Profile
The Brand South Africa Trust (Brand South Africa) was established in 2002 in terms of the Trust Property Control Act No 57 of 1988, as amended. Brand South Africa is further listed as a Schedule 3A Public Entity in terms of the Public Finance Management Act No 1 of 1999 (PFMA). Brand South Africa was established in terms of a Trust Deed (as amended), with the ultimate aim to: Make an indirect contribution to economic growth, job creation, poverty alleviation and social cohesion by encouraging local and foreign investment, tourism and trade through the promotion of Brand South Africa.
Brand South Africa (Brand SA) reports to The Presidency as its Executive Authority, and from which it receives its annual budget. It aims to support the national priorities and outcomes detailed in the National Development Plan (NDP), Vision 2030 and the aligned Medium Term Strategic Framework (MTSF), specifically in support of South Africa’s national objectives of inclusive economic growth, job creation, poverty alleviation and social cohesion.
With a vision to be a Nation Brand that inspires its people and is admired globally, Brand SA’s mandate is to manage South Africa’s Nation Brand reputation in order to improve the country’s global attractiveness and competitiveness. In discharging its mandate, Brand SA is entrusted with developing and implementing proactive and coordinated marketing, communication and reputation management strategies for the country. The organisation works with, and through, stakeholders to develop a common approach in the marketing and promotion of the Nation Brand domestically and internationally.
Driving Active Citizenship: Play Your Part
Domestically, Brand South Africa aims to build national pride and patriotism to drive and motivate national 
participation in shaping a shared future for all. This is driven through a mass movement programme for a positive social change branded ‘Play Your Part’. Brand SA aims to partner with Business, Government, Civil Society and media in bringing this movement to life.
Play Your Part is a nationwide movement created to inspire, empower and celebrate active citizenship in South Africa. Its objective is to lift the spirit of our nation by inspiring all South Africans to contribute to positive change, become involved and start doing – because a nation of people who care deeply for one another and the environment in which they live is good for everyone. The programme is actively driven by Brand SA throughout the year.
There are numerous opportunities, big and small, for each and every South African to make a positive difference in the communities in which they live and operate. Play Your Part encourages them to act on these opportunities by going to https://www.brandsouthafrica.com/play-your-part/join-play-your-part
Promoting South Africa as an Investment destination of choice
Brand South Africa launched the CEOs Know Campaign inspired by the need to build a positive reputation for South Africa. The campaign is in collaboration with Business Leadership South Africa and run with the objective of positioning South Africa as an ideal investment destination. The campaign features various CEO’s from multinational corporations based in South Africa, who share insights behind their continued investment into South Africa.
The campaign features amongst others, the Johannesburg Stock Exchange CEO, Ms Nicky Newton-King; MD and CEO of Total, Pierre-Yves Sachet; MD and Partner of Goldman Sachs South Africa, Mr Colin Coleman; Executive Head of Anglo American South Africa, Mr Andile Sangqu; CEO of Shell Companies South Africa, Mr Hloniphizwe Mtolo, as well as Toyota South Africa Motors CEO and President, Mr Andrew Kirby.
The campaign probes the overarching question ‘why invest in South Africa’ – and showcases inspiring stories as told by the respective CEOs, who uncover facts that are not commonly known about investing in South Africa, thereby highlighting South Africa’s competitive strengths as an attractive foreign investment destination.Further details of the campaign are available on www.brandsouthafrica.com
Other collaborations have included organisations such as Regency Global who share the same vision with Brand SA –promoting the country as an investment destination, and the promotion of social entrepreneurship
About Global South Africans (GSA):
Global South Africans (GSA) is a project led by Brand South Africa to enlist the talent, experience and credibility of South Africans living abroad, permanently or temporarily, to help realise the promise of South Africa. The GSA programme is presented and implemented in the form of a network, where South Africans act as ‘brand ambassadors’ for the country and are referred to as Global South Africans (GSAs). GSAs believe in South Africa, love the country and want to help Brand South Africa reach its full potential for the benefit of all South Africans and the continent of which we are part.
Currently Brand South Africa implements the GSA project in regions across the world through the Global Markets unit based in Johannesburg, and its country offices in China, United Kingdom and the United States of America.
The South African Competitiveness Forum (SACF):
Launched in 2013, the SACF presents a platform where multi-stakeholders discuss
issues pertaining to the Nation Brand competitiveness and reputation, to better position South Africa as an attractive destination.
Brand South Africa set out to design the SACF as a strategic platform through which to consult and work with government, business and civil society stakeholders to identify the competitive and reputational strengths and challenges the brand faces.
It is through such quality interactions with stakeholders that the organisation can be better equipped to design communications, marketing, and a range of other activities to create a truly competitive positioning for the country in international markets and at home.
Nation Brand Forum
The Nation Brand Forum is an annual engagement platform aimed at bringing various stakeholders together to share their insights on how to collectively promote a cohesive approach when marketing South Africa internationally, as well as advancing long-term reputation and image of the Nation Brand. In the past this has included stakeholder collaborations with business, sports, fashion, film, and other creative industries.
This year the forum will be hosted under the theme ‘Reviving South Africa’s Nation Brand identity and narrative’, which is consciously aligned to the President’s message for the renewal of the country’s brand. The Nation Brand Forum, taking key elements identified in the State of the Nation Address and the previous Nation Brand Forums as a point of departure, will be a unique forum where governmental, business, and civil-society stakeholders can jointly develop a strategy and an action plan to improve the country’s global image and reputation.
The Year That Was: Brand SA continues to inspire new and different ways
It was an eventful year for Brand South Africa. We learned new terms such as Thuma Mina and Sha, welcomed a new president, while the national women’s soccer team qualified for the Women’s Soccer World Cup for the first time. Brand SA also made sure that every month, its presence as an organisation was felt by every South African.
The year kicked off with the campaign #inspiredbymyconstitution which aimed to encourage young people to embrace the most progressive constitution in the world, our very own South African constitution.
To tap into pop culture and amplify the message in a fun, relevant way, Brand SA partnered with the likes of Hulisani Ravele, Imraan Christian, Letoya Makhene and Gemini Major.
In August 2018, Brand SA, and its 100 percent Black Owned Advertising Agency, The Odd Number were proud recipients of multiple awards at the Loerie Awards Show held in Durban. It also went on to win the coveted Marklives Ad Of The Year, Pendorings, and a couple of Ad Of The Month awards.
Then, in August 2019, Brand SA and The Odd Number went on to win yet another award at the 2019 Loeries – this time it was a silver award in the category Film Online (above 30s), for the Africa Day: The Prayer campaign. The highly emotive web film served as a reminder for Africans to exercise tolerance, compassion and acceptance of each other. If we ever needed a reminder that we are united in our diversity and differences, this campaign served that purpose.
Lastly, Play Your Part, reached over 12 million people, and inspired the youth to be active citizens who contribute positively in their communities.
The remainder of 2019 promises to be a great year for Brand SA, and together with its partners, will continue to inspire new ways for our beloved Mzansi.
Do you want to experience the magic of South Africa? Be part of the positive forces that help South Africa improve its global competitiveness for the good of all.
Sign up as a vision partner at www.brandsouthafrica.com
Connect and be a good ambassador.
Let us Co-create campaigns that will put South Africa at a global stage
Join the Play Your Part initiative at www.playyourpart.co.za
Get access to images, corporate identity and research information at www.brandsouthafrica.com
Other platforms to collaborate:
World Economic Forum (WEF) – TEAM SA
(Davos, Africa, China, India, Turkey)
URL: www.weforum.org
Mining Indaba
Date: Annually in February
Venue: Cape Town, Western Cape
URL: www.miningindaba.com
Nation Brand Forum
Date: Annually in October
Venue: Johannesburg, Gauteng
URL: www.brandsouthafrica.com