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Brand South Africa to highlight investor perceptions

1 April 2014

Brand South Africa is to host a seminar presenting findings on how international investors view the country at the Wits Business School in Parktown on Wednesday, 2 April.

The Brand South Africa South African Competitiveness Forum Research & Outcome Report, following the inaugural South African Competitiveness Forum in October 2013, will also be launched.

Speakers at the seminar will include Brand South Africa chief executive Miller Matola; Brand South Africa research manager Dr Petrus de Kock; Gauteng Growth and Development Agency group chief executive Siphiwe Ngwenya; and the Department of Economic Development in the City of Johannesburg's executive director Ravi Naidoo.

Trends

Each year, Brand South Africa, as the official marketing and reputation management agency of the country, conducts an extensive International Investor Perception study.

The findings assist Brand South Africa and its stakeholders to identify trends in how international audiences perceive the country.

With the theme, "International perceptions of South Africa in a complex emerging market environment", the seminar will explore perceptions within the context of global trends that affect South Africa and emerging markets, and tackle how the country is perceived among peer African, Brics and related markets where the research was conducted, says De Kock.

Investor perceptions and South Africa's growth

In a recent analysis of the global economic outlook, Business Monitor International (BMI) indicates that emerging markets are set to increase their share of global consumption significantly in the next decade, from around 29% currently to around 41%.

This is a significant movement in global markets, BMI says, especially if one considers that at the turn of the century emerging markets accounted for a mere 7% of global consumption.

"There are some short- to medium-term challenges to the economic outlook of emerging markets, but the overall long-term projections of growth tell a story of the increasing importance of these markets for the global economy," says De Kock.

With these trends in mind, De Kock says it is important from a nation brand point of view to interrogate perceptions of South Africa in emerging markets, and to ask how the country can position itself more effectively in a complex emerging market environment.

Consumption habits

In addition, BMI indicates that in the next decade, consumption in emerging markets will grow by an average of 5.6% annually, compared to the rather meagre 1.3% in the "developed world".

"Taking these numbers into consideration is what led BMI to conclude that emerging markets will move from 29% of global consumption in 2014, to a whopping 41% by the end of 2023."

Singling out China and Africa's share of global consumption, BMI indicates that China's share of global consumption will grow from 9% to 13% in 2023, while the Middle East and Africa's share will leap from 6.5% to 10.3%. North America and the EU's share of global consumption will decline from 33% to 27%, and from 24% to 19% respectively.

On the SA Competitiveness Forum Research & Outcome Report, De Kock says the issues identified at the 2013 forum address how the South African brand can respond to international perceptions of the country.

• The seminar will be held at the Bert Wessels Lecture Theatre at the Wits Business School, 2 St David’s Place, St Andrews Road, Parktown.
• Follow the seminar on Twitter, #CompetitiveSA
• See www.brandsouthafrica.com for more details.