South Africa

Despite the challenges of the economy, the Top 30 South African brands have held their own and grown their value by 21% to $34.9 billion over the last year.

Telecoms provider MTN is crowned the new number in 2022’s South African ranking, with a brand value of $3.7 billion. Leaping up four places, MTN is also the fastest riser having grown its brand value by 85%, achieved by a combination of overseas expansion and sound strategic positioning.

First National Bank ranks second place this year, with a brand value of $3.5 billion, and Vodacom is number three with a brand value of $3.1 billion.

Investec is the second fastest-rising brand, growing its value by 74% to $700 million, followed by retail brand, Checkers, which grew its value by 59% to $531 million.

Find out more about the brands riding the waves of resilience, resourcefulness, and recovery in the full report. Explore a new framework for understanding what drives value for brands, with additional insights on the role of sustainability, global expansion, technological approaches and more.

Download the Kantar BrandZ Most Valuable South African Brands 2022 Report

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First National Bank leads as the most valuable brand in 2021’s South African ranking, with a brand value of $2.7 billion.

Its investment in banking-from-home solutions, cashless transactions, and programmes that cut basic banking costs and enabled its customers to put off payments during the pandemic have contributed to its high performance across all brand equity metrics.

Vodacom moves up the ranking to second place this year, with a brand value of $2.57 billion, with beer brand Castle holding steady at number three with a brand value of $2.52 billion.

Emerging ecommerce retailer Takealot enters the brand ranking at number 23 as the only newcomer, with a brand value of $446 million. Consumers are finding the brand fulfils their needs in a way that increases both trust and relevance.

At number 7, Discovery is the fastest-rising brand, growing its value by 27% to $1.4 billion. It was one of the fastest-thinking brands in its response to the pandemic, introducing a digital healthcare consultation service, not only for its customers, but for all who needed it.

Find out more about the brands making significant gains in value in the full report, and the signals of recovery. Explore a new framework for understanding what creates value for brands, with additional insights on the role of sustainability, creativity, digital-first approaches and more.

Download the Kantar BrandZ Most Valuable South African Brands 2021 report

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The third BrandZ ranking of South African-born brands reflects how the global pandemic has hit the country hard, accelerating negative trends already in place.

Banks and beer categories top 2020’s BrandZ Top 30 Most Valuable South African Brands. First National Bank has been named as South Africa’s most valuable brand for the first time with a brand value of $2.8 billion. Standard Bank took the No.2 spot with a brand value of $2.75 billion, with beer brand Castle at No.3, valued at $2.72 billion.

Flavoured beer brand Flying Fish is the highest new entry in the ranking at No.28, valued at $333 million. Insurance group Hollard is the other newcomer to this year’s ranking, coming in at No.30 with a brand value of $285 million.

The most resilient brands in the ranking – Clicks, Capitec Bank, and Pick n Pay – also reflect what we have seen before during financial crises over the last 20 years of BrandZ™ research: building a strong brand and investing in brand equity can shield from shocks and return businesses to growth faster.

Download the Kantar BrandZ Most Valuable South African Brands 2020 report

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The challenging macroeconomic and political environment in South Africa is reflected in the 2019 BrandZ Top 30 Most Valuable South African Brands report.  We see however that the country’s top brands have rallied well with a net decline that is 7% less than the decline of average brands on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange.

In value terms, the country’s top brands are punching above their weight compared to similar brands in larger markets.  The country has entered a period of cautious optimism post the “Zuma years” following the 2018 change in government and affords brands a guarded space for hope and the possibility of a return to growth.

Download the Kantar BrandZ Most Valuable South African Brands 2019 report

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The first BrandZ Top 30 Most Valuable South African brands ranking is one of our most diverse, with brands from several categories covered from banks and hospitals to beer, fast food and entertainment.

With a combined value of only $42.6 billion the South African Top 30 has the lowest combined value, but don’t let this make you think they aren’t worth note, the brands show more potential for global growth than their counterparts in Europe and even China.

However, the study notes that South African brands looking to grow and deliver superior shareholder value need to work on differentiating themselves in a meaningful way from their competitors.

Take a look at the report and ranking to discover which brands made the inaugural BrandZ South African ranking and find out how to build a meaningful connection with local consumers.

Download the Kantar BrandZ Most Valuable South African Brands 2018 report

Download the Kantar BrandZ Most Valuable South African Brands 2018 infographic