The annual Icon Brands survey has provided a lot of food for thought for marketing and brand managers. The Target Group Index (TGi) is the largest single source consumer brand and lifestyle survey in South Africa and represents almost 19 million consumers. The definition of an Icon Brand is important; it is not an aspirational brand, but a brand that people will buy regardless of their demographic.
Dr Amelia Richards in conversation with BizRadio’s Grant Jansen
Podcast | Click HERE to listen
They are loyal to the specific brand and the winners in 2012 were:
1. Edgars
2. All Gold tomato sauce
3. Mr Price
4. Huletts Sugar
5. Koo baked beans
6. Coca Cola
7. Robertsons herbs and spices
8. Sunlight liquid
9. Albany bread
10. Jet
Edgars the winner in 2012, has been a household name in South Africa for the past 82 years. Despite competing with many new, young brands in the fashion industry, South Africans still crowned Edgars 2012 Icon Brand winner. Edgars have a ‘Thank U’ rewards programme that enables consumers to buy from a variety of stores in the group, a token of giving back to their supporting loyal customer base. In 2013 we have started to track the performance of loyalty cards across different brands.
Across categories there were 29 Icon Brands across product categories (compared to only 22 in 2011). Why are there more brands identified each year? It seems that these brands have increased their relevance across the South African population and their loyalty. Consumers want a more relevant and believable brand. Although we as consumers have less money to spend we spend it on a brand we trust for it’s value contribution to our lives. A number of the 2012 brands were heritage brands and consumers support the reputation of that particular brand. They are not necessarily faster or cheaper, but they have a legacy, have been part of family life for many years. They have been able to deliver good quality and have stood the test of time, something younger brands can learn from. Big corporates such as Unilever, Tiger Brands and Edcon have multiple winners, which are mostly local brands. The South African consumer still think local is lekker and we embrace proudly South African brands. The winning brands also seem to encapsulate optimism and therefore they are not simply just pantry essentials but add fulfillment to consumer’s lives – everybody is allowed to indulge once in a while. Companies no longer own brands, but consumers do, and the value offering of brands remains the most important attribute, since high-end consumers will shop at lower-end retail stores, should they accept the quality of purchased goods.
Although these are 2012 results, Ask Afrika is busy with analyzing the data for the 2013 Icon Brand survey that will be released by June-July this year. This year we have opened up the data with more than a 150 specific product categories across different sectors. The aim will be not only to look at the bigger, more established brands but also track the performance of younger, and smaller brands. Our partner for this prestigious benchmarking survey will be Media24 and results will be published in both the City Press and Rapport newspapers.
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