MTN most admired telecom brand in Africa

MTN has been announced as one of the most admired home-grown brands in Africa, according to research done by Brand Africa in association with the Johannesburg Stock Exchange.

In the 6th annual “Brand Africa 100: Africa's Best Brands” research report, tele-communications brand MTN was been announced as the #1 African brand spontaneously recalled irrespective of continent of origin.

The Brand Africa 100 ranking is based on a survey among consumers 18 years and older, conducted in 23 countries across Africa.

The countries, representing all African economic regions, collectively account for 75 per cent of the population and the 74 per cent of the GDP of Africa.

In the survey, African brands rose slightly to account for 17 per cent of the Top 100 brands in Africa, while non-African brands retained their firm position in Africa with 83 per cent share of the Top 100 most admired brands in Africa.

Overall, the 2017/18 Brand Africa 100 list, which started out with over 15,500 brand mentions covering over 2,200 admired brands, illustrates a very diversified portfolio of categories and brands in Africa.

Apart from MTN, other most admired brands in Africa include Nigeria's Dangote and Glo, South Africa's Shoprite, Kenya's Tusker and Ethiopia's Anbessa.

Dangote was voted as the #1 most admired African brand recalled when consumers are prompted about the continent of origin while MTN retained its position as the #1 Most Admired African brand spontaneously recalled irrespective of country of origin.

"African brands have an important role in helping to build the African brand," said Thebe Ikalafeng, founder and chairman of Brand Africa and Brand Leadership.

“These rankings are an important metric of the progress Africa is making in creating home-grown world class brands that are changing the narrative on African competitiveness, image and reputation and

contributing to its socio-economic transformation."

Brand Africa 100 was developed by pan-African branding and reputation advisory firm, Brand Leadership Group supported by GeoPoll, the leader in mobile-based market research throughout Africa, and strategic analysis and insights by Kantar TNS, the world's largest information research firm and

Brand Leadership, Africa's premier brand and reputation consultancy.

GeoPoll used their sophisticated mobile survey platform to identify the most admired brands in Africa among a representative sample of African consumers in 23 African countries.

These countries collectively represent an estimated 75% of Africa's population across all political and economic regions.

“Success for brands is about establishing an emotional connection, creating intimacy and being more present in consumer’s everyday lives. This survey is a critical assessment of the various brands that play that vital role in Africa," said Karin Du Chenne, CEO, Kantar.