Question NW3853 to the Minister in The Presidency for Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation

Reply:

(a) Brand SA does not have a campaign called Made in SA. However, in line with its mandate, Brand South Africa profiles and showcases South African talent, skills, people, product and services. The recent campaigns anchored under brand advocacy focused on the following pillars on;

1) creative arts: where Brand South Africa profiled a young entrepreneur from Eastern Cape who owns a brand called Inga. Inga produces proudly South African bags that are designed, crafted, and produced in South Africa. Innovation & Technology: where Dr. Reza who is an aesthetics specialist and also owns an aviation company which exports aviation products. Dr Reza, through his foundation also offers skills and education on the aviation industry to his employees who come from the community the aviation company operates from. Brand South Africa recorded a video and promoted it on international platforms such as News Central. CNN Africa, Africa News, BBC News Africa, Supersports Blitz. This assisted in driving awareness, demand creation and expansion of his brand.

2) Exporting South Africa to South Korea: where Brand South Africa collaborated with influencers in South Korea with an objective of increasing familiarity and favourability of creative talent in South Korea. Some of the South African designers included Black Coffee, Maxhosa, and David Tlale. This campaign assisted in driving awareness of the nation brand, skills and talent.

3) In line with the Believe in SA strategy, Brand South has implemented a media partnership with BBC broadcast and BBC.Com on a campaign called ‘The Next Generation’ which profiles young South African entrepreneurs. The campaign puts a spotlight on the young generation showcasing their innovations in medical innovation, fintech and energy. As innovators, they have found new ways to make an impact and are ideal advocates for South Africa’s business story. The campaign is currently flighting across North America, Europe, Middle East, Africa, Latin America and Asia Pacific until March 2024.

(b) While the focus of Brand South Africa is to instil confidence in South Africa and promote investment and tourism, Brand South Africa is equally committed to fostering the consumption of South African goods and services as a way to export the South African nation brand to the world and as a stimulus for economic growth and overall competitiveness of South African industries in the global market.

As part of its strategic initiatives, Brand South Africa conducts the Global Reputation Research Study, involving over 10,000 respondents across 14 international target markets. This research study evaluates South Africa's export competitiveness and appeal (among other measured variables) in key markets: the United Kingdom, United States, Germany, France, China, Japan, India, Switzerland, United Arab Emirates, and Saudi Arabia.

Furthermore, the country is also benched marked against emerging & established continental powers: Africa - Nigeria & or Egypt; Middle East: United Arab Emirates & Turkey; Asia: Vietnam & Thailand, Vietnam & Thailand, South America: Chile & Brazil, and UK.

• Global businesses engaged in trade with South Africa, and those purchasing South African goods and services, consistently rank the country among the best, alongside esteemed counterparts such as the United Kingdom, United Arab Emirates, and Turkey.

• Further attesting to South Africa's global standing, among the benchmarked nations, global businesses place it within the top five countries to do business with, sharing this distinction with the United Arab Emirates, Turkey, Thailand, and Brazil.

• Over 76 percent of all respondents across all 14 markets expressed a strong interest in purchasing South African export products. This affirmation underscores the resonance and desirability of South African goods on the global stage and reflects the positive perception of the Nation Brand but also signals a significant market potential for South African exports.

• Notably, the export sector emerges as one of the nation's key economic strengths, followed closely by the pivotal contributions of tourism and investment. This multifaceted approach reinforces Brand South Africa's crucial role in shaping and elevating the nation's global identity and economic prowess.

• prominence in Brand Finance’s Africa 200 report ranking stands as a testament to the robustness and resilience of its brands. Firmly positioned as the powerhouse of African brands, South Africa's influential role underscores its significant impact on shaping the business landscape across the continent. The top 200 brands in Africa have collectively experienced a commendable year-on-year brand value growth of 6%, culminating in an impressive total value of USD 54.4 billion. At the forefront of this success, South Africa emerges as the primary contributor, representing over half of the brands in the ranking and an impressive 75% (USD 40.8 billion) of the total brand value. This substantial leadership underscores South Africa's key role in driving and defining the narrative of African brands on the global stage.