held onto their 40th position despite two new brands debuting on Mxit's Brand Index report. The much-loved South African brand is in second place, in the fast food brand category.

The SA Government app, built by the GCIS, attracted a phenomenal 114,853 subscribers in just 11 days. Used in conjunction with Live Chats - the first of which was hosted by CEO Ms Phumla Williams, the political brand app built a solid community off the back of the recent elections.