Brand South Africa’s has been shortlisted for the internationally distinguished City Nation Place Awards within the Best Expression of Place Identity Through Design category.
Commenting on the nomination, Brand South Africa’s General Manager for Marketing, Ms Sithembile Ntombela said, “A well marketed and globally positioned Nation Brand can contribute to attract investment, increase awareness of the country in international markets, while also bringing more tourists, students, and specialised skills to the country. This nomination comes as a result of the commitment and dedication of the collaborative efforts between government, business, civil society and the broader South African public in ensuring that our Nation Brand lives up to its true identity.”
Brand South Africa is mandated to deliver proactive and reactive reputation management, communication and marketing strategies to position the Nation Brand positively. The key deliverable of Brand South Africa is to consistently and coherently position South Africa as a competitive and positive Nation Brand by working with a range of stakeholders.
Ms Ntombela added: “Today, every country appears to want to enhance, reverse, adapt, or otherwise manage its international reputation. In this crowded global marketplace, we all navigate through the complexity of the modern world armed with a few simple clichés, and they form the background of our opinions. These clichés and stereotypes—positive or negative, true or untrue—fundamentally affect our behaviour towards other places and their people and products.
“It is therefore imperative for the South African government, together with business, civil society and its citizens to position ourselves as a reputable nation, that is competitive, attractive, genuinely useful to their economic, political, social aims, and honestly reflective of the spirit, the genius, and the will of the people.”
The City Nation Place Awards have been launched as part of the initiative to provide a new forum for those responsible for building and promoting the place brand for their city, nation or region to encourage investment, attract talent, promote tourism and drive economic development. Brand South Africa is competing against 4 other participants in the Best Expression of Place Identity Through Design category – and these are: Courmayeur, entered by Interbrand; Eindhoven, entered by Eindhoven 365; Jackson, entered by Visit Jackson; as well as Luxembourg, entered by Binsfled-Vidalegloesener.
The winners of the Awards will be announced at the City Nation Place conference, taking place on 09 November 2017 in London, which will gather together 150+ representatives of governments, investment and tourism
promotion boards and place marketing boards.
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About Brand South Africa
Brand South Africa is the official marketing agency of South Africa, with a mandate to build the country’s brand reputation, in order to improve its global competitiveness. Its aim is also to build pride and patriotism among South Africans, in order to contribute to social cohesion and nation brand ambassadorship.
About Play Your Part
Play Your Part is a nationwide programme created to inspire, empower and celebrate active citizenship in South Africa. It aims to lift the spirit of our nation by inspiring all South Africans to contribute to positive change, become involved and start doing. A nation of people who care deeply for one another and the environment in which they live is good for everyone.
Play Your Part is aimed at all South Africans – from corporates and individuals, NGOs and government, churches and schools, from the young to the not-so-young. It aims to encourage South Africans to use some of their time, money, skills or goods to contribute to a better future for all.
