October 2015

One of the big stories of last month was the release of the annual Brand Finance SA list of the country’s 50 most valuable brands. MTN sat atop the pile with Vodacom, Sasol, Standard Bank and FNB making up the rest of the top five.

With two telecoms companies and five financial companies in the top ten, it seems there is a clear indication of the direction the economy is headed. These guys will not want to surrender their position anytime soon and it seems that consumers have no intention of moving away from these high-tech organisations.

The number nine spot was occupied by Nedbank, one of Africa’s financial powerhouses, and this month we delve deeper into the banks transition from a physical to a digital organisation. There are many challenges involved in this sort of movement and many businesses fail when making the evolution. However, Nedbank has been a shining example of how to join the two worlds successfully and continues to invest in both its physical and digital assets.

We hear from a selection of executives to understand more about the banks plans for growth.

We have also been talking to NF Branding, one of Africa’s leading below-the-line advertising specialists, about their plans for conquering the North American markets. One factor that seems common in both these stories of success is that it’s important for businesses to remember their roots. Both Nedbank and NF Branding ensured they were industry leaders in their home market before embarking on an expansion drive. This is something vitally important to remember in these times of economic uncertainty.

If you’re a Nedbank customer, we want to hear from you! Do you believe they have successfully managed to merge digital and physical operations? Get in touch…