Brand South Africa CEO Kingsley Makhubela(right)and Brand Africa Finance Chairman Thebe Ikakafeng (left) issue certificates to the top brand winners Photo by Li Jianguo

2015 Top 50 Brands in South Africa Photo by Li Jianguo

Brand South Africa and Brand Africa Finance jointly announced the country's top 50 corporate brands at a ceremony in Johannesburg on September 15.  

MTN tops the list with a brand value of $4 billion, followed by Vodacom with a brand value of $1.5 billion, Sasol, $1.35 billion, Standard Bank, $1.3 billion, FNB, $1.075 billion and Woolworths, $1.067 billion.

According to calculations by Brand Africa Finance, the top 50 corporate brands in the country are valued at approximately $27.4 billion with many of these companies also contributing to national priorities including uplifting identified and targeted communities.

Among the top 10 corporate brands, nine operate in knowledge intensive sectors – in the telecommunications, banking and oil and gas sectors.

Brand value is calculated by Brand Africa Finance using the Royalty Relief approach. This approach involves estimating the likely future sales that are attributable to a brand and calculating a royalty rate that would be charged for the use of the brand.

Speaking on 2015 results, Brand South Africa CEO Kingsley Makhubela said, "While developing, strengthening and maintaining a nation's brand is a multifaceted task, there are a range of factors which can assist in positioning the nation positively. One of these factors is national corporate entities."

"Brands have become more than just a logo or a slogan," said Brand Africa Finance Chairman Thebe Ikakafeng. "They are now seen as corporate assets which are among the most valuable that an organization can have. By extension, national corporate brands also contribute to a nation's assets in terms of the value they add to the country, both in terms of GDP and reputational impact.