Brand Africa 100 winners revealed

MTN was named the brand champion, winning the title of Most Valued African Brand as well as the winner of the Grand Prix Prize.

Brand Africa 100 is based on a multi-tier methodology that incorporates qualitative, quantitative and secondary research. Developed by the Brand Leadership Academy in partnership with TNS and Brand Finance plc, this seminal research has set the standard for brand evaluation on the continent.

African brands making headway

The Brand Africa 100 awards delivered results proving that African brands are making headway representing 33.7% of all the brands nominated, whilst international brands hold steady at 66.3%. A further breakdown of the African results indicate that South African brands represent 24% of the share, Nigerian brands represent 9% with Kenyan brands representing the remaining 1%.

"One of the primary drivers of Africa's growth lies in stimulating and growing thriving African and global businesses and brands in Africa" says Brand Africa founder/chairman, Thebe Ikalafeng. "And consumers are the ultimate arbiters of that success. Thus the inaugural Brand Africa 100 will signal which brands are getting it right on the continent."

The most valued brands by sector:

• Food - Blue Band - UK
• Beverages - Coca Cola - USA
• Electronics - Samsung - South Korea
• Telecoms - MTN - South Africa
• Auto Manufacturers - Toyota - Japan
• Apparel - Nike - USA
• Banks - ABSA - South Africa
• Oil & Gas - Shell - Netherlands
• Retail - McDonalds - USA
• Personal Care - Nivea - Germany

"Brand Africa 100 acknowledges Africa's most admired and valued brands amongst their world leading global peers. For the first time African brands are recognised for the brand value they have created on the African continent by embracing and leveraging African values," says Oliver Schmitz, managing director of Brand Finance South Africa. "It's inspiring to see African brands finally taking their place on the world stage and setting a benchmark for the rest of Africa."

"This inaugural exercise to uncover the top 100 brands in Africa has been very illuminating. 8061 people were interviewed in the urban areas of nine key African countries and the results reveal a mixture of local and international brands performing well," says Neil Higgs, TNS senior advisor and head: innovation. "TNS constructed an Admiration Index from the responses combined across all the countries surveyed. In terms of this, the success of telecommunications and electronics brands shows clearly that Africa has moved wholeheartedly to mobile and modern technology. But there are also some old favourites amongst the top brands as well as one or two strong local brands".