Top three TGI Icon Brands revealed

Three categories

TGI conducts an annual national brand survey, measuring the usage and loyalty of brands across SA consumers, culminating in the Icon Awards, which are split into three categories, namely: Category Winners (brands with the highest overall score per industry), Icon Brands (true rainbow nation brands ) and Potential Icon Brands (runners-up to the Icon Brands).

Iconic Brand status was awarded to: Sunlight Bar Soap, Sunlight Washing Up Liquid, Jik Bleach, Sta-Soft Fabric Softener, Dulux, ABSA, KFC, Simba Crisps, All Gold, Robertson's spices, Crosse & Blackwell, Albany Bread, Coca-Cola, Clover Milk, Nokia, Vodacom, Pick n Pay, Checkers, Edgars, Mr Price, Avon and Revlon.

Potential Icon Brand status, or the 'next generation', was awarded to: Shoprite, MTN, Kiwi Shoe Polish, Mr. Min Furniture Polish, Jet, Woolworths, Truworths, Mrs HS Balls, JC Le Roux, Inkomazi Sour Milk and Always Ultra.

Category winners included:

• Travel and Leisure: SAA, BP, Toyota, Holiday Inn, Tsogo Sun Casino/Suncoast Casino
  
• Household Goods: Sunlight, Dulux Paint, Defy (Stove), LG (Main TV)
  
• Financial Service: Absa, VISA Electron, Old Mutual Life Assurance, Absa Building and Contents Insurance
  
• Foods: All Gold Tomato Sauce, KFC, Albany Bread, Simba Chips, KOO Tinned Fruit, and
  
• Communication: Nokia, Vodacom, Acer.

The complete list of winners in all the categories will be available shortly on www.tgi.co.za; inaugural 2010 winners may be found here.

"Red seems to have become the dominant brand colour. Many of the Iconic Brands have red incorporated into the brand. It may not be a trend but it is certainly interesting. [It] has also been a year of reinvention by brands," says Dustine Tobler, TGI marketing director, highlighting Vodacom, Cell C and PWC.

Five key trends

According to Tobler, thanks to the manner in which the questions were asked in the survey, it is also possible to identify five key trends and findings:

1. Engage

   The consumer-brand relationship is evolving - consumers are not willing to be served anymore. They want to create and are dictating change, therefore it is up to brands to listen and respond to this change. Brands that can connect and are approachable were identified as FNB and Capitec.

2. Be reliable

   Heritage brands that have been tried and tested after decades of being in an increasingly competitive industry have proved their longevity by becoming household names with which customers have developed emotional or personal connections. Old SA brands such as Koo, All Gold, Old Mutual and Telkom have established themselves as leaders in their categories.

   Quality

   Price is no longer the key denominator anymore. A quality product that lasts longer is the main driver to consumers at present. Brands such as All Gold, Koo, Labello, KFC and Revlon are brands mostly used by consumers, even though they are not the cheapest brands in their competing categories.

   Community well-being

   Just as much as consumers are taking their brands to heart, they take brands to heart that have a heart. KFC's score has increased by 9% due to its consistent sincere focus on communities, specifically regarding its "Add Hope" campaign that has generated R30 million for feeding SA.

   Authenticity

   Consumers are more likely to trust and use brands that are sincere with their customers and genuine about themselves. Focusing on aligning corporate values with brand communication will develop a strong market position and presence.