Branding News South Africa

Markinor places Unisa in top three schools

Unisa's Graduate School of Business Leadership was named one of SA's top three leading business school brands in the Markinor/Sunday Times Top Brands survey for 2005 this week.

Suzanne Broadley, Markinor's Stakeholder Relationship Manager, says: "UNISA's Graduate School of Business Leadership has once again achieved third place in the Markinor/Sunday Times Top Brands survey in the category of Business Schools.

"In this survey, awareness, trust and confidence, and loyalty are combined to give the Brand Relationship Score, which is used to rank the brands within the categories. This is an incredibly competitive sector and UNISA has managed to improve its trust and confidence score as well as its loyalty score since 2004."

Brand strategist Thebe Ikalafeng, MD of Brand Leadership and Director of the Marketing Federation of Southern Africa, says: "The Markinor/Sunday Times Top Brand survey has been going for over 10 years. Although the top three business schools retained their position, Wits BS increased their lead above UCT and Unisa, no less buoyed by their constant presence in all key business media through advertising and their dominance of leaders in SA's corporate ranks.

"Over and above the expected leadership in academic excellence, respected staff and a portfolio of market oriented courses or tuition, building a university brand takes clarity, consistency and constancy. Since its rebranding, Unisa SBL has not only clarified its positioning with a new vision located within the African context and brand positioning of 'leadership in practice,' but the increased visibility of the brand has no doubt contributed to the university maintaining top of mind presence among business decision makers."

Professor Hellicy Ngambi, the Executive Director and CEO (interim) of the SBL, says: "Unisa has taken a strategic position to establish a comprehensive and monolithic brand, which goes beyond just the identity and media presence, but also ensuring that all our business reflect and keep the brand promise. We are simply living the brand on our way to the top, becoming the best of the best."

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