An organization’s ability to create and build brands is key to high performance While most organizations see branding as an means of communicating value, Superbrands place brand thinking at the core of the entire process of value design. From the choice of products to develop to the pick of markets to enter, they are guided by strategic fit for existing brands and opportunity to create new ones Where most brands compete, the true winners are virtual monopolies. Diligent brand building can offer minnows a pathway to dominance. In all, the brand sweet spot lies where differentiated value meets consumer affection A Superbrand ought to hold or be clearly on its way to a position of dominance. More often, they are widely respected and loved in commensurate measure.

“Superbrands” brands have the characteristics of a great leader, always doing something in pursuit of building the brand vision, while inspiring others to do the same. They are always visible they stand out. They consistently deliver on the brand promise and communicates in an inspiring and motivating way which builds mutual respect and trust between the brand and its admirers. A Superbrands winner is assertive, striving to get the desired results and along with assertiveness comes the responsibility to clearly understand what its’ consumers expect from the brand. It inspire us to assess our “Personal” brands because they set up an example and show us opportunities on how we can achieve greatness in everything that we do.

Branding is not complicated - but neither is it easy. A brand is a value proposition you construct for almost anything. Your granny is a brand. There are brands in medicine and education, the Law, religion, even politicians. Branding began with livestock. If my cows bore an H mark it was easy for me to recognise them. It was a mark of ownership. When I got better at rearing cattle, people in the marketplace would notice that cows with the H brand were fatter and glossier. The mark became a signal of added value. Bidders would pay more. A Superbrand is instantly recognisable and its value proposition is clear. It helps if people like it too!

Superbrands Africa has become the symbol of quality in product, after sales service, value for money and a sign for consumer guarantee-no wonder it has become the most sought after recognition by leading brands in East Africa.

In an age of growing product proliferation, a shrinking marketplace and declining margins, having a great brand becomes a necessity and not a luxury. Successful brands are increasingly the ones that take a long-term and strategic view of their life cycle, can operate at the higher end of their category, build scale, transcend geographical boundaries and cultural barriers, simultaneously speak to multiple consumer segments whilst creating economies of scale and earning great returns. Brands that attain the above success will be those that continuously pursue relevance, by delivering the desired value and experiences, emotionally connecting and weaving into the fabric of its constituents’ lives. This is the future and new normal of a Superbrand!

Being a Superbrand separates you from the crowd. Becoming a Superbrand is never accidental, it has to be developed over-time and with continuous fine-tuning. It always starts with identifying a specific core audience for your particular Superbrand who will then be your Superbrand ambassador to the rest of your world. The Superbrand whether product, service or “in-between” must have specific features or characteristics about it that offer a pleasurable perception to the specific consumer or stakeholder. The trick is all about transforming or “morphing ” the feature (static, homogenous, unremarkable-even) into a treasured benefit (welcome unique and with value-added) to the stakeholder in the stakeholder’s emotional perception who will then return to the Super brand for that particular gratification time after time.

For a brand to lay claim to Superbrand status, it must transcend normal brand being and elevate to a 'Super State' in brand hierarchy, way above ordinary brands. In this State the brand has managed to attain and retain very strong brand Equity manifested through high levels of adoration among its target consumers and very strong performance on key metrics over a long period of time. The key metrics: Market share leadership in relevant channels and segments, consistent availability/distribution in relevant channels, retail visibility leadership, year on Sales growth, very strong profits, high recall among consumers, consistently high quality ratings, proven functionality, positive reputation and a Responsible Corporate citizen. One cannot divorce consistent strong performance on major equity, financial, environmental and consumer metrics from a Superbrand rating. A SUPERBRAND is thus a brand that has consistently fulfilled its promise to deliver quality, relevance, functionality, strong consumer experiences, emotional appeal and iconic market execution to attain distinction among its peer and universal acclaim among the Industry aficionados. That is when a Brand deserves to be called a SUPERBRAND.

There are so many perspectives to brands and what brands are … and each of them hold water. I personally don’t believe brands are about logos, there are brands that have the most innocuous logos and are the most iconic brands in the world. Just about everything is a brand in some sense. Be it individuals, products, services, governments, structures etc. It is how you feel about it, not necessarily emotionally but all your interactions with the various brands. A Superbrand is the special something you are really bonded to in some sense and your journey through life would be slightly less special without it. They usually hold this special place because they are a notch better than the rest. They either provide more value to you or let’s be honest is some cases, feed your ego better than the other available options. To stay on top, any Superbrand must constantly either adapt or in some cases maintain a consistent connection with you. There is no real formula to this as every different brand or experience requires its own path.

A “brand” means a lot of different things to people. I believe it’s the perception we hold about a specific product, company, individual, idea etc. This concept includes, but is not limited to the tangible things we can see e.g. website, logo, product; but also, the intangible things we cannot see, such as the feeling you get when you visit a company or drink a specific product. Now a “super-brand” is the ultimate evolution of the brand. It represents the overarching common principles I believe should be inherent in all great brands. First and foremost, consistency – if you’re executing your brand correctly, you may feel like you’re saying the same thing again and again. This is how the wider audience gets to know you. Secondly, the brand must be genuine – it should represent what you actually stand for. Super-brands are guaranteed to evolve over time. Growth and change remains an integral part of their development. Super-brands also boldly stand-out from their competition. They demonstrate their values in action. And lastly, these super-brands use emotion to motivate us to action by making their audience feel way a lot more than they want to.

Over 1 billion people on the African continent, 54 different nations, over 3,000 tribes, with languages spanning from Arabic to French, Portuguese to Swahili, English to Zulu, etc. Unlike China and India, where a billion people are found in one country Africa is as diverse as it is exciting. South America, while also diverse, we can all agree is largely united by language and religion. A Superbrand in Africa would be one that can maintain the balance between being relevant to vastly different consumers while still maintaining its ethos across the many markets that make up the “African market”. The story of this market, cutting across various sectors, is still unfolding before our eyes. It is my view that advertising that promotes brand consistency and local relevance will contribute a chapter into this magnificent story. I remain very optimistic about the future of Africa.

Building a brand that is Super isn’t something that is impossible to achieve. Having defined your brand, build it, nuture it and invest in it so it connects to your customer and sets it apart from the herd!

Brand that is synonymous with good quality, exceptional customer experience and products/services. It's a brand that is superior in it's offering as compared to it's peers. A Superbrand exhibits characteristics of quality, consistency and innovation. All stakeholders are proud to be associated with a Superbrand as it has the credibility they are proud to be part of and associated with it. A big part of being a Superbrand is the trust your partners put in you - from process, quality control and finally to the end product. They know all the parts of the process or product have been thoroughly checked and all strict guidelines followed. In today's ever changing world, innovation is critical for a Superbrand to be relevant. Superbrands are fully aware of this and invest heavily to ensure their products are dynamic and versatile.

“A Superbrand is a brand that is completely in sync with what the customer needs. The focus is the customer always and the brand itself is dynamic, adaptive and responsive. If the consumer habits or preferences change then the brand changes itself to better serve the needs of the consumer. To a Superbrand quality is a non-negotiable. Standards are enforced but excellence is the goal. And to crown it all a Superbrand delivers quality with a price advantage . This is the DNA of a true Superbrand.”