South Africa Edition 3

THE MARKET 

Amarula Cream is Africa’s most sought-after 

cream liqueur and one of South Africa’s most 

successful exports. Not only does it maintain 

strong market leadership in the local market, it is 

a resounding success in a number of international 

markets. It is particularly strong in markets such 

as Germany, Brazil, Canada and Angola. 

The target market differs from country 

to country and is largely dependent on the 

consumption occasions in that region. In the 

United Kingdom, for example, the market tends 

to be younger consumers, whereas in South Africa 

they are generally between 30 and 40. Forms 

of consumption also differ from one market to 

another. In Brazil it is a popular drink in bars and 

clubs and is drunk over ice. South Africans, on 

the other hand, tend to drink Amarula at home or 

with friends, and while chilled or on ice are the 

most favoured ways of drinking, it is also enjoyed 

as part of a cocktail or an ingredient in various 

food dishes. 

Amarula Cream has captured the essence of 

Africa, and with it, the imagination of the world. 

Despite increased global competition, with a 

number of new cream liqueur products and 

increased marketing spend by competitors, sales 

continue to show strong year-on-year growth. 

ACHIEVEMENTS 

Amarula Cream has been acknowledged time 

and time again for its uniqueness and superior 

taste and quality. Its various awards include the 

prestigious trophy for Best Liqueur in the World 

at the International Wine and Spirit Competition 

in 2007. 

Other achievements include: 

• Overseas Living: Luxury Lifestyle Award for 

Best Liqueur (2008) 

• International Wine and Spirit Competition 

(IWSC): Gold Best in Class (2006, 2007 and 

2008) 

• Concours Mondial de Bruxelles: Gold 

(2007) 

Amarula Cream has been successfully 

contracted as the only cream liqueur (official 

licensed product) for the FIFA 2010 World Cup 

to be hosted by South Africa. 

Amarula Cream’s achievements extend 

beyond the distillery. One of its great passions 

is the Amarula Elephant Research Programme 

(AERP), established on 1 August 2004 at 

the University of KwaZulu-Natal under the 

directorship of Professor Rob Slotow. 

Building on the university’s long tradition of 

conservation research and research into elephant 

management, the programme was established in 

conjunction with Amarula Cream to contribute 

strategically to the foundation of management 

decision-making for elephant conservation. 

Research is the key element of sound 

decision-making. Expert opinion, such 

as that within the AERP, offers the best 

framework for making the difficult 

and important decisions that reserve 

managers are faced with regarding 

wildlife management and 

environmental preservation. Thanks 

to the financial support of Amarula 

Cream, the large number of students 

who have joined the programme has 

facilitated a varied and integrated 

approach to similar problems across 

reserves. Combining insight from different 

studies, students can generate generalised 

conclusions applicable to any situation, which is 

very valuable to both owners who are considering 

the introduction of elephants, and those planning 

management interventions. 

HISTORY 

Amarula was initially launched as a clear liqueur 

in October 1983 and in 1989 the decision was 

made to extend the product line with a creambased 

version, called Amarula Cream. It was a 

runaway success. 

Much of the appeal of Amarula Cream comes 

from the marula tree, the fruit of which provides 

its unique flavour. The marula tree is connected 

with many African legends and stories - and the 

fruit is a firm favourite of the local elephants, so 

much so that they will ram the trees to dislodge 

fruit if there is none already lying on the ground. It 

is just as revered by the local people, and there are 

numerous stories of its romantic powers. Among 

some tribes it is known as the “The Marriage Tree”, 

and even today marriages are conducted under 

its umbrella-shaped branches. It is also credited 

with medicinal powers, and the bark of the tree is 

put to a variety of uses, from determining the sex 

of one’s child before birth to 

treating a sore stomach. 

Today 

Amarula 

is a strength to be 

reckoned with, enjoyed on all five continents and 

in more than 100 countries around the globe. 

THE PRODUCT 

Undeniably exotic, smooth and indulgent, 

Amarula’s secret lies in the marula fruit, which 

grows in the warm, frost-free regions of subequatorial 

Africa. Only the female marula tree 

bears the succulent and exotic-flavoured fruit. In 

February, at the height of the African summer, the 

fruit ripens to a light yellow, filling the air with an

intense tropical fragrance that floats on the warm 

summer breeze. 

Amarula Cream is created by hand-picking 

the marula fruit, distilling it first in column stills 

and then in copper pot stills, and maturing it for 

up to two years. The final step is blending it with 

the finest fresh cream. The result is a luscious 

liquid that teases the taste buds with the flavours 

of chocolate, vanilla, coffee, citrus and exotic 

spice. 

Somehow, no matter where you drink this 

African spirit, it will transport you to a world 

where the moment is paramount, where the 

senses are awed and where there is a slow passing 

of time. 

RECENT DEVELOPMENTS 

The heart of the marula-growing region is 

Phalaborwa, which lies at the extreme north-eastern 

reaches of South Africa in the Limpopo province. 

The fate of the local residents is closely tied to the 

marula tree and it is estimated that close to 60,000 

people are supported through the harvesting of the 

fruit alone. The harvesting season however, lasts 

for only about six weeks, and the local residents 

who collect and sell the fruit to the 

production plant are without 

incomes for the greater part of the 

year. The extraction of the marula 

nuts, which are now being used for 

the production of health and other 

marula-based products, is assisting 

the community to create sustainable 

incomes. 

Through a consultative process 

with tribal chiefs, Amarula Cream 

has also helped to introduce a range 

of sustainable economic-development 

programmes to ensure that the locals have 

alternative incomes for the remainder of 

the year. Five villages have already been 

supported at this stage. Programmes 

are centred on the towns and villages 

surrounding Phalaborwa (Orinoco and 

Edenburg, for example). 

Apart from supplying 

workspace, infrastructure 

and raw materials, Amarula 

Cream has also supported 

the training of residents 

involved in these projects, 

mostly women, in basic 

business skills. Continued 

administrative support is 

also provided through a 

Section 21 company, partly 

managed by tribal chiefs. 

Amarula Cream’s continued 

involvement has assisted 

the community with, 

among other projects, the 

establishment of a crèche in 

Kayi and a community hall 

in Kashani. 

PROMOTION 

Amarula Cream is all about 

a state of being - of being 

still, relaxed and immersed 

in the beauty and sensuality 

of unspoilt Africa. 

Amarula Cream 

has developed a 

global 

positioning 

platform 

that 

emphasises the brand’s 

African 

heritage, 

with visual elements 

including the African 

elephant, the marula tree 

and its fruit; this ensures 

global consistency with 

through-the-line 

inmarket 

executions. 

Brand communication has 

remained true to the African 

platform over the years and 

speaks with superiority in its 

message, visuals and tone. 

BRAND VALUES 

Amarula Cream has a 

distinctive African provenance 

and embodies the mystique 

of Africa. In essence it offers 

consumers a taste of Africa. 

Amarula Cream offers more than 

the obvious intrinsic benefits 

- it represents the exotic and 

dramatic side of a sophisticated 

Africa and it allows for an 

emotional indulgence and a 

sense of discovery. 

Amarula Cream has all the 

robustness, spirit and boldness 

of Africa, but it is also delicate, 

indulgent and smooth. It is in this contrast or 

harmony that the true appeal of Amarula lies: 

unashamedly African with a luxurious, modern 

and sophisticated twist. 

THINGS YOU DIDN’T KNOW ABOUT 

AMARULA CREAM 

Amarula Cream is the second-largest 

cream liqueur in the world 

Amarula Cream is distributed in more 

than 100 countries worldwide 

Amarula Cream is made from the real 

marula fruit 

The marula wine is double distilled 

The marula spirit is oak-matured for two 

years 

The matured spirit is blended with the 

finest fresh cream 

Amarula Cream was launched in 

September 1989

THE MARKET 

Founded in 1850, American Express ® is a leading 

global payments, network and travel company. 

This iconic brand has been operated in South 

Africa under licence by Nedbank since 1972. 

With more than 85 million cards in circulation 

in over 200 countries and territories around the 

world, and over 60 000 employees worldwide, 

American Express undoubtedly boasts one of the 

most prestigious brands. 

American Express is committed to driving 

the brand forward to ensure it maintains its 

position as one of the world’s leading providers 

of travel and financial services to both consumer 

and business clients. 

ACHIEVEMENTS 

In 2000 American Express celebrated its 150th 

anniversary. It has achieved the status of a global 

brand – one that continues to define part of the 

experience of international travel for both the 

business and leisure traveller. 

Adding to the full suite of Cards available 

in South Africa, Nedbank’s recent achievements 

include the launch of its range of SAA Voyager 

credit cards, the Nedbank Greenbacks Credit 

Card Account and Old Mutual Investment Credit 

Card Account, the Nedbank Small Business 

Credit Card and the American Express ® Platinum 

Credit Card. 

Through American Express Selects SM , an 

online lifestyle portal, American Express valued 

Cardmembers enjoy access to a wide range of 

exclusive offers, both locally and from around the 

world. While over 85 000 merchants throughout 

South Africa welcome American Express Cards 

at their establishments. 

HISTORY 

American Express was established in New York in 

1850 and American Express Company was among 

the first and most successful express‐delivery 

businesses in the rapid westward expansion of the 

United States, serving as a lifeline to the growing 

nation. It quickly earned a reputation as the best 

in the fledgling industry. 

The largest and most consistent of the 

American Express clients were banks and the 

company soon scaled down its parcel and freight 

delivery business in favour of creating and selling 

its own financial products. 

In 1882 American Express launched its 

money order business and in 1891 introduced the 

world’s first travellers cheque, with more than 

six million dollars in cheques being sold annually 

within ten years. 

While building the money order and travellers 

cheque businesses, the company established 

correspondent banking relationships with a 

number of European banks, resulting in the 

name ‘American Express’ becoming increasingly 

visible across Europe. 

In 1895 the company established its first 

European office in Paris, followed by the 1896 

opening of an office in London. By 1910 

American Express had expanded to Southampton, 

Liverpool, Hamburg, Berlin, Bremen, Antwerp, 

Rotterdam, Copenhagen, Naples and Genoa. 

Although foreign exchange transactions were 

conducted as early as 1895 by the Paris office, 

the official initiation of the company’s overseas 

banking operations took place in 1904, when the 

Rotterdam office opened in the Netherlands and 

began conducting commercial banking services. 

As time went by, American Express divested 

itself of several businesses to strengthen its 

balance sheet, concentrating on shoring up its 

core payment, travel and financial planning 

businesses. 

American Express has never been more 

competitive than it is today. While it is a global 

leader in providing charge and credit cards to 

consumers, small businesses and corporations, 

it is also the world’s largest travel agency, 

offering travel and related consulting services to 

individuals and corporations around the world. 

THE PRODUCT 

Much like American Express internationally, the 

South African operation offers a suite of products 

to individuals and businesses that ranges from 

entry‐level to premium Cards and services. 

The Platinum Card ® speaks of the brand’s 

iconic status. It is about buying into a wealth of 

membership benefits, protection and security, as 

well as exclusive offers and preferred privileges 

at a number of establishments worldwide. 

The Platinum Card Fine Dining Programme 

was introduced into South Africa 12 years ago and 

was developed for our Platinum Cardmembers 

as a list of restaurants committing 

themselves to satisfying the superior 

dining expectations of a discerning 

clientele. Standards are checked 

thoroughly and restaurants are 

regularly reevaluated by independent 

judges, Lannice Snyman and Victor 

Strugo, to ensure an exquisite dining 

experience. 

American Express is committed 

to growing and recognising talent in 

the fine‐dining industry by affording 

young, aspiring chefs accelerated training at 

two of its award‐winning Platinum Fine Dining 

Restaurants. This programme will assist in 

fast‐tracking a graduate’s career with a year of 

experience alongside award‐winning chefs in the 

crème de la crème of South African fine‐dining 

restaurants and providing first‐hand experience 

in the real world of fine dining – something that 

may take years to achieve the conventional way. 

Cardmembers benefit from a variety of 

lifestyle reward programmes ‐ the Membership 

Rewards TM Programme, Nedbank Greenbacks, 

Voyager Loyalty Programme and more recently, 

an investment programme with Old Mutual. 

On the corporate front the American Express 

Expense Management Programme for large 

organisations offers comprehensive expense 

management solutions designed for managing 

travel, entertainment and other company 

operational expenses. 

The American Express ® Business Gold Card 

offers financial flexibility and control to mediumsized 

businesses. It’s a simple and cost‐effective 

way to make business purchases and reduce 

administration, while providing the highest

levels of personal service and benefits at home 

or abroad. American Express has negotiated 

upfront savings with some of South Africa’s 

largest suppliers and even offers Cardmembers 

rewards for business spending. 

To improve the acceptance of the Card in 

South Africa a Card Acceptance Unit has been 

established to encourage Cardmembers to report 

any retailer not accepting American Express 

Cards, for which Cardmembers stand a chance of 

winning Membership Rewards points. 


In September 2002 American Express Cards 

joined forces with the Stellenbosch Winelands to 

create the Stellenbosch American Express Wine 

Routes, aimed at promoting Stellenbosch as a 

leading producer of quality wines and as South 

Africa’s premier wine tourism destination, and 

drawing attention to the entire South African wine 

industry. Linked to this sponsorship are initiatives 

to improve the lives of the wine farm labourers in 

the Stellenbosch region. Workers attend courses on 

subjects such as viticulture, fermentation, additives, 

occupational safety, cellar hygiene, marketing and 

life skills. It’s a revolutionary approach to farm 

work and gives labourers rare insight into the 

value of what they do, inspiring them 

to take pride in their 

role. 

In 2006 

American Express collaborated 

with AA Travel Guides, further investing in 

the bed‐and‐breakfast industry. As a proud 

sponsor of the AA Travel Guides American 

Express Accommodation Awards for the 

fourth consecutive year, American Express is 

committed to raising the standard of all types 

of accommodation around the country and 

recognising standards of excellence. This keeps 

the brand close to the quality of service and 

standards that its discerning Cardmembers have 

come to expect. 

To entrench its investment in the travel 

industry further American Express is a proud 

sponsor of the ASATA Awards. 

In September 2006 SAA launched a 

cobranded American Express Card with three 

different tiers – SAA Voyager Classic, SAA 

Voyager Gold and SAA Voyager Premium. This 

new programme earned the accolade of the 

most valuable standalone credit card in the 2006 

and 2007 Razor’s Edge Business Intelligence 

Survey. 

In 2007 American Express Cards launched 

the Nedbank Greenbacks American Express 

Card, allowing all Nedbank cardholders to benefit 

from the American Express brand and to 

receive double Nedbank Greenbacks for 

every five rand spent. Two cards are issued 

to Nedbank cardholders – an American 

Express-branded card and a MasterCard 

or Visa card, making American Express 

dual card options unique in South Africa. 

In September 2008 Nedbank and 

American Express also launched the first 

dual credit card developed exclusively 

for small businesses. The unique benefits 

of this offering include earning double 

rewards on the American Express Card, 

improved cashflow, reduced paperwork 

and streamlined administration. 

The Old Mutual Investment Credit 

Card, another revolutionary new concept 

in South Africa, was launched in June 2009 

and invests up to one percent of eligible 

card spend into a money market unit trust. 

Over and above this, Cardmembers can at 

least double their reward investments by 

using their Old Mutual American Express 

Investment Credit Card at selected retail 

partners, making investing as easy as 

spending. 

Following international safety and 

security trends, American Express 

Cards are now embedded with a 

microchip and requires a unique 

PIN when making purchases. 

PROMOTION 

Using a wide range 

of channels, including 

television, radio, press, 

print, airport and outdoor 

sites, direct mail and 

selected internet sites, 

American Express Cards 

actively markets its products and 

services, with its more recent positioning 

‘My life. My card’. 

The brand also receives significant exposure 

through national Nedbank branches and 

cobrand partners’ above-the-line campaigns. 

Additional exposure through sponsorships 

of the Stellenbosch American Express Wine 

Routes, AA Travel Guides American Express 

Accommodation Awards and ASATA is achieved 

annually. 

In March 2009 American Express launched a 

multinational campaign, enticing Cardmembers 

from around the world to choose South Africa 

as the destination of choice. It was marketed to 

Cardmembers worldwide through travel partners, 

website links and direct communications to 

members, providing them with exclusive value 

offers through the American Express Selects 

Programme. 

Arrival stands at OR Tambo and Cape Town 

International Airports were launched in July 

2009 to welcome Cardmembers arriving in 

South Africa. The Discover South Africa travel 

booklet with special offers was made available 

to ensure they have a premium and hassle-free 

travel experience. 

Joint marketing promotions with strategic 

partners further enhance the brand visibility 

and positioning as well as provide value to 

Cardmembers. 

BRAND VALUES 

American Express continues to enjoy an 

international reputation for prestige and excellence. 

The innovative spirit that pioneered the original 

charge card in 1958 has seen American Express 

consistently develop new products to suit consumer 

spending needs. Despite many imitators, American 

Express distinguishes itself in a competitive 

marketplace by combining first-class products 

with superior client service. 


AMERICAN EXPRESS 

m Elvis Presley became a Cardmember in 

1958 when the American Express Card 

was launched 

m The iconic ‘Member Since’ date was first 

introduced in 1963 - five years after cards 

were first launched 

m In 1991 the Space Commerce Corporation 

deposited its Corporate Card into the 

Voyager III time capsule, which was 

attached to the Soviet communications 

satellite, ‘Gorizont’ 

m Four survivors from a plane that crashed 

into shark-infested waters off the US 

coast were saved from certain death 

when one of them flashed his American 

Express Card at the sun to attract a US 

Coast Guard plane’s attention

THE MARKET 

What started as a one-man outfit in 1992, 

has transformed into an organisation that has 

revolutionised an industry. With over two decades 

worth of experience in the property business, Real 

Levitt, CEO of Auction Alliance, facilitated the 

paradigm shift that saw auctioneering emerge 

from the shadows and establish itself as a strategic 

investment tool. 

Auction Alliance now offers a full suite of 

auction, sales and services across 5 key asset 

sectors. Over the years, the company has become 

skilled at identifying the value in any given 

asset, and monetising that through disposition, 

acquisition or financing. The five fully integrated, 

yet independent, specialised divisions under 

Auction Alliance are: 

• Residential 

• Commercial 

• Platinum Residential Properties 

• Capital Assets 

• Agriculture 

It’s a brand that succeeds at the top of the 

auction industry. With a gross sales turnover of 

5.7 billion rand in 2009, Auction Alliance is on 

track for achieving its strategic objective -which 

is to find superior solutions for its clients through 

an uncompromising determination to achieve 

excellence in everything it undertakes. 

What truly sets the auction giant apart is 

the fact that the company remains a focused 

pioneer in auctions. Its two decade history of 

success has emanated from the fact that the 

group is underpinned by a solid infrastructure 

as well as being a solutions driven, passionate, 

tenacious, entrepreneurial and innovative group 

of professional experts who can be relied on. 

They are also resolute in their honesty, integrity 

and boldness. 

Auction Alliance boasts offices in most 

major centres around the country and is able to 

introduce buyers and sellers across continents. 

The company has also grown exponentially in the 

online and digital space and has explored many 

new avenues and disciplines to constantly stay 

ahead of the game. 

ACHIEVEMENTS 

Shifting perceptions is pivotal to Auction Alliance’s 

business ethos, and as such it has remained 

at the cutting-edge of the 

ever changing auction 

industry. Its innovations 

are now regarded as 

industry best practices, and 

despite conducting southern 

Africa’s highest number of 

auctions in both value and 

volume, Auction Alliance is not a 

company to rest on its laurels. The brand 

can be described as having an A-type 

personality, and its achievements include 

a long list of international awards from the 

National Auctioneers Association (NAA) 

that span an array of auction marketing 

categories. Of particular pride to the brand, 

was growth of 600 percent over a period of 

five years, as well as pioneering the concept 

of multiple auctions in South Africa. 

Among its certifications and accreditations 

that instil a sense of trust in sellers and buyers 

alike, Auction Alliance is a member of the 

South African Institute of Auctioneers (SAIA), 

the Estate Agencies Affairs Board (EAAB) and 

the South African Property Owners Association 

(SAPOA). 

Auction Alliance has been at the forefront of 

many other market innovations designed to lower 

the barriers of entry for those looking to buy on 

auction. It introduced the multiple auction concept 

to South Africa and was the first auctioneering 

concern to introduce reduced deposits, payable 

upfront, and also introduced Deposit Advantage, 

an Australian product that allows buyers to 

obtain financial guarantees that can be used as a 

substitute for commission and deposit payments. 

HISTORY 

Its main roots are from Levco Auctions, 

established in 1992, and the merger of 

Boland Bank Auctions and Seeff Auctions 

in 1995. Today, it employs more than 250 

people across South Africa. 

Auction Alliance’s task was clear: it 

had to corporatise auctions, make them 

user-friendly and change people’s perception of 

the auction mechanism. The company’s mantra 

since inception is to bring auctions to people, 

instead of people to auctions. Today, the brand 

is working hard to establish the mechanism as a 

quick, reliable and convenient method of sale. 

In 2008, Alliance Group sold a 31 percent 

stake in the business to financial services 

group, Transaction Capital, in a deal that 

valued the company at 250 million rand and 

introduced new financial services offerings. 

In its 18 years of existence, the brand 

has built up an image and reputation of 

success, expedience and savvy -growing 

aggressively into the full asset sales and 

services company it is today. 

THE PRODUCT 

Auction Alliance offers a full suite 

of auction, sales and asset services, 

across five focused asset sectors. With 

a team of internal professional valuers operating 

nationwide, the company first identifies the value 

in assets and then monetises them through one of 

the following focused offerings: 

• Auction Sales: An auction business is largely 

dependent on the performance, skill, acumen, 

training and professionalism of the auctioneer 

and the auction team, who are the interface 

between buyers and sellers. All Auction 

Alliance’s auctioneers represent a diverse 

range of highly trained, skilled and passionate 

individuals. The auction experience is aimed 

at giving buyers (and sellers) an unrivalled 

event, which includes thrill, excitement, hype, 

energy and buzz - all of which their team of 

charismatic auctioneers are highly skilled at.

• Asset Finance: The organisation’s extensive 

industry know-how has led to the establishment 

of an innovative range of asset-backed 

financing and lending solutions. Its expertise 

is not based around a traditional banking experience, 

but rather on the deep understanding 

of asset values, the financial sector, and 

decades of sales experience. The company 

offers debt-leverage, financial auction underpins, 

asset underwriting, upfront advances 

and asset-based loans. 

• Asset Investment: In addition to debt funding, 

Auction Alliance acquires assets and property 

transparently - often to expedite a company’s 

ability to raise cash, or to assist a lender with 

their portfolio restructuring. 


Continually forming, building and strengthening 

relationships plays an integral part in Auction 

Alliance’s innovative business developments. 

These include its strategic partnership with the 

US-based online auctioneers, Bid On The City, a 

novel outreach to local estate agents in their Broker 

Participation Program 

Auction Alliance also recently launched 

its bespoke new division, Auction Alliance 

Platinum, which specialises in the sale of highvalue 

and premium residential real estate in the 

three million rand - plus arena. 

With a growing number of entrants into the 

auction industry, the brand differentiates itself by 

remaining innovative and focused on its strengths, 

comprising its vast experience, track record and 

high-quality, experienced personnel who are 

specialists in their field. 

PROMOTION 

Auction Alliance targets its buyers and sellers 

through a variety of channels, including print, online 

and direct media, as well as through experiential 

marketing. The brand also relies heavily on 

networking to generate business - and word-ofmouth 

referrals from repeat clients are invaluable. 

Auction Alliance currently relies on print media, 

but is growing aggressively into other marketing 

channels. The vast majority of its advertising is 

retail and it is in this arena that Auction Alliance 

builds brand awareness. 

The pay-off line, “Ahead of the Game”, has 

worked very well for Auction Alliance, bringing 

to mind the company’s innovative mindset, as well 

as its ability to produce the sort of results that has 

led to its success. 

Since the company’s marketing strategy is to 

maintain ownership of the auction category, it 

owns the domain name www.auction.co.za. The 

company’s impressive website provides users with 

in-depth information on each and every property 

going on auction. Much of the brand’s offline 

advertising drives people to its website, where 

they can access all the information they may be 

looking for. 

Auction Alliance’s marketing strategy is 

centralised and controlled at head-office level. 

Brand protection is key, and is bolstered by the 

fact that there are brand guidelines in place and 

that all material is approved or signed off at the 

highest levels. The company strives to ensure 

standardised marketing products around the 

country, throughout 360 degree touch points, 

collateral, materials and activity. 

BRAND VALUES 

Auction Alliance is a brand on the rise, with 

values that embody innovation, entrepreneurship, 

knowledge, a pioneering spirit, expedience, passion, 

agility and astuteness. 

The Alliance mission is to create wealth and 

value for all of its clients and stakeholders by 

providing world-class asset solutions. The brand 

promises to provide expert service, sound advice 

and a trustworthy partnership in the realisation of 

value and creation of wealth. 

Auction Alliance is committed to providing 

a full suite of turnkey services - from start to 

finish - that will allow its clients and stakeholders 

to gain maximum value and the best possible 

solutions when dealing with the company. It is a 

client-centric organisation that is obsessed about 

defining its own space and building its business 

one relationship at a time. 

As an integral part of this service-driven 

company that will go to any lengths for its clients, 

Auction Alliance’s team members work on a 

culture that the company’s clients are at the top 

of the organisation’s hierarchy. The brand’s logo 

- an upside-down triangle - denotes that it does 

not run its business in a typical top down pyramid 

structure, but rather by putting its clients at the 

top. 


AUCTION ALLIANCE 

m Auction Alliance takes up to 1 000 

properties, nationwide to the auction 

floor every month, making it one of the 

largest auction houses, in volume in the 

world 

m The company offers not only auctions but 

financial services, valuations and valueadded 

investing 

m The company has conducted auctions 

throughout the Middle East with Arabic 

translators 

m In 1999 the company did its first black 

empowerment deal and has been at 

the forefront of empowerment and 

transformation 

m With a team of 50 commercial property 

brokers it is South Africa’s largest 

commercial property brokerage 

m The company’s marketing efforts include 

the largest advertising spend in its sector, 

being 55 million rand in 2009 and 10,000 

on site auction boards in every major 

region of the country

THE MARKET 

For over 40 years Avis has delivered on its brand 

promise of “We try harder”. Its commitment to 

its customers and employees has catapulted the 

car rental company to iconic brand status and 

made it a market leader in the South African car 

rental sector. 

The company lives by its values of honesty, 

empathy and humanity with every Avis employee 

a Brand Ambassador for the organisation. Only 

when employees make a personal commitment 

to exceeding customers’ expectations at every 

interface can they don the distinctive red Avis 

uniform. 

Avis boasts a footprint of 144 branches 

throughout southern Africa and is located in 

all major South African cities and towns. This 

infrastructure makes it highly accessible to its 

customers and the company provides convenient 

services for families on holiday, business 

executives, contract workers and overseas 

visitors. 

Southern Africa is currently the largest Avis 

licensee outside of the United States of America. 

In addition, all Avis Southern Africa’s businesses 

- including its operations in Norway and Sweden 

are market leaders - testimony to the company’s 

strong leadership and foresight. 

The most important product in the Avis 

business is customer satisfaction through car 

rental, which is why the company has many 

return customers, who know that at Avis “People 

are more important than cars”. 

ACHIEVEMENTS 

Avis plays a pioneering and innovative role in the 

development of car rental as an integral part of the 

South African travel and tourism infrastructure. Its 

people, advanced technology and comprehensive 

product range continue to set standards for the 

industry. 

The company’s commitment to quality service 

and products has earned it numerous accolades 

including: 

• The Northern Cape Tourism Service 

Excellence Awards - category Car Rentals 

2008 

• The Top Brands award for best 

car rental agency 

• The Professional Management 

Review Africa (PMR Africa) 

Golden Arrow 2008 award 

in the car rental category, 

for the second consecutive 

year. This accolade is awarded 

to companies and institutions 

within the Gauteng province that have done 

the most in their sectors over the last 12 

months to stimulate economic growth and 

development. 

• Bronze Loeries for its television campaign, 

spearheaded by Ogilvy Johannesburg in 

2008 

• The ASATA / Dinersclub award for Best Car 

Rental Company for the last five years. The 

award was presented until 2007 

• On an international scale - in 2008 Avis was 

voted the Best Car Rental company at the 

World Travel Awards 

• Winner of Top Brands Award, B2B category 

2009 - 6th year running 

• Africa’s first carbon neutral car rental 

company 

• Level 2 BBBEE contributor and a value 

adding enterprise (156.25 percent spend 

recognition) 

HISTORY 

Avis was the brainchild of Warren E Avis, who was 

quick to pick up on the advanced growth potential 

of commercial aviation after World War II. He 

realised people would need to get from airports 

to other destinations. Although the motor car and 

aeroplane had been working side by side for some 

time, there was no real connection between the 

two. With this insight in mind, Avis was born in 

December 1946 in Detroit at Willow Run Airport, 

as the first car rental counter at an airport. Despite 

keen opposition, Avis managed to grow at the 

fastest rate of any major company during the 

1960’s. 

In 1967 Zeda Car Rental & Tours (Pty) Ltd 

was established in Bloemfontein, South Africa. 

By 1969, the Avis UK based Licensee to Avis 

in the USA, appointed its southern African sublicensee 

to Zeda Car Rental & Tours (Pty) Ltd 

and entered into a long-term licence agreement. 

Since then the company has traded under the 

Avis brand name. 

Initially, the car rental concept was not wellestablished 

and the creation of a new market 

meant understanding and changing travel habits 

and lifestyles. Getting a foothold in airport 

terminals took years of lobbying and negotiation. 

Under the leadership and inspiration of Glenn 

van Heerden, through the 1970’s to mid 1990’s, 

Avis pioneered the car rental concept in southern 

Africa and maintained its position as the market 

leader, which it holds to this day. In the mid 

1980’s Avis further expanded into the longer term 

vehicle product market, establishing a leasing 

division and by the mid-eighties the company had 

grown into the largest licensee outside the USA. 

In March 2005 Barloworld Limited acquired the 

full ownership of Avis southern Africa, hence the 

delisting from the Johannesburg Stock Exchange 

and Avis is now proudly a division of Barloworld 

South Africa (PTY) Ltd. 

THE PRODUCT 

Avis provides a total transport solution. While 

the mother brand remains Avis Rent a Car, 

which serves corporate and leisure travellers, the 

company boasts several other specialised services, 

including: 

• Avis Chauffeur Drive 

• Avis Luxury Cars 

• Avis Point2Point 

• Avis Van Rental 

• Avis Truck Rental 

• Avis Coach Charters 

• Avis Minilease 

• Avis Fleet Services 

• Zeda Car Sales 

• Avis Assist 

• Global positioning satellite (GPS) systems at 

major airports 

In addition, the Avis Fleet Services division 

handles fleet financing and management and its 

added-value services include: 

• Avis Fleet Services (covering FML and 

Managed Maintenance services) 

• Fleet Accident Management 

• Car Mall - Used Car Sales 


Avis is constantly on the look-out for new ways to 

improve its service to customers and deliver on its 

brand promises. Last year it clocked up several 

significant developments including: 

• The retention of its prime position at South 

Africa’s major ACSA airports 

• The approval of 85 million rand for the 

development of a new five-hectare vehicle 

preparation facility at Cape Town International 

airport

• A 22 million rand upgrade to its vehicle 

turnaround facility in Isando, Johannesburg, 

which feeds OR Tambo airport 

• The launch of the luxury Avis Coach Charter 

service 

• The opening of a “one-stop” branch at 

Rivonia Crossing Shopping Centre - the first 

outlet to offer a total car solution (Zeda Car 

Sales, Avis Rent a Car, Avis Point to Point, 

Chauffer Drive and Luxury Collection) from 

one port of call 

• The investment of three million rand in 

an internal Management Development 

Programme aimed at developing 30 people to 

occupy branch manager positions 

• Level 3 BBBEE contributor 

• The first car rental company in southern 

Africa to introduce the “green & eco efficient” 

Toyota Prius to its fleet in 2007 

We all leave a mark on the world. 

At Avis we care about our impact on the environment. This is why we’ve offset our measured internal energy and fuel carbon 

footprint in line with international carbon reduction protocol and have attained CarbonNeutral ® accreditation! This is OUR 

commitment to the environment, to the air we breathe, to the planet and everyone on it. So join Avis in combating global 

warming and make a difference to our future. Discover more about our CarbonNeutral ® journey at www.avis.co.za. 

www.avis.co.za or call 0861 021 111 

Avis rents VW and other fine cars 

PROMOTION 

Avis’ promotional mix is aimed at reinforcing the 

company’s brand values, which have helped the 

company maintain its leading position in the car 

rental market. In this regard, Avis uses traditional 

advertising mediums, and is responsible for up 

to 50 percent of car rental ad spend. The focus is 

always on people, the benefits of using an Avis 

rental car and the importance of safety and service 

excellence. 

Avis key sponsorships include the Avis 

Derby, which the company has owned for over 

six years, as well as participation in high-profile 

event sponsorships such as the Nedbank Golf 

Challenge, the Women’s World Cup of Golf and 

more recently, the SA Tennis Open. 

Avis is committed to corporate social 

responsibility (CSR) and the company is 

involved in several CSR programmes. Initiatives 

such as these form part of the ‘Avis Cares’ 

strategy, which focuses on improved recycling, 

community upliftment, internal training and 

development, procurement through suppliers 

made up of previously disadvantaged individuals 

and environmental issues. 

BRAND VALUES 

“We Try Harder” has been the cornerstone of one 

of the world’s best known and longest-surviving 

brand promises. After the promise was introduced 

in 1963, Avis in the USA experienced its first profit 

in 13 years and since then “We Try Harder” has 

become a way of life at Avis. 

Key to its customer-centric culture, Avis is 

foremost about people, hence the introduction 

of another key brand promise “People are more 

important than cars” in 2001. In 2002 this notion 

was reinforced by then-CEO, Grenville Wilson, 

who introduced the Avis Brand Ambassador 

way of life. The Brand Ambassador programme 

ensures company values are entrenched and 

displayed by all Avis staff. On joining Avis, 

employees are contracted to represent the brand, 

support the vision, deliver on the promises, 

subscribe to the values and help build the Avis 

culture through their participation. The Brand 

Ambassador programme has been instrumental 

in helping employees understand how their own 

behaviour determines Avis’ performance and 

impacts on brand image and reputation. 

The objectives of the programme are to create 

an understanding that every person at Avis is an 

Ambassador for the brand, to reinforce the Avis 

spirit and awaken a united Avis community that 

collectively lives the Avis brand promise and 

value system: 

• Realising the company’s vision of exceeding 

customer expectations at every human 

interface 

• Fulfilling its brand promises of: “We Try 

Harder” and “People are more important than 

cars” 

• Accepting the brand values: Empathy, honesty 

and humanity 

Today, the Avis South African management 

drive is focused on installing a clear vision 

of efficient processes and communication, 

combined with building and sustaining a high 

energy, participative and professional style of 

leadership throughout the company, which drives 

the Brand Ambassador philosophy. This in turn 

sustains the company’s people dynamic, process 

efficiency and the competitive agility of the 

brand. 

At Avis people will always be more important 

than cars and Avis staff are part of that philosophy. 

Avis invests in their people so they can invest in 

their customers. “We try harder” is part of the 

DNA of our company. Each staff member is a 

designated “Brand Ambassador” and chosen 

for their commitment to stretch the promise and 

deliver beyond expectations. 


AVIS 

Avis ordered its first ten VW Beetles in 

1970 

Avis saves more than 95 million litres of 

water per year through recycling at their 

washbays 

Avis is the largest private brand purchaser 

of vehicles in SA excluding government 

Avis purchases on average 21,000 cars 

per year 

Avis’ brand promise “We Try Harder” 

originated in 1963 in the United States 

Avis made history when it purchased its 

100 000th Volkswagen last year

THE MARKET 

Backsberg Estate Cellars measures its success by 

the amount of enjoyment each bottle provides. 

While consumers often think of vintners as caring 

only about award-winning wines with nose, élan 

and finesse, the philosophy of Backsberg remains 

that of providing pleasure to a broad range of 

wine lovers. 

“Drinkability” is key to everything Backsberg 

stands for, and this attitude is carried through 

from vineyard to bottle. It’s long 

been known to wine lovers that 

Backsberg believes that “if it’s not 

right on the vine, it won’t be right 

in the cellar”. 

The estate believes its wines 

should be kept in a price range 

that enables as many people 

as possible to enjoy them. The 

Backsberg payoff line “making 

fine wines an everyday pleasure”, 

is indicative of its commitment to 

extraordinary wines for everyone 

to enjoy. 

Since 1991, the Backsberg 

passion has also extended to 

brandy. A high-end product, 

the brandy undergoes a double 

distillation in a still purchased 

from Cognac in France. The 

sophisticated drink has been 

well received by consumers 

and in the mid-1990s was 

named the best brandy in 

the world at the London 

Wine and Spirits 

competition, winning 

the Domecq Trophy. 

Enthusiasm and 

innovation sees 

Backsberg firmly 

established as a 

cornerstone South 

African brand and 

one that is well 

known to both 

connoisseurs and 

those who merely 

enjoy a good wine 

with a meal. With 

every pressing, 

it’s the Backsberg 

quality that is 

of the greatest 

importance: the 

brand’s commitment 

to a harmony of fruit, sweetness, tannin and 

acids, produces seamless wines that have gained 

worldwide popularity. 

As the world’s ninth biggest wine producer, 

South Africa accounts for 3.3 percent of the global 

market. South African annual wine consumption 

is around 8.7 litres per person, and agents in 24 

countries around the world help to ensure that 

Backsberg’s global enthusiasts are on the rise. 

ACHIEVEMENTS 

In June 2008, Backsberg Wine Estate won the 

Mail & Guardian Greening the Future award 

for energy efficiency and carbon management. 

Now in their fifth year, the awards recognise 

the achievements of organisations that work 

tirelessly to ensure a cleaner and healthier planet. 

With mostly large companies winning in the six 

categories, Backsberg was thrilled to fly the 

environmental flag for smaller firms. 

Backsberg became carbon neutral in 2006 

through measuring its carbon emissions and 

offsetting their impact. One of the offset projects 

was a major tree-planting programme in the 

nearby town of Klapmuts. Backsberg is the first 

wine producer in South Africa - and at the time 

one of only three in the world - to gain carbonneutral 

status. 

In addition, Backsberg has achieved 

Champion Status in terms of the SA Wine 

Industry’s Biodiversity Initiative. As part of 

this program they have set aside ten percent of 

their land holding for the preservation of the 

Fynbos biome. 

Recently Backsberg received 90 points 

for its Pumphouse Shiraz 2006 from the 

world-rewowned US wine magazine, 

Wine Spectator. 

Over the years, awards for 

the estate have been consistent. 

They include: Best 

Chardonnay and Best 

White Wine on Show 

trophies at the Old 

Mutual Trophy Wine 

Show 2007; Gold 

Medal, Babylons Toren 

Viognier, at the Swiss 

International Airline 

Wine Awards 2007; 

Best Chenin Blanc at the 

Paarl Chenin and Shiraz 

Challenge 2007; Best Red 

Blend, Klein Babylons 

Toren, at the Winemaker’s 

Choice Awards 2006; Best 

Brandy Trophy, Sydney Back 10-Year-Old 

Brandy, at the Michelangelo Wine Awards 2006. 

Backsberg was previously named one of the 

Top 100 Wineries of the Year by New York’s Wine 

& Spirits magazine, based on consistently high 

performance over a 12-month tasting cycle. 

Sydney Back was twice honoured - in 1978 

and 1982 - as Champion Winemaker of the Year 

at the South African National Young Winemakers 

Competition. 

HISTORY 

The Back family history in South Africa began at 

the start of the last century, when Charles Back, 

a penniless political and religious refugee from 

Lithuania, arrived on Cape Town’s shores. 

After working as a dock hand on the 

reclamation programme around what is today the 

V & A Waterfront, and being a bicycle-delivery 

“boy”, he finally bought a butcher shop at Paarl 

train station. History has it that one day, someone 

walked into his shop and asked if he would like to 

buy a farm. It was this interaction that led to the 

commencement of the family farming business, 

known today as Backsberg Estate Cellars. 

Located in the heart of South Africa’s 

winelands in Paarl, Western Cape, Backsberg 

was blessed with an ideal climate, superb hillside 

vineyards and a team of dedicated people. From 

the winery’s inception in 1916, the Back family 

has been famed for innovation, hard work and a 

solid resolve to make the best wines South Africa 

could produce. 

The estate received its original name, Klein 

Babylonstoren (Little Tower of Babylon), from a 

rock outcrop that forms a tower-like shape in the 

middle of the vineyard, and reminded the original 

Dutch settlers of the Tower of Babel. Wine was 

either sold in bulk to KWV, a worldwide trading 

company and leading exporter of South African

fine wines, or exported to the United Kingdom 

as Backs Wines. 

In 1938 Sydney Back joined his father in 

the business, continuing C. L. Back’s dedication 

and devotion to hard work. The two men worked 

hard to improve farming practices, expand the 

vineyards and plant them to noble varieties, 

as well as to modernise the wine production 

facilities. 

1970 saw a re-invention of the business and 

the Backs introduced ‘Backsberg Estate Cellars’ 

as the brand name, with the emphasis on making 

top-quality varietal wines reaffirmed. 

After graduating from Stellenbosch 

University in 1976, Backsberg Estate Cellars’ 

current owner, Michael, joined the family 

business. 2008 saw Michael’s son Simon join 

the farm after finishing his Business Science 

Economics degree, armed with fresh ideas and 

the dedication to quality that is in his genes. The 

estate is watching his progress with excitement. 

Sangiovese, Mourvedre and Malbec, grown 

specifically for the Elbar Red, Bella Rosa 

Rosé and Aldorina White blends. 

• The Backsberg Varietal range: 

Rounding out the estate and non-estate 

offerings are: 

Chardonnay 

Sauvignon Blanc 

Chenin Blanc 

Cabernet Sauvignon 

Merlot 

Pinotage 

Rosé 

Dry Red 

Special Late Harvest 

• The Kosher range: 

The wine is mevushal and kosher for Passover 

and is made under the auspices of the Cape 

Town Beth Din and the Orthodox Union 

(OU) of the United States. The range includes 

Chardonnay, Pinotage and Merlot. 

BRAND VALUES 

The Backsberg philosophy is about giving pleasure 

and enjoyment to a broad range of wine lovers by 

producing wines with not only with structure and 

finesse, but a high level of “drinkability”. Success 

is measured by how easy consumers find this wine 

to drink - and enjoy. 

According to Backsberg: “This philosophy 

must exist under an overall umbrella of care: care 

of our land, our product and the people who work 

for us - and care for the environment in which we 

find ourselves.” 

THE PRODUCT 

Comprising several wines of international 

quality, the Backsberg range has been enhanced 

by diversity rather than being compromised by a 

focus on company growth. Backsberg products 

include: 

• The Platinum and Black Label ranges: 

Meticulous management of both vineyard 

and cellar, varied soil types and vineyard 

locations, combined with the flexibility to 

outsource grapes enables Backsberg Estate 

Cellars to produce two ranges of the finest 

possible wines. Scrupulous attention is 

given to producing these unique, proprietary, 

vineyard-designated wines which reflect the 

nuances of the estate’s terroir: 

- The Backsberg Platinum range: 

Babylons Toren Viognier 

Babylons Toren Chardonnay 

Babylons Toren Cabernet Sauvignon/ 

Merlot 

- The Backsberg Black Label range: 

John Martin Sauvignon Blanc 

Pumphouse Shiraz 

Klein Babylons Toren Cabernet Sauvignon/ 

Merlot 

• The Backsberg Mediterranean range: 

Developed for its Mediterranean style, this 

range includes grape cultivars such as 


Backsberg is a significant South African wine 

producer with an incredible history and a bright 

future. Known as an industry innovator, the brand 

is a leader in the upsurge of quality experienced 

across the local wine industry during the past 

15 years. 

The estate’s remarkable terroir, superb 

vineyard management, highly trained and broadly 

experienced winemaking team is combined with 

a global perspective which continues to place 

this brand in a category of its own. 

In 2008, Simon Back joined the family 

business as marketing manager, bringing more 

fresh ideas to an already innovative team. 

PROMOTION 

Backsberg promotion focuses primarily on 

sponsorships and participation in expositions. 

The brand participates in WineX, South Africa’s 

premier national wine event, attended by thousands 

of wine enthusiasts every year. 

Thanks to initiatives with organisations 

such as Food & Trees for Africa, Backsberg’s 

newsworthiness reaches its audience while 

showing a positive commitment to the 

environment. They promoted their achievement 

of Carbon Neutral status in both 

local and international 

media, in the hopes of 

creating awareness of the 

need for action. In addition, 

this move ensured positive 

international attention for 

the South African wine 

industry. 

Backsberg 

marketing 

manager Simon Back is 

currently exploring the 

social networking media 

- mainly blogging - as a 

vehicle to “tell stories” 

about Backsberg and 

engage its audience by 

providing a personal, 

interesting and interactive 

dialogue. 

Developed for its Mediterranean style, this local and international 


BACKSBERG 

The farm bought in 1916 by C. L. Back 

was called Klein Babylonstoren 

Sydney Back was one of the first 

winemakers to plant Chardonnay in 

South Africa 

The first wines bottled under the 

Backsberg Estate label in 1970 were Late 

Harvest, Steen, Clairette Blanche, Rosé, 

Perlé, Pinotage and Hanepoot 

In 2006 Backsberg Estate Cellars became 

the first wine producer in South Africa 

and third in the world to gain carbonneutral 

status 

Sydney Back Estate Brandy is the first 

carbon-neutral brandy in the world 

The Backsberg restaurant is a popular 

lunchtime spot and is often host to 

special functions. Backsberg also serves 

as a beautiful setting for conferences and 

weddings

THE MARKET 

Building partnerships with its customers is what 

Budget Car & Van Rental is all about, with 

commitment to service excellence evident in 

everything the company does. 

With a network of over 92 branches strategically 

located throughout South Africa, Botswana 

and Namibia, Budget truly is Everywhere You 

Go. The distinctive orange kiosks are found in 

major airport terminals around the globe, ensuring 

that no matter how customers choose to reach 

their destinations, Budget is never far away. 

Budget offers a highly cost competitive 

product in major car and van rental 

markets and a clear focus on sourcing, 

servicing and retaining sectors of the 

economy has placed the company 

in the number three position in its 

industry. 

Even with the muscle of its parent 

company, the Bidvest Group, Budget 

continues to strive for excellent 

service levels rather than rapid 

growth. The company continues 

to drive steady growth, increasing 

market share without compromising 

profitability. 

A large percentage of Budget 

Car & Van Rental’s business 

comprises the corporate market, 

but tourism - including national and 

international inbound - is a smaller, 

but significant, sector. The company 

is fully committed to servicing 

domestic leisure, domestic corporate, 

international leisure and international 

corporate markets with a reasonably 

priced, value added service. 

Budget clients have come to 

expect a “quiet quality” from the 

company. With around 70 percent 

of its business conducted at airports 

and some 3,400 locations around the 

globe, Budget is well placed to garner 

greater market share. 

ACHIEVEMENTS 

Since its South African launch in 1967, 

Budget Car & Van Rental has often 

been on the receiving end of both accolades and 

awards. Landmarks include: 

• Introducing Wheelchair Accessible Transport 

for people using wheelchairs. This service is 

available in Gauteng, KZN and Cape Town 

• Being the first car rental company to win the 

Association of South African Travel Agents 

(ASATA) award for Best Service to the Travel 

Industry - voted by the travel industry - for six 

consecutive years. This record still stands 

• The Sunday Times Top Brands Survey of 

2008/2009 saw Budget retain the second spot 

in the most recognised car rental brand in the 

highly competitive car rental category 

• Pioneering e-billing in South Africa, with 

SARS-approved invoices and electronic 

“paperwork” making car rental uncomplicated 

for busy corporations and travel agents 

HISTORY 

Budget was founded in 1958 by Morris Mirkin, a 

Los Angeles, California personal renter, and his 

wife. It began as a small family run business that 

started with a fleet of ten cars. 

To enable Budget to break into an already 

crowded market the Mirkins decided to operate 

away from airports, which lowered their overheads. 

This in turn enabled them to rent their cars for 

four dollars a day and four cents a mile to appeal 

to the “budget minded personal renter”- from 

this, the company name was born. Within two 

years the foundations of the company as we know 

it today were laid and the company continued to 

grow until it became one of the three truly global 

brands. In 1967 a Durban couple, Pam and Ken 

Levy, brought the Budget brand to South Africa 

and operated from their garage with a “fleet” of 

two “volksies”. 

Budget, one of the first international car 

rental brands in the world, became 

the second car rental service in South 

Africa. Expansion from those humble 

beginnings has been astonishing. A 

conservative approach however, has 

been key and Budget has always placed 

more importance on customer service 

excellence than rapid growth. 

THE PRODUCT 

The Budget southern African fleet is 

made up of over 9,000 vehicles, and will 

be substantially larger to meet the 2010 

World Cup demand, offering economy, 

luxury and speciality vehicles. Other 

Budget products include: 

Car/van rentals: Car and van rental 

for corporate and leisure travellers, with 

a continually upgraded fleet of vehicles 

from a range of manufacturers. 

Chauffeur Services and Door2Door 

Transfers: Being productive in between 

meetings has never been so easy - the 

stress-free, relaxing option. 

Special Services: Offering the 

Toyota Quantum, fitted with towbars, 

that can comfortably carry eight people 

and their luggage to accommodate 

South Africa’s sport-and-safari lifestyle. 

Paraplegic hand controls for certain 

models are available free of charge by 

prior arrangement in Johannesburg, 

Cape Town and Durban. 

Frequent Renter Programme: 

Budget customers earn free rental days 

throughout South Africa, Namibia and 

Botswana. 

Collection/Delivery: Vehicles can be delivered 

to or collected from any area, subject to a prequoted 

fee. 

E-Billing provides customers with the 

convenience of receiving invoices and statements 

by e-mail with the same look and feel as the

paper documents. The software is SARS certified 

and sends encrypted valid tax invoices, thereby 

ensuring e-mailed documents cannot be altered. 

To assist local corporate customers with 

financial planning of travel expenses, Budget Car 

& Van Rental also offers in depth management 

reports, detailing each rental and offering 

summaries and analyses. 


Wheelchair Accessible Transport: A first in the car 

rental sector, Budget’s round-the-clock transfer 

service, now provides for people using wheelchairs 

and organisations and charities that cater for them 

through specially equipped passenger vehicles. 

This service works on a zone system, which means 

that costs are determined at the time of reservation, 

and all arrangements can be made through a single 

phone call. This vehicle is also available as a rental 

vehicle. 

The vehicles have been specifically modified to 

accommodate, two passengers using wheelchairs 

and up to four accompanying passengers. The 

adaption’s to Toyota Quantum’s in the fleet, have 

been made so that people using wheelchairs do 

not need to leave the comfort of their chair when 

being transported. An electronic lift at the rear 

of the vehicle ensures safe and easy loading of 

these passengers. Once they are in position, 

the chair is clamped safely into place, ensuring 

further peace of mind. In addition, the drivers 

have been sensitised on elements of disability and 

mobility impairment and have been fully trained 

on operating the lift system. 

The disability sector is thrilled about Budget’s 

vision of providing an accessible transport 

solution that offers people with an immobility 

impairment, the opportunity to travel, visit and 

integrate. Wheelchair Accessible Transport is 

available in Johannesburg, Durban and Cape 

Town 

Budget Abroad: Budget globally offers best 

buy rates at 3,400 locations in over 128 countries. 

Reservations are made quickly and securely 

by debiting a Budget account in South Africa, 

therefore not using your international travel 

allowance to pay for your overseas car rental. 

GPS units: These useful gadgets are fast 

becoming an essential tool when travelling out 

of town. Now they can be added to customers 

shopping baskets directly from Budget as part 

of their rental, for a minimal daily charge. 

Bookings can be made online and payment can 

be made using various methods of payment, 

available throughout Budget’s branch network, 

24 hours in advance. Customers need never get 

lost again, nor stop to ask for directions. Available 

in 24 languages, the units include information 

pertaining to restaurants, hotels, fuel stations, 

shopping malls and so much more! 

PROMOTION 

Budget promotions are usually understated but 

direct. The company believes that the one channel 

that truly unites South Africans is sport and Budget 

is proudly, the official car rental supplier to SA 

Rugby and SA Cricket. Budget’s visibility at 

stadiums and sports venues across the country 

has given it the reputation of being a company that 

supports the supporters. 

Budget is also proud to sponsor the South 

African Legends: Ex-Springbok and international 

rugby players who still play charity events, but 

focus on using their legendary status to teach 

disadvantaged children how to play rugby whilst 

instilling essential life skills simultaneously, and 

nurture rugby legends themselves. 

Even with ad spend in traditional channels kept 

to a minimum, Budget remains the second most 

recognised brand in its industry. Budget orange - 

lively, innovative, value for money - is tempered 

with Budget blue - trustworthy and stable, in a 

logo that hints at a long and straightforward road 

ahead. 

Wings ’n Wheels is Budget’s solution for 

the leisure market. Clients book their choice of 

airline, and are offered the best deals on Budget 

wheels. Customers present their boarding pass at 

any of Budgets airport locations, over a weekend 

to qualify and Budget takes care of the rest. 

BRAND VALUES 

Budget spends much time and money ensuring 

that every staff member practices “The Budget 

Way”. The Budget Mission Statement is: To be 

the preferred car rental company of choice for 

customers and stakeholders. 

Budget Rules of the Road: 

1. Value for our customers 

2. Fair and ethical people who take 

responsibility 

3. Mutual trust, respect, openness and 

transparency 

4. Commitment to service excellence 

5. Participation, empowerment and teamwork 

6. Work hard, but have fun! 

Budget Road Map: 

• We work with the best in an inspirational and 

humane environment 

• We offer the best service and value for our 

customers 

• We have the best technology, processes and 

fleet at our disposal 

• We forge and nurture partnerships with the 

best suppliers 


BUDGET 

Budget Car and Van Rental were the 

pioneers to introduce specialised transport 

for people using wheelchairs 

Budget is the official car rental supplier 

for Cricket SA and SA Rugby in South 

Africa 

Budget has invested 45 million rand on 

revamping its flagstone branches. OR 

Tambo International Airport has just 

been concluded and improvements at 

Durban International and Cape Town 

International Airports will be competed 

shortly 

At OR Tambo International and Cape 

Town International Airports, Budget has 

a fleet of “Cool Cars” for rent, namely 

the Peugeot 207 and Mini Cooper 

convertables

THE MARKET 

Food critics have described the interior of Bukhara 

as “plush, yet vibey”, but it’s the combination of 

that elegance and Indian cuisine of the highest 

standard that keeps the rich and famous coming 

back for more. Whether you’re at Bukhara in 

Stellenbosch or Sandton, the design and décor 

offers maximum recognition and comfortability 

for regular customers who choose to dine at both 

locations when they travel. It’s a style that defines 

Bukhara, making each separate restaurant an 

extension of the brand with a look-and-feel that 

is unmistakable. 

With four restaurants around South Africa, 

Bukhara set a standard in cuisine that surprised 

South Africans, bringing to it’s shores a dining 

culture that has changed the perception of Indian 

food. 

For over 14 years, Bukhara has educated the 

South African population’s palate by introducing 

new styles of cooking, while also introducing 

new varieties of spices inaccessible before. The 

open kitchens were a first for Indian restaurants 

here, giving diners an inside look at the brand’s 

cooking styles while creating a theatrical and 

interactive experience for diners. 

Bukhara began delighting palates in Church 

Street, Cape Town 14 years ago. It then continued 

to build on its successful formula at the Grand West 

Casino in Cape Town and again in Stellenbosch. 

Bukhara Johannesburg is appropriately next 

to the grand and elegant Michelangelo Hotel, 

where tourists and business people make a point 

of stopping in for regular Indian favourites, as 

well as Kashmiri style kebabs cooked over hot 

coals and tawa dishes seared at a high heat on 

a flat grill. Energetic and highly motivated 

staff members create a buzz as they cook and 

deliver hundreds of meals every day on demand. 

Bukhara’s payoff line, “Arguably the finest Indian 

cuisine on planet earth”, affirms the company’s 

commitment to consistently deliver a top quality 

product. There is no room for compromise when 

catering for an upmarket clientele. 

Catering for vegetarians as well as those not 

too fond of hot foods, many of Bukhara’s dishes 

are gently spiced for maximum taste, rather than 

the “burn” often associated with Indian cuisine. 

The brand has found a simple formula that works: 

Once an exquisite location is secured, a range of 

the freshest and most flavoursome Indian food 

is prepared in an elegant environment. Key to 

the winning formula is consistency of standards 

throughout the chain. 

With the repeat of burnt chili coloured walls, 

bespoke chairs and tables designed especially 

for Bukhara and made in Rajasthan, and Hahndi 

lamps that cast a circular glow on the ceilings to 

create a rich and elegant feel in every restaurant, 

any client visiting each Bukhara in turn is ensured 

of consistency of standards and enjoyment. While 

the Bukhara brand has been described as “small 

but strong”, its appeal lies in the uncompromising 

consistency of its food. The cuisine itself has 

a high recognition factor and chefs are rotated 

between the various branches to ensure that 

each chef delivers the precise product that each 

of the other branches is serving. Bukhara has a 

specialist catering division that offers the setting 

up of entire kitchens - including ovens and chefs 

- for banquets and special occasions. 

ACHIEVEMENTS 

Privately owned and operated by Dr Sabi 

Sabharwal, Bukhara started with the company’s 

flagship restaurant in Church Street in Cape Town’s 

central business district (CBD) some 14 years 

ago. It now operates five restaurants and a central 

kitchen. Having received many fine dining awards 

and accolades over the years, Bukhara has also 

been named most popular Indian Restaurant in 

South Africa by food critics on several occasions. 

The brand’s training and development programmes 

have allowed skills to be transferred from top 

Indian chefs to the local workforce. This means 

that any Bukhara chef can work in any Bukhara 

kitchen and produce the same dining experience 

for clients. 

HISTORY 

In 1995 Dr Sabi Sabharwal, a nuclear physicist, 

married South African Elana and relocated to Cape 

Town. It was there that Dr Sabharwal saw a need 

- and great opportunity - to introduce high quality 

Indian cuisine. The original Bukhara opened in 

the Cape Town CBD and was the first restaurant 

in South Africa to specialise in tandoori, or Indian 

barbeque. When politicians and visiting film stars 

began to frequent the restaurant, word of its superb 

food and atmosphere spread throughout Cape 

Town and to Johannesburg. Bukhara began to get 

a reputation for being the place to take high-profile 

guests and business associates. 

In 1999, Bukhara’s central kitchen opened 

specifically for the procurement of top quality 

produce, training, development of recipes and

the standardisation of product. The brand began 

research into the retail product arena to broaden 

the company’s market and satisfy consumer 

demand. In 2000, Bukhara opened its exquisite 

doors at Sun International’s Grand West Casino 

and Entertainment World. Because of the venue, 

this particular restaurant differs marginally from 

the others in its opulence. While the food, the 

Udaipur floors and Rajasthan furnishings are 

identical to the other branches, there is a three by 

four metre antique Indian doorway, as well as a 

marble fountain at the entrance. In the same year 

Bukhara opened another branch on the famous 

Stellenbosch wine route. 

Then followed the restaurant positioned 

at the entrance to the Michelangelo Hotel in 

Sandton’s Nelson Mandela Square, just outside 

Johannesburg. 

2005 saw the company launch its new brand 

of restaurants in Cape Town. Specialising in 

Asian Tapas, Haiku answers a call for the same 

consistency and quality the company is famous 

for, but this time with an Asian touch. 

Having weathered 14 years in the highly 

competitive food industry, the Bukhara brand has 

entrenched itself as the leading brand in Indian 

cuisine in South Africa. 

THE PRODUCT 

Bukhara specialises in various methods of Indian 

cooking, all with a slant to north Indian origins. 

These include: 

• Tandoori - using special charcoal fired clay 

ovens, skewers of meat and vegetables are 

inserted and rotated to achieve optimal 

tenderness and flavour 

• Singri - where marinated meats are cooked 

on twisting swåords over an open grill 

• Tawa - meat, fish, seafood and vegetables are 

seared on a heavy flat top grill over a high 

heat to retain succulence and texture 

Among the Bukhara offerings is the famous 

Dum style of cooking - a slow and gentle process 

that generates the maximum infusion of flavours 

in sealed pots - as well as a variety of specialist 

curries that satisfy every palate time and again. 

Bukhara has a catering division that specialises 

in “on location” kitchens with ovens and chefs 

for banquets and other memorable occasions. 


Bukhara continually researches and develops 

new products in the Indian cuisine arena. The 

Sabharwals make frequent trips to various areas 

in India to investigate new ideas to implement in 

the South African market. Food safety programmes 

and training modules developed by Bukhara’s 

head office are implemented across the chain and 

constantly upgraded to ensure the highest quality 

food, service and dining experience. 

PROMOTION 

Bukhara advertises on an ad-hoc basis, but much 

of its publicity comes from satisfied clients who 

pass on their experience to others. Full-page 

advertisements in carefully chosen media are 

used at times, including the South African Airways 

in-flight magazine Sawubona, as well as other 

airlines’ in-flight magazines. 

BRAND VALUES 

The values most closely associated with the 

Bukhara brand are: Consistency, Innovation 

Quality and Service. 

Bukhara promises an uncompromising dining 

experience, generating a trust factor among 

clients who choose to return to the same venue 

over and over. This promise is kept regardless 

of which Bukhara venue a client chooses to eat 

in. Top class Indian chefs undergo at least four 

months of training at Bukhara during induction, 

in order for every chef to guarantee customer 

satisfaction. A meal at Bukhara is more than a 

plate of food: It is an experience that combines 

elegance of atmosphere with exquisite taste. 

The Bukhara experience is like that of visiting a 

Haveli, a house of nobility, at each and every one 

of its venues. 


BUKHARA 

m Every Indian chef undergoes four months 

of training at Bukhara to familiarise 

himself with precise flavours and dishes 

m Furnishings in the Bukhara venues - 

including the Hahndi lamps - are bespoke 

and made in Rajasthan 

m Bukhara’s central kitchen is designed 

specifically for the procurement of 

top quality produce, training, and the 

development of recipes

THE MARKET 

It’s the biggest-selling daily newspaper in Cape 

Town, an iconic brand that can go by its nickname 

and still be recognised by the South African 

public. 

The Cape Argus - or the “Argie” as it is fondly 

known - has a daily circulation of 60,394 copies 

that reach some 334,000 readers (ABC April 

- June 2009). Published 

Monday to Friday, the paper 

also offers its consumers a 

separate read with Saturday 

and Sunday editions of the 

Weekend Argus. 

An insistence on highquality 

content covering 

important issues and strong 

branding have ensured 

market-leader status in the lucrative Cape 

Peninsula region. Research shows that the typical 

Argus reader is “community focused, pragmatic, 

concerned about the city and country’s problems, 

and is solutions-orientated”. They comprise the 

broader middle class, and are also “independent, 

open-minded and have an entrepreneurial flair”. 

As a bridge that connects vastly different 

communities in the region, the Cape Argus is 

more a “meeting place” than a newspaper. Besides 

carrying the news of the day - local, national and 

international - “Argie” gives vibrant and outgoing 

Capetonians the low-down on leisure and culture 

10496 - Blair Press 10/4/06 11:27 AM Page 2 

in its daily Tonight supplement. News and reviews 

covering theatre, concerts, restaurants, books, 

television and movies ensure that the local market 

knows what - and who - is happening. 

The Cape Argus captures everyday issues that 

affect those who live at the bottom tip of Africa. 

Figures show that of the total daily readership, 89 

percent live in the Cape Town metropolitan area. 

Readers are 61 percent male; 61 percent have 

a matric and further education; and 63 percent fall 

into the sought-after LSM 7-10 category. 

The “Argie” is a valuable afternoon read for 

its brand-loyal audience, providing compelling 

editorial for news hounds, the politically inclined, 

entrepreneurs and sports fans. The publication 

regularly lends its credibility to initiatives that 

create a sense of community and get people 

talking. 

Often, stories published in the Argus spark 

heated discussion on talk radio and even national 

television. 

C M Y CM MY CY CMY K 

ACHIEVEMENTS 

The Cape Argus is among the most-awarded 

newspapers in competition with others from around 

the world, with the newspaper winning a host of 

awards every year from the International Newspaper 

Marketing Association (INMA). 

The 73-year-old INMA Awards 2009 

competition generated 531 entries from 157 

newspapers in 43 countries. Judging 

was conducted via the internet by 

21 judges worldwide, including 

executives in the media, advertising, 

marketing and research industries. 

When winners at the 79th 

INMA Awards were announced 

in Miami in May 2009, the Cape 

Argus received both second and 

third place in Category 1: Print Subscription Sales, 

Circulation: 75,000 - 300,000. 

The 2007 INMA Awards saw the Cape 

Argus receiving four awards, including a secondplace 

Best in Show Award for the campaign that 

relaunched the paper in October 2006. The same 

campaign also received a first place in its category 

(In-Newspaper Promotion: Circulation). 

Other INMA awards for the Argus were in the 

radio category for a Jobshop campaign, as well as 

for a print ad published in the trade magazines. 

2007 was also the year that that the Cape Argus 

celebrated 150 years of bringing its special brand 

of education and entertainment to Capetonians, 

placing the paper in a select club - even globally - 

of newspapers with that type of longevity. 

HISTORY 

“Argie’s” history began way back in 1857 when, 

on Saturday, 2 January, the first issue of the 

publication came off Saul Solomon’s steam press 

at 63 Longmarket Street, Cape Town. 

Named for Argus, the mythical, hundredeyed 

creature that guarded the Golden Fleece, 

the newspaper was one of eight competing for 

readership in the then Cape Colony, and was 

produced on Wednesdays and Saturdays. 

Starting out at just four pages, the broadsheet 

comprised a front page that carried advertising, 

and a second page of lead articles and local news. 

Pages three and four were dedicated to overseas 

news, letters from readers, book reviews, and 

occasionally a poet’s corner. 

Even back in 1858 the Cape Argus was a 

market leader, boasting the biggest circulation in 

town - 17,000 copies a month, a figure that would 

rise to 19,000 if a mail ship arrived from England 

with fresh news from across the ocean. 

A milestone was reached on 26 April 1860, 

Composite

when the Cape Argus became the 

first newspaper in South Africa to 

transmit news by telegraph from 

Simons Town. The message was 

that no ships had been sighted 

that day! After this, the paper ran 

a column devoted to “Telegraphic 

Intelligence”. 

In the years that followed, the 

publication brought its readers 

news that shaped their world, with 

correspondents on the front line in 

the Boer War from 1899 to 1902 and 

wired reports from the battlefields 

of Europe during World War I. 

World War II saw many Argus staff 

members donning uniforms and 

heading for the battlefields. 

As South African politics 

became compelling international 

news, the Cape Argus strove to 

live up to the founder’s promise that all people 

- irrespective of political affiliation - would be 

given space to express their opinions. Today, the 

newspaper is edited by Gasant Abarder and is 

still compiled and printed on the site where Saul 

Solomon set up production. 

True to its name, the Cape Argus still prides 

itself on being that watchful guardian over people, 

places and events between Table Mountain and the 

Hottentots-Holland mountains. 

THE PRODUCT 

As Capetonian as Table Mountain itself, Cape Argus 

editorial staff members are deeply familiar with the 

somewhat unusual politics in the Western Cape. 

The paper has a vested interest in the upliftment of 

local communities, as evidenced by its co-operation 

with the Western Cape Education Department to 

assist Grade 11 and 12 students in preparing for 

end-of-year exams by publishing a series of past 

exam papers and suggested answers, and Grade 11 

exemplar question papers and answers. 

Dedicated to core edification and 

entertainment, the publication produces a variety 

of supplements that add value. Weekend issues 

15954 - Thank You 276x210.indd 1 3/11/09 11:54:27 AM 

incorporate Personal Finance and Wednesdays 

bring “Workplace”, highlighting thousands of 

employment positions in and around Cape Town. 

The highly popular daily classified supplement 

offers buyers a one-stop shop for all manner of 

goods and services. 

The paper has a loyal following that enjoy not 

only news and opinions, but events that affect their 

society, written by people who populate those 

communities. 


Having undergone a makeover in preparation for 

its 150th anniversary in 2006, the Cape Argus was 

relaunched with the theme, “a city in conversation 

with itself ”. 

A fresh new look and focus brought a striking 

new masthead and a more user-friendly format. The 

editorial focus shifted to include more thorough 

coverage of the Peninsula, with articles of specific 

interest to its communities. The paper set its sights 

on sharper news coverage and more interaction 

with its readers, publishing SMS messages, letters 

and opinion pieces to create a newspaper “in 

conversation with its city”. 

KINGJAMES 13630 

The Argus has launched a website 

that provides some articles to all internet 

readers and others only to subscribers. 

The site is popular, especially with 

those who want a brief glance at current 

events. 

PROMOTION 

Broadcast campaigns on local radio 

stations, billboards and print ads in sister 

papers form part of the Argus marketing 

mix. The publication sponsors many 

local charity events, the best known 

being the Cape Argus Pick n Pay Cycle 

Tour, an annual event that attracts more 

than 35,000 cyclists to Cape Town 

to participate in the world’s largest 

individually timed race. 

Known around the world, the race 

brings several hundred million rands 

into the Cape Town economy. 

BRAND VALUES 

Publishers BH Darnell and RW Murray pledged to 

publish only news free of party bias way back in 

1857. A century and a half later, the Cape Argus 

recommitted itself to its role as a forum for the free 

expression of all opinions, as a part of Cape Town’s 

vital “conversation with itself ”. 

It’s a family newspaper that is not aligned with 

any specific community sector, in order to allow 

free expression for all. The paper aims to reconcile 

rather than inflame political-party differences. 

“More depth. More life. More muscle.” is the 

brand’s payoff line, encapsulating its core focus: 

to open its pages to the views and opinions of the 

entire spectrum of its readers, as well as opinionmakers. 

The paper’s commitment to matching 

the vibrancy of Cape Town with compassion and 

responsibility is evident in its editorial and its 

affiliations. 

The Red Cross Children’s Hospital has long 

been a major beneficiary of the “Argie’s” fundraising 

efforts, and many other charities have felt 

its commitment when it was needed. 

The Cape Argus is more than a newspaper or a 

source of information: the brand is an institution, 

from Longmarket Street across the Peninsula, and 

down to where the two oceans meet at the tip of 

Africa. 


CAPE ARGUS 

In 1858 the paper boasted the largest 

newspaper circulation in Cape Town, 

selling 17,000 copies a month - a figure 

that has risen to 60,394 with 334,000 

readers 

On 26 April 1860, the Argus became 

the first newspaper in South Africa to 

transmit news by telegraph 

If it ever happens, we’ll write about it. Objectively. 

In South African politics almost anything can happen. With elections looming and power struggles raging, the terrain is as uncertain as it’s been for a decade. 

Which is why it’s good to know there’s one thing you can always count on: informed, objective, independent political coverage in the Cape Argus. 

The Cape Argus is among the mostawarded 

newspapers from around the 

world

THE MARKET 

It’s as much a part of Cape Town as the southeasterly 

wind - and just as irritating to those who 

abuse power and get found out by its journalists. 

Known for its fearless commitment to fighting for 

the people and against human-rights 

abuses, the Cape Times is the Englishlanguage 

morning read of choice for 

247,000 people (AMPS 2009A). 

Now owned by Independent 

News and Media, the newspaper was 

first published in 1876 by then editor 

Frederick York St Leger. Its primary 

target back then was the poor working 

class, as it attempted to expose early 

government corruption. 

With a current circulation of 

49,198 (ABC April-June 2009), the 

Cape Times draws 86 percent of its 

readers from the Cape Town metro. 

Being a dominant and authoritative 

publication in the region, the paper 

services the needs of the upmarket 

reader, emphasising business news 

and providing in-depth coverage of 

current issues. 

With a language breakdown of 57 

percent English, 30 percent Afrikaans, 

nine percent Xhosa and four percent 

“other”, the newspaper appeals to 

all sectors of the community, but its 

primary readership - some 43 percent 

- are in LSM 9 and 10. Around 

170,000 people snap up the Cape 

Times Business Report, using its 

information to make decisions. 

The Cape Times is all about 

information: what political parties are 

doing, which areas to avoid because 

of crime, or which movie is on 

that night. The publication is 

ideally positioned to embrace 

the sort of journalism its readers 

want: a mix of hard news, 

politics, lifestyle and analysis 

is crafted to address all of the 

information requirements of the 

Cape Town public. 

Supplements carried by the 

Cape Times include Career 

Times on Monday, Techno Times 

on Tuesday, Property Times on 

Wednesday, Drive Times on 

Thursday and Top of the Times 

on Friday. 

Each specialist supplement 

is widely read by its relevant market and offers 

advertisers specific opportunities to target the 

markets they need to reach, while giving readers 

valuable information. For example, Drive Times 

not only carries advertising for new and second- 

hand cars, but also gives editorial coverage of 

Formula One news, car performance reviews and 

even advice on how to maintain cars. 

Monday’s Career Times is well supported by 

advertisers and well read by Capetonians, with 

circulation gains of around 20 percent 

over other days of the week. 

The brand’s editorial strategy and 

positioning, through cover price and 

supplements, have ensured that the 

Cape Times addresses the needs of a 

broad cross-section of locals. Over 60 

percent of Cape Times readers comprise 

the highest proportion of share-owners, 

investors and credit-card holders of all 

Cape Town daily newspapers, making 

the title a popular choice for advertisers 

eager to reach this lucrative market. 

ACHIEVEMENTS 

Campaigns aimed at highlighting the 

Cape Times brand, its supplements and 

event sponsorships, have been among 

the most recognised by the International 

Newspaper Marketing Association’s 

(INMA) annual marketing awards, 

which draws entries from newspaper 

titles around the world. 

In an achievement few newspapers 

can match, the Cape Times still follows 

its founding dictum of an “independent 

line in pursuit of the public interest” 

some 133 years after its inception. 

HISTORY 

Published for the first time - and as the 

first daily newspaper in South Africa 

- in 1876 by Frederick York St Leger, 

the Cape Times was a success from the 

start. 

St Leger believed the time 

was ripe for a daily newspaper 

which would follow its own 

“independent line in pursuit of 

the public interest”. The paper 

went on sale on 27 March at a 

cost of one penny. Its front page 

was covered in advertising, much 

of it of the type that you would 

now find in the newspaper’s 

classified section. 

Produced and printed in St 

George’s Street, central Cape 

Town, the newspaper soon 

established a reputation for a 

commitment to individual and

The US bombing of Hiroshima 

human rights, and for being prepared to swim 

against the prevailing political tide. This reputation 

was sustained through the difficult early years of 

the Cape Colony; the various wars fought inside 

and outside the country; and, most notably, the 

apartheid years. 

It was during the apartheid regime that 

the Cape Times really distinguished itself by 

repeatedly undermining the illegitimate authority 

of the time and exposing its brutality. It was a 

formula that clearly appealed to readers: steady 

growth over the years from a modest circulation, 

in a modestly populated town, to the current 

247,000-plus readers is proof of their continued 

approval. 

THE PRODUCT 

While the bulk of its readers come from the Cape 

Peninsula, the Cape Times is distributed as far 

afield as Plettenberg Bay on the East Coast and 

Saldanha Bay on the West Coast. 

The brand’s positioning statement is: “The 

dominant and authoritative morning daily 

newspaper in Cape Town, servicing the needs 

of the upmarket reader, emphasising business 

news and providing in-depth coverage of current 

issues.” The Cape Times is determined to keep 

its readers informed in a way that allows them to 

make well-versed decisions about their lives. It 

also aims “to comfort the afflicted and afflict the 

comfortable”, as the saying goes. 

The editorial mix enables readers to get a 

quick fix on the day’s big news first thing in the 

The assassination of JFK 

morning, and return to the feature elements for a 

more leisurely read later in the day. 

Ongoing research into the requirements of 

readers has contributed to the paper’s success, 

along with its commitment to insightful and 

ground-breaking journalism. Cape Town’s biggestselling 

morning daily continues on an innovative 

path, backed by over a century of tradition. 


On Tuesday, 31 March 2009, Chris Whitfield, 

editor-in-chief of Independent Newspapers Cape, 

announced that Alide Dasnois had been appointed 

editor of the Cape Times. 

Dasnois is the first woman to take on the 

mantle that has been held by many esteemed 

newspaper men in the past 133 years. 

PROMOTION 

The Cape Times is promoted across a variety of 

media, including local radio stations, which are 

used for brand-building commercials and for onday 

promotion of specialist supplements carried 

by the newspaper. 

Print media are also used, and publications 

include, particularly, the 14 Cape Community 

Newspapers published by Independent Newspapers 

Cape, holding company of the Cape Times. 

These publications are distributed free to more 

than 591,000 homes in the Cape Town area, the 

core market for Cape Times. 

The brand also sponsors a number of local 

events, as community and charity support is a key 

focus of the publication in its efforts to uplift the 

communities within which it operates. 

The Discovery Health Cape Times Big Walk 

is one of the largest events of its kind and one 

of the oldest recreational events in the world, 

drawing more than 27,000 participants as it 

raises money for local charities. The newspaper 

has been associated with the walk for about 100 

years. 

Started around the time of World War II, the 

Cape Times Fresh Air Fund gives underprivileged 

or abused children an enjoyable holiday at a 

seaside camp in Simon’s Town, and is well 

supported by readers of the newspaper who make 

regular donations and bequests to the camp. 

In providing educational assistance 

to disadvantaged scholars, the newspaper 

administers the Cape Times Bursary Fund, and it 

is also a sponsor of the Cape Times Safmarine 

Breakfast Club. Breakfasts are held quarterly 

and speakers include many of South Africa’s 

most influential businessmen and women, sports 

stars and government ministers. Open to the 

public, they enable Cape Times readers to pose 

challenging questions to the speakers. 

BRAND VALUES 

The brand’s core principles are honesty and 

accessibility. Because newspapers sell entirely on 

integrity, Cape Times believes its honesty must be 

above question. This is communicated in a way that 

is accessible to the average reader, in language and 

in a format that makes the paper an “easy” read. 

The payoff line is “Know All About It”, which 

defines how the paper informs readers in a manner 

that empowers them to make knowledgeable 

decisions about their own lives. 

The brand is committed to journalistic 

excellence and the pursuit of truth. Consistency 

is vital and the editorial department applies 

rigorous rules to the use of language and to the 

design of the newspaper. 

The timely distribution of the newspaper - so 

that it reaches readers by 07h00 - is also monitored 

continuously by the circulation department. The 

Cape Times is essentially a well-oiled machine 

that follows a set of principles laid out in 1876, 

which still produce excellence today. 

Readers have come to expect quality from the 

brand and the paper itself continues to benchmark 

publishing distinction. 


CAPE TIMES 

The student riots of 1976 

m The first Cape Times came off the presses 

in 1876 - and cost one penny 

m The Discovery Cape Times Big Walk is 

one of the largest events of its kind and 

one of the oldest recreational events in the 

world 

m Over 60 percent of Cape Times readers 

comprise the highest proportion of shareowners, 

investors and credit-card holders 

of all Cape Town daily newspapers

C M Y CM MY CY CMY K 

THE MARKET 

Cell C believes that people looking for run-ofthe 

mill service aren’t Cell C customers - and 

millions have concurred since the company’s 

launch in November 2001. Currently boasting a 

7.14 million-strong active customer database, the 

company has carved a niche in the industry by 

offering value for money, simplicity and choice. 

A variety of products and services have attracted 

around six million prepaid customers with postpaid 

and controlchat customers fairly evenly 

matched in making up the numbers. 

Cell C has rolled out over 100,000 community 

service telephones (CSTs) and managed to fulfill 

its obligation to offer 52,000 CST’s between 2001 

and 2008, ahead of schedule. This has enabled 

more than 9,000 entrepreneurs to establish 

their own businesses. The cellular provider 

offers a full range of global system for mobile 

communications (GSM) services from a network 

able to provide voice, data and multimedia 

communications. As more and more content is 

available to mobile phones, Cell C customers 

will have access to all of it. The company has 

2,256 base stations nationwide and carries over 

87 percent of its own traffic. Cell C 

has roaming agreements with 519 

telecommunications operators in 

181 countries worldwide. 

Not only does Cell C offer 

services that appeal to users across 

the social and financial spectrum, it 

is also South Africa’s most empowered 

telecommunications company in 

terms of equity ownership, preferential 

procurement, employment equity, and 

enterprise and skills development. 2006 

saw Cell C first begin to refresh its 

strategy, with greater emphasis on human 

resources (HR), processes and customer 

satisfaction. The company’s financial 

performance during the past two years bears 

testimony to the effectiveness of this move. 

ACHIEVEMENTS 

At the financial year ending 31 December 2008, 

Cell C posted a customer increase of 34 percent 

over its 4.8 million in the previous year, proving 

that the market responds well to value-for-money 

offerings. Cell C is known as the company that 

cares about previously disadvantaged South 

Africans and one that makes a concerted effort 

to employ them. The company’s business plan 

forecasts the creation of 2,500 direct jobs and 

15,000 indirect jobs within four to five years, 

encompassing individuals from disenfranchised 

8000897_E_PRESS LAYOUTS 4/16/08 3:35 PM Page 1 

Composite 

segments of society. Women already account 

for over 49 percent of the company’s staff - far 

exceeding the industry norm. 75 percent of those 

are black women. In all, 90 percent of Cell C staff 

are historically disadvantaged. Cell C proudly lays 

claim to a number of “first to market” offerings, 

including discounts for frequently dialed numbers 

(on the friends & family offering); per-second 

billing for prepaid customers, and the first to 

launch the lowest-value prepaid voucher on the 

market, the R5 “half tiger”. Cell C was also the 

first operator to blacklist cell phones instead of 

grey-listing them, and the first to launch wireless 

internet connectivity for home users. The company 

also offered the first cellular contact centre to 

provide service in all of South Africa’s 11 official 

languages. Cell C was the first operator in South 

Africa to offer free calls to their customers on the 

weekend with their Woza Weekend offering. 

HISTORY 

Having been awarded South Africa’s third cellular 

telecommunications license, Cell C went live in 

November 2001, bringing healthy competition into 

a market then dominated by two providers. Cell C 

is 100 percent owned by 3C Telecommunications, 

which is 60 percent owned by Oger Telecom South 

Africa, a division of Saudi Oger; 25 percent 

owned by an unencumbered holding by CellSAf, 

(a Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment 

entity representing over 30 black empowerment 

companies and trusts); and 15 percent by Lanun 

Securities SA, a wholly owned subsidiary of 

Saudi Oger Ltd. 

A teaser campaign to raise expectations 

of Cell C’s launch took advantage of a 

C-shaped eclipse that appeared over Africa 

that day in June 2001, with full-page ads of 

the eclipse in local publications carrying the 

tag line “We’d like to thank Mother Nature 

for announcing our imminent arrival”. 

Within its first month of operation, 

strategic marketing campaigns ensured 

that more than half of all South African 

cellular users were aware of Cell C. 

By December 2001, brand awareness 

already measured 80 percent. After 

just 11 months, sustained marketing 

campaigns throughout 2002, resulted 

in the brand achieving parity of brand 

awareness with its two competitors. 

By November 2002, spontaneous 

brand awareness was 100 percent. 

One spectacular achievement 

of the brand was massive growth 

in the area of brand equity, with Cell C achieving

the same level of equity as both competitors 

by quarter one, 2005. Cell C has since 

managed to maintain its distinctiveness 

and consumers associate the brand with 

being intelligent and entertaining, bold 

and daring, challenging and individual. Ad 

campaigns have consistently reinforced 

the view that Cell C is “typically South 

African” and credible. 

THE PRODUCT 

Cell C’s core products are its tariff plans: A 

prepaid range includes, easychat standard, 

easychat all-day and easychat per second. 

There is an extensive offering of prepaid 

top-up recharge vouchers in R5, R10, R25, 

R35, R50, R150 and R300 denominations. 

Contracts on offer include controlchat, chat, 

casualchat, activechat, businesschat, 

valuechat and telemetry, along with 

deals that suit business and personal 

applications. 

Part of the Company’s strategy, is to 

partner with best-of-breed companies 

on a number of fronts, from network 

equipment (Siemens and Huawei) to 

product development (Accenture) to 

advertising (Ogilvy). The company 

chooses partners carefully, with the 

ultimate partnership between Cell C 

and its customers in mind. 


2007 and 2008 saw the launch of 

Woza Weekend which evolved in 

2009 into Woza Wheneva allowing 

Cell C’s customers to get a whole 

lot of extra value each time they recharge. Woza 

has changed the entire landscape of the cellular 

market making its customers more discerning 

about the brand that they select and has helped to 

strengthen Cell C’s position as the up and coming 

third operator. 

PROMOTION 

With a media strategy that incorporates all abovethe-line 

media, including radio, television, outdoor, 

print, cinema and the internet, Cell C maintains 

high brand awareness in South Africa. Monthly 

promotions are run at various distribution points, 

and a quarterly generic promotion sees all Cell C 

stockists participate. 

Since 2001, people have been encouraged by 

the company’s payoff line to see “for yourself ”. 

This line is the spirit of the brand, ensuring that all 

services that Cell C offers are based on customer 

insight, needs and desires. Cell C takes a threepronged 

approach to communicating the brand 

message: inform, encourage and educate. 

During the frequent “load shedding” blackouts 

last year, a campaign encouraged its millions of 

customers to help save electricity by unplugging 

their chargers after charging their phones. The 

message was that while it might seem pointless 

on an individual basis, millions of customers 

joining forces can save a significant amount of 

power. 

Cell C’s 2008 brand campaign shows the 

strength of numbers and how harnessing the 

network’s customer base can help effect change 

and create positive chain reactions. A call to 

action was put out to enlist customers and within 

24 hours there were sufficient people to feature 

in the ad. The campaign - comprising television 

commercials supported by print, radio and outdoor, 

is unique in that it communicates that when you’re 

on Cell C, you’re part of something great. It’s 

about transforming Cell C from a mobile network 

to a mobilised network of millions of people who 

can work together to bring about change. An 

advertisement saw hundreds of genuine Cell C 

customers from all walks of life (a 

Karoo farmer, a suburban housewife, 

a student, a Cape fisherman) holding 

up books with different coloured 

pages. As the camera pans out, the 

screen fills with more and more people 

holding up books and the new Cell C 

logo emerges. 

The brand campaign aimed to 

prove the strength of the network by 

showing the collective potential of 

Cell C customers to have a positive 

impact in South Africa. Cell C sees its 

own success as being dependent on 

the prosperity and sustainability of the 

communities that support it. The success 

of the community - including current 

and future customers, is the success of 

Cell C. In April 2008 - in support of Cell 

C’s value for money positioning and the 

opportunities that existed in the market, it 

was decided to re-launch Cell C’s top-up 

package, controlchat. There are 17 top-up 

options available, from controlchat 50 to 

controlchat 700. The final strategy focused 

on a single tariff, controlchat 100. A focused 

campaign was developed and implemented 

from April 2008 and by the end of the year 

controlchat 100 had more than doubled 

its targeted figures. The total year target 

for controlchat 100 was set at 30,000 new 

customers; this target was achieved at the end 

of August. 

BRAND VALUES 

The Cell C brand represents individuality, 

choice, simplicity, value and attitude. The Cell 

C logo has become an instantly recognizable 

icon in the South African consumer and business 

landscape. The brand is the customers’ champion, 

backing this promise with ongoing research and 

the swift resolution of any problems that may 

arise, including daily feedback from its contact 

centre. Younger clients identify with the fun, 

excitement and action Cell C represents to them, 

while business clients choose the brand for its 

value and service. 


CELL C 

Cell C has been first in bringing a number 

of things to market in South Africa - 

from per second billing to the lowest 

denomination recharge voucher, to the 

black listing of cellphones 

Cell C has the first cellular contact 

centre to offer service in all 11 official 

languages 

Cell C is the telecommunication provider 

with the highest compliments ratio on 

HelloPeter.com 

Getclosure.com is a website focused on 

resolving consumer complaints and rates 

Cell C as the top telecoms provider

THE MARKET 

It’s the world’s most popular brand. There are few 

icons in the world as familiar as Coca-Cola and 

while many large brands lost market share and 

value during the global economic recession, the 

Interbrand 2009 World’s Most Valuable Brands 

survey named Coca-Cola number one - (for the 

ninth consecutive year),- with a rise of 3 percent 

in value to 68.73 billion dollars in 2009. 

From early beginnings when just nine drinks 

a day were served, Coca-Cola has grown into the 

world’s most ubiquitous brand with more than 1.5 

billion beverage servings sold each day. 

ACHIEVEMENTS 

In all the annual Sunday Times Markinor 

Top Brands and Branding Surveys since 2006, 

Coca-Cola was voted South Africa’s favourite 

brand. In the 2009 Sunday Times Generation Next 

Brand Survey, South African youth also voted 

Coca-Cola the Coolest Brand Overall. 

HISTORY 

Coca-Cola has long associated its brand with 

the most popular sport in the world. A review of 

the archives of Coca-Cola advertising through 

the years uncovered an ad from 1917 that used 

football (soccer) imagery to sell the product. The 

Coca-Cola Company has had a formal association 

with Federation Internationale de Football 

Association (FIFA) since 1974 and the official 

sponsorship of FIFA World Cup began in 1978. 

THE PRODUCT 

During the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South 

Africa, Coca-Cola will make a limited edition of 

commemorative 250ml glass bottles. Consumers 

around the world will also be able to collect special 

Coca-Cola cans that celebrate the 

2010 FIFA World Cup with 

dynamic graphics and iconic 

celebration imagery. 


Open Happiness 

Coca-Cola’s new global campaign 

“Open Happiness” launched in 

May 2009 in South Africa. It builds 

on the brands heritage, recognizing 

that even with the difficulties and 

stress of modern-day life, there still 

are opportunities to find a moment 

to recognise life’s simple pleasures 

every day. Open Happiness is an 

evolution of the Coke Side of Life; 

a campaign that featured awardwinning 

commercials such as “Video Game,” 

and “Happiness Factory”. This new campaign 

will continue to invite people to bring positivity, 

optimism and fun into their lives through engaging 

creative executions and an updated message. 

The 2010 FIFA World Cup campaign 

In February 2009, The Coca-Cola Company 

launched its largest globally integrated campaign 

ever; the 2010 FIFA World Cup campaign. The 

campaign kicked off with the popular commercial 

“History of Celebration” which captures the 

emotion and joy of a great moment in football 

history, created by an African legend. 

Themed around celebration and releasing 

African rhythm, the campaign was inspired by one 

of football’s most memorable moments -when 

African football hero, Roger Milla, scored a goal 

and then in a display of unbridled joy, performed 

his now legendary “corner flag dance” at the 1990 

FIFA World Cup. His celebration became an 

inspiration for players and fans the world over and 

Roger Milla became a global football ambassador 

by showing the world how to celebrate the African 

way. The campaign aims to help bring the 2010 

FIFA World Cup, experience to as many South 

Africans as possible, while also leaving a legacy 

for communities long after the final whistle has 

been blown. 

The global 2010 FIFA World Cup celebration 

campaign is an expression - through football - of 

the “Open Happiness ” platform which is a call 

to action that invites people to welcome small 

moments of joy and happiness into their lives. 

It metaphorically asks individuals to open their 

minds and hearts to a positive outlook on life. 

Elements of the campaign include: 

Advertising 

Coca-Cola has created a series of commercials 

as part of the campaign. They include ‘History of 

Celebration’, which launched in Feb 2010 and tells 

the story of Roger Milla’s inspirational African 

celebration. 

K’Naan Music Anthem 

Up-and-coming Somalian hip-hop artist K’Naan 

specially recorded an uplifting African-inspired 

track, a remix of ‘Wavin Flag,’ as the anthem of 

Coca-Cola’s 2010 FIFA World Cup program. 

The track will be used as the music element 

throughout the entire campaign including in TV 

commercials, FIFA World Cup Trophy Tour by 

Coca-Cola events, and in online digital platforms. 

Renowned entertainer and businessman Jay- Z 

cited the song as ‘the anthem of our generation’. 

The localised South African chart topping hit 

track also features popular South African artist 

Hip-Hop Pantsula. 

The FIFA World Cup Trophy Tour by 

Coca-Cola 

World football’s greatest prize will go on its 

biggest ever global tour as part of the FIFA World 

Cup Trophy Tour by Coca-Cola. Free tickets 

to the tour will be made available to consumers 

via Coca-Cola promotions in countries that are 

on the route. At these events in each city, fans 

will have an opportunity to have a souvenir photo 

of themselves taken with the trophy, view a 3-D 

movie showcasing moments of the FIFA World 

Cup, participate in interactive displays and 

enjoy many other forms of entertainment. 

The trophy will travel more than 134 000 

kilometers and visit 83 countries over a period of 

225 days before finally arriving in South Africa on 

May 4, 2010. The South African journey 

spans over 32 days where Coca-Cola 

will take the actual FIFA World Cup 

Trophy around the country through to 32 

cities while providing opportunities for 

South Africans to win tickets to the tour 

events and to the games. The 2010 FIFA 

World Cup Trophy Tour by Coca-Cola 

which started at FIFA headquarters in 

Zurich on September 21, 2009 will end 

in South Africa a week before the much 

anticipated kick off on June 11, 2010. 

Youth Development Programs 

Coca-Cola’s investment in youth 

development in South Africa spans as 

far back as the early 1970s. The 2010 

FIFA World Cup will provide a special

opportunity for young South Africans to take their 

place in history by participating in the games. The 

Youth Programs will provide a chance for 1,664 

youth between the age of 12 and 17 from over 22 

countries to actively participate during all of the 

2010 FIFA World Cup matches. 

Ball Crew & Flag Crew 

The Ball Crew’s main responsibility will be 

to retrieve balls kicked out of the field of play 

during matches helping to ensure uninterrupted 

flow of play which makes them key players in the 

competition. The Coca-Cola Flag Crew have the 

duty of carrying each of the national teams’ flags 

onto the pitch and have the honour of sharing the 

tunnel with renowned football stars just before 

walking on to the field of play. 

COPA Coca-Cola Football Stars 

The COPA Coca-Cola Football Stars programme 

will run immediately before the official start of 

the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa. 

This tournament is one of the youth development 

programmes which Coca-Cola runs in partnership 

with the South African Schools Football 

Association to unearth and nurture young soccer 

talent in country. This year will see young players 

from around the African continent competing 

in the tournament, which is about celebrating 

diversity and forging friendships among players 

from vastly different backgrounds and cultures - 

harnessing the extraordinary power that football 

has to unite people. 

The Coca-Cola and FIFA Ticket Fund 

The Coca-Cola and FIFA Ticket Fund, will enable 

South African learners, who otherwise would 

not be able to attend the FIFA World Cup, to 

enjoy a once in a lifetime experience. Through 

the program 20,000 learners will watch the 2010 

FIFA World Cup games live. The program 

is also linked to “Live For A Difference,” The 

Coca-Cola Company’s commitment to make a 

positive difference on the planet, the world and 

people’s lives. Schools were challenged to collect 

plastic bottles and cans for recycling to stand 

a chance to win tickets to the world’s biggest 

sporting event, while also incorporating recycling 

into their syllabi. 

Replenish Africa Initiative (RAIN) 

Using the FIFA World Cup as a platform, The 

Coca-Cola Africa Foundation (TCCAF) has 

implemented the Replenish Africa Initiative 

(RAIN), a clean water movement that will provide 

millions with sustainable water resources. RAIN, a 

six-year initiative, will address critical community 

water and sanitation challenges in at least 50 

African countries faced with dwindling freshwater 

supply and the effects of persistent drought. In 

collaboration with NGOs, communities, the 

public sector and co-financing partners, TCCAF 

will invest over US$30 million to support more 

than 100 RAIN projects in Africa. 

Coca-Cola Celebration Award 

For the first time ever, Coca-Cola & FIFA will 

recognize the tournament’s best goal celebration. 

Fans will be able to vote for the eventual winner 

online. For every goal scored during the 2010 

FIFA World Cup in South Africa and celebrated 

with a dance, Coca-Cola will make an additional 

donation to the Company’s “Water for Schools” 

effort that helps provide schools with access to 

safe drinking water. 

PROMOTION 

In South Africa, the new Coca-Cola campaign 

can be seen on television, in movies, newspapers, 

magazines, online and on outdoor signage. 

BRAND VALUES 

Throughout its history, Coca-Cola has always 

expressed a refreshingly positive and optimistic 

view of the world. The new “Open Happiness ” 

campaign seeks to continue that legacy, uplifting 

and inspiring people around the world to create 

better possibilities, 1.5 billion times a day. 


COCA-COLA 

Coca-Cola has had stadium advertising 

at every FIFA World Cup tournament 

since 1950 and is a long-time supporter 

of football at all levels, ranging from 

grassroots development of football to 

international involvement with the FIFA 

World Cuptournaments. 

Coca-Cola is one of FIFA’s two longest 

standing sponsors since the 1978 FIFA 

World Cup in Argentina. 

Through Coca-Cola’s Ticket Fund, over 

20,000 young South Africans, who would 

not ordinarily afford it, will get a chance 

to experience the 2010 FIFA World 

Cup games at the stadia. 

For the first time in history of the 

tournament, the 2010 FIFA World Cup 

Trophy Tour by Coca-Cola visited 52 

Countries on the African Continent. 

On 13 October 2009, President of 

Liberia, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, became 

the first female ever to hold the FIFA 

World Cup Trophy. Only former winners 

and incumbent Heads of State are allowed 

to touch the solid gold trophy. 

In South Africa, the Coca-Cola system 

contributes about 1.4 percent to the 

country’s total GDP.

THE MARKET 

Corenza-C is a brand that has spent 

almost its full 38 years at the top of its 

game, keeping consumers at the top of 

theirs by meeting the promise; to relieve 

the symptoms of colds and flu. 

The in-pharmacy colds and flu 

market in South Africa is valued at 

around 483 million rand. According 

to Intercontinental Medical Statistics 

(IMS), Corenza-C achieved 76 million 

rand in sales in December 2009 - a 

healthy slice of the market, making 

Corenza-C by far the best selling cold 

and flu remedy in its category. 

The brand’s target market is LSM 

7-10 consumers, who don’t want to 

be restricted by the symptoms of cold 

and flu that leave them feeling run 

down. Consumers who use the product 

report being able to continue working 

effectively after consumption, without 

feelings of drowsiness. 

Due to its Schedule 2 status, 

Corenza-C is only available from 

dispensaries in pharmacies. It is 

pharmaceutical giant Adcock Ingram’s 

biggest and most important cold and flu 

product, and has been a market leader 

for many years. 

The brand competes with all cold 

and flu remedies sold in pharmacies 

across the country. South African 

regulations prohibit consumer advertising of all 

medicines from Schedule 2 status and above. 

So, whilst Corenza-C can be purchased without 

a prescription, it must be recommended by a 

healthcare professional in the pharmacy. 

The company says it is understood that most 

of Corenza-C’s sales occur because: 

• Pharmacy assistants or pharmacists 

recommend it 

• Consumers ask for it by name 

• To some extent, it is prescribed by the 

doctors 

Considering the stringent limitations in 

communicating the brand’s benefits, Corenza- 

C’s success is highly valued by Adcock Ingram. 

Results of a survey conducted 

among 150 pharmacists and 

pharmacist assistants around 

South Africa cemented the brand’s 

position at the top of its sector. 

Corenza-C is a truly South African 

brand that has the potential 

required to be introduced to 

international markets. 

ACHIEVEMENTS 

In 2008, key pharmacy brand Corenza-C 

recorded market share gains in an intensely 

competitive and somewhat depressed market 

- testament to the trust, pharmacists and 

consumers have in the product. 

The brand also had the second highest 

top-of-mind awareness among the general 

population (a sample of 500) in naming 

cold and flu brands, in a survey conducted 

in 2006 by Bateleur Research Solutions. 

Considering that this brand is only available 

through pharmacy distribution, this is seen 

as significant success. 

HISTORY 

Corenza-C was launched in South Africa 

in 1972 by the Restan division of Adcock 

Ingram and its success was built on 

promoting the brand to pharmacies only. 

Until today, Corenza-C is the best selling 

pharmacy brand for the alleviation of 

symptoms of colds and flu. 

Even through the difficult global 

economic downturn seen from around 

2008 to 2010, Corenza-C maintained its 

status as a pharmacy brand leader. After 

well over 30 years on the market Corenza-C 

continues to be seen as tried and trusted 

South African brand. 

The Corenza-C brand inspires loyalty 

in many South Africans who emigrate or

leave the country for an extended period, who look 

for a similar product in their new destinations. On 

failing to find a substitute, they rely on friends or 

family for a supply of Corenza-C. 

THE PRODUCT 

Corenza-C consists of a combination of active 

ingredients that work on the alleviation of the 

symptoms of colds and flu, bringing relief and 

actively increasing resistance to infection. It is sold 

in packs of ten and twenty effervescent tablets. 


In 2007, the pharmacy business of Adcock Ingram 

was boosted by the launch of Corenza Para-C. This 

user friendly effervescent formulation is aspirin 

free for cold and flu sufferers who may be allergic 

or sensitive to aspirin, or taking medication with 

which aspirin is contra-indicated. 

Corenza Para-C contains three active 

ingredients; paracetamol for pain and fever relief; 

a decongestant and vitamin C, known to raise 

resistance to infections. 

PROMOTION 

Restan sales force is part of the Adcock Ingram 

stable, responsible for selling and promoting 

the brand to healthcare professionals. They have 

largely contributed to the Corenza-C success story. 

Some of the Restan representatives still recall the 

launch of this product in 1972, when it achieved 

500,000 rand in sales in its launch year. The team’s 

passion for the brand has been a major contributor 

to the product being an acknowledged “top of 

mind” brand among pharmacists and pharmacist 

assistants. 

With new South African pharmaceutical and 

medical advertising regulations, it is a challenge 

to promote cold and flu brands to consumers. 

This means the pharmacy environment is the 

only channel in which detailed information on the 

usage of the product can be obtained. 

In 2005, the brand office embarked on an 

educational campaign through the Adcock Ingram 

OTC Academy. This is the main avenue for sharing 

information on products, indications and usage. 

This activity proved very effective and rewarding, 

and has played a large part in ensuring that the 

brand is recommended and used according to the 

product guidelines. 

Information on Corenza-C is given mainly via 

Healthcare Professionals. Many consumers were 

exposed to the introduction of Corenza Para-C 

during weather slots, which proved to gain brand 

presence during the key winter months from May 

to August. 

Print ads in medical/pharmaceutical trade 

publications get the message across to doctors and 

pharmacists. Corenza-C has also been a part of 

individual challenge of Mr Eric Nortje from Van 

der Walt Pharmacy who took the Corenza-C flag 

to the highest point in Africa - Mount Kilimanjaro 

in 2007. 

BRAND VALUES 

Corenza is an interesting mix of strength and 

competence with an important empathetic, caring 

and protective side. It is a serious and understated 

brand - never frivolous or silly; but at the same 

time, friendly and positive. 

Pharmacists and pharmacist assistants are 

happy to be associated with and recommend the 

brand. Corenza-C has a certain level of energy and 

activity associated with it too, but in a directed 

manner. Having been around for so many years, 

consumers see it as “tried and tested” and the 

level of trust in the brand is high. 

This brand can be encapsulated by the 

following: 

• Values: Reliable, trusted 

• Personality: Sense of assurance, hard working, 

trusted ally, respected 

• The Essence: Relieves, Boosts, Restores 

It is also seen as affordably priced and good 

value for money, as it delivers what it promises in 

a format that is easy to take. 

The vision for Corenza is to be a 100-million 

rand brand in 2010 - a long way from its 500 000 

rand year launch back in 1972. Given the strength 

of the brand and the trust consumers place in it, it 

is likely to succeed in this vision. 


CORENZA-C 

The brand is a pharmacy market leader in 

it’s category in value and units terms 

2.4 million packs of Corenza-C are sold 

annually in South Africa 

Corenza Para-C is the new addition to 

the brand aiming at providing relief from 

cold and flu symptoms in aspirin sensitive 

patients 

Corenza’s vision is to be a 100 million 

rand brand in 2010 

Corenza-C is a truly South African brand 

and is pharmaceutical giant Adcock 

Ingram’s biggest and most important cold 

and flu product

THE MARKET 

Every year in South Africa 22,000 children die 

before they reach the age of one month and 

75,000 children die before their fifth birthday. 

These deaths - 260 per day are caused by 

pregnancy and childbirth complications, newborn 

illness, childhood illness, HIV and AIDS, and 

malnutrition. 

Alongside this, UNAIDS and the World 

Health Organisation estimate that AIDS claimed 

350,000 lives in 2007 - nearly 1000 every day, 

leaving hundreds of thousands of orphans, 

grandparents caring for babies and child-headed 

households. 

ACHIEVEMENTS 

Cotlands measures success against the quality 

and quantity of service provided, the response to 

identified community needs, financial stability of 

the organisation, the sustainability of projects and 

our national footprint. To demonstrate that it is 

offering a quality service, Cotlands applied for and 

received full accreditation from the Council for 

Health Service Accreditation of Southern Africa 

(COHSASA). 

Among its most notable successes is the 

organisation’s holistic approach to care, which 

offers children a comprehensive range of services 

addressing all their needs. Although this does 

reduce the number of children Cotlands is able 

to serve, the organisation believes it is better to 

use the resources available to help fewer children 

well, than more children ineffectively. This 

holistic approach is expensive, but the Cotlands 

team firmly believes that it is a privilege to be 

called upon to help a child in need and that its 

response must be to make sure that each child is 

given the most effective help possible. 

One of Cotlands’ proudest achievements is the 

introduction of antiretroviral therapy (ART). At 

its Gauteng hospice, ART was introduced in mid 

2002. In the previous year, 82 children died in this 

18 bed in-patient unit and the organisation felt it 

could no longer wait for the government to roll out 

these drugs. Once it was known that an effective 

intervention was available, the increasing number 

of deaths was difficult to tolerate. In 2002, the 

year Cotlands introduced ART as an organisational 

expense, 51 children died and this number has 

steadily decreased. In 2007 only two children died 

in the care of the hospice. 

Cotlands has a track record of economic and 

efficient use of resources, service excellence 

and measurable achievements - all part of a 

commitment to good governance. Audited 

financial statements, as well as non-financial 

assurance reports outlining the organisation’s 

scope of work, are available on request. 

HISTORY 

Seventy three years ago, Dorothy Reece, a nurse, 

found an abandoned baby on the doorstep of her 

home in Mayfair. Then and there she decided 

to take this baby into her home. This single act 

of compassion led to the creation of Cotlands, 

which over the years has grown into a national 

organisation caring for more than 4,200 children 

and caregivers every month. 

With a dedicated staff complement of just 

over 200 full-time employees to service the 

entire country, Cotlands is constantly adapting to 

the growing needs of South African communities 

through efficient allocation of scarce resources. 

THE PRODUCT 

Cotlands’ care today extends across a full 

spectrum, from identifying vulnerable children 

in various communities, to end-stage hospice care 

for children with a life threatening illness. 

Cotlands offers a variety of residential and 

community-based programmes to vulnerable 

children. These programmes include paediatric 

hospices, places of safety, home-based 

care projects, nutrition and early childhood 

development centres. Because all these projects 

offer children holistic care, each project has 

several components, which include medical, 

physical, psychosocial, and educational care, 

as well as antiretroviral treatment (ART) 

programmes. 

As each new component was added to the 

spectrum of programmes, Cotlands began 

to realise that for these interventions to be 

sustainable, training and support also had to 

be offered to the primary caregivers. Cotlands’ 

ultimate goal is to equip families to care for 

their children at home, and to achieve this the 

organisation is committed to ensuring that these 

families have the appropriate skills and sufficient 

resources. New components are regularly added 

to the services on offer - elements such as 

support groups, income-generating projects, food 

gardens, counselling, material aid, accessing of 

social grants and orphan care. 

The result of these efforts has led Cotlands 

to its current mission: to provide exceptional 

models of care to children and their families 

by empowering them to improve their quality 

of life through specialised interventions and 

sustainability projects. 

This trans-disciplinary, multifaceted approach 

demonstrates its effectiveness daily. Families that 

are floundering, children who are terminally ill, 

babies who have been abandoned - are all dealt 

with in a caring and professional manner to 

swiftly address their needs.


In response to the increasing number of orphaned 

children being referred to Cotlands’ KZN operation, 

an orphan-care model was added to activities in 

Hlabisa in 2003 to take practical steps to identify 

orphans and meet their needs. 

In 2003, Cotlands introduced weekly support 

for the primary caregivers (mothers, relatives and 

grandmothers) of children cared for through the 

home based care project. These women are largely 

uneducated and desperately poor. Older women 

are affected by unresolved grief, and by the fear of 

divulging the cause of death of their children and of 

their grandchildren’s illness. 

Through the support-group initiative, a variety 

of micro-businesses have emerged, operating 

from the project’s Soweto-based premises. These 

include pyjamas under the “Philagogo” label, 

hand sewn by women in the group. 

In a move to ensure that its children enjoy 

an environment that approximates family life, 

as well as offering the best possible educational 

opportunities, Cotlands officially opened 

“Cotlands House” in mid-2007. The residential 

care project is close to the organisation’s 

headquarters and accommodates children who 

are clinically well, are receiving ARV therapy, 

and are in formal schooling. 

The latest addition to the residential facilities 

has been the opening of a Sanctuary alongside 

the hospice in the Western Cape in January 2009. 

Clinically well children in the hospice can be 

moved across to this new facility, which also 

accommodates children from local communities 

requiring Place of Safety care. 

Cotlands also established paediatric HIV/ 

AIDS clinics to improve the medical care 

offered to children who are patients of its HBC 

programmes in Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal. 

Cotlands retains the services of a medical doctor 

one day a week, who is able to recommend ART 

when and where necessary. 

Because adequate nutrition during the 

formative years is vital to proper development 

through to adulthood, Cotlands has harnessed the 

food-garden model as a way to provide satisfactory 

nutrition to children in impoverished regions of 

South Africa. Helping these children early will 

ensure good development, assist in preventing 

learning problems associated with poor nutrition, 

and help to break the poverty cycle. 

In addition, Cotlands’ Early Childhood 

Development (ECD) programmes were 

developed to provide essential life experiences 

by creating learning opportunities and other 

experiences which encourage continued growth 

and development. The newest addition, Cotlands 

Western Cape ECD, opened in April 2009. 

PROMOTION 

Stories that touch the heart tend to generate a 

positive response in the form of donations to 

Cotlands, but the organisation is aware that it 

must continually educate donors about the need 

for and range of its services. 

Cotlands sends appeals to all sectors of 

society, requesting support financially and in 

kind. Operating as an NGO means Cotlands has no 

advertising budget and relies on free placements 

in the print media and corporate brands’ customer 

relationship management campaigns. Even so, 

a mention of the name “Cotlands” has a high 

recognition factor across South Africa. 

The brand is promoted through direct mail 

campaigns, electronic media and 

posters or displays at exhibitions. A 

coin collection-tin project promotes 

the brand in stores nationwide. 

Cotlands sends out four direct 

mailings a year, comprising two 

appeal letters and two newsletters. 

A monthly electronic letter is also 

sent out to donors and supporters. 

The Cotlands website describes the 

various projects and services offered 

by the organisation and an online 

donation facility is available. 

BRAND VALUES 

Cotlands’ payoff line, “Together 

we bring hope to life”, is the brand 

message. The brand is all about 

bringing hope, compassion and quality of life to 

South Africa’s children. 

Cotlands is not only committed to caring for 

the children at Cotlands, but also to securing 

their future and this is achieved by working 

alongside corporate and individual donors. The 

characters in the Cotlands logo are colourful and 

fun and each has a name as well 

as a story. The brand identity 

was inspired by children, 

so the design elements 

are dynamic - just like 

children. 


COTLANDS 

m Cotlands’ roots go back 73 years. Dorothy 

Reece, a nurse, found an abandoned baby 

on the doorstep of her home in Mayfair 

and decided to take him in 

m Cotlands has been accredited by Council 

for Health Service Accreditation of 

Southern Africa (COHSASA) 

m Cotlands introduced antiretroviral 

therapy to HIV positive children in its 

care at its Gauteng hospice in 2002, 

which effectively reduced the hospice’s 

AIDS-related death rate from 82 children 

in 2001 to two by 2008 

m Cotlands’ services are offered to local 

communities across five provinces of 

South Africa 

m Cotlands coin collecting Tin Project has 

been operating for the past fifteen years 

and generates more than 4.5 percent of 

incoming funding

THE MARKET 

Named after one of the toughest creatures on the 

planet, Crocs took the world by storm from the 

time of the launch of the footwear range back in 

2002. 

Originally intended as a boating/outdoor shoe 

because of its comfortable and non-marking 

sole, the brand introduced its first Beach Model 

in November 2002 at the Florida Boat Show in 

America - and sold out in two days. From there, 

popularity mushroomed and sales poured in. By 

2005, Crocs had become a bona fide phenomenon, 

universally accepted as an all-purpose shoe for 

comfort and fashion. 

With a variety of colours available, there was 

soon a Croc for every outfit and activity, and a 

shoe that also offered real therapeutic benefit to 

wearers. Due to its proprietary closed-cell resin 

Croslite TM material, Crocs footwear has received 

the seal of approval from the United States 

Ergonomics council for reducing up to 62.6 

percent of leg fatigue while standing. 

Besides the comfort value, Croslite TM is a 

waterproof material, enabling wearers to work in 

the garden, get their shoes full of mud, and then 

simply hose them off. The shoes are extremely 

light and are virtually odour-resistant. The “clog” 

design, originally produced in Canada, was given 

a strap for utility and a little flair. 

Superb for all-day comfort, Crocs are 

designed for everyone from three to 100 years 

old. They have become a phenomenon loved by 

doctors, nurses, athletes, chefs, travellers, service 

professionals and of course, boaters, just to name 

a few. Being great lovers of the outdoors - and 

with kilometres of hot, sandy beaches around 

South Africa - locals love the ease and comfort 

of Crocs. 

In keeping with its payoff line, there really is 

“a shoe for every you”. Crocs’ commitment to 

providing fun and pleasant footwear experience 

to every foot in the world is also in line with 

the new marketing message of the shoe brand 

in the Asia-Pacific region in 2010, “Feel Good 

Revolution”. 

ACHIEVEMENTS 

In February 2006, Crocs went public on the 

NASDAQ exchange with the largest footwear 

IPO in history. 

A profitable third quarter in 2009 saw Crocs 

Inc revenue improve to 177.1 million US dollars, 

exceeding the Company’s guidance and the 

prior year period revenue. Cash increases rose 

50 percent to 76 million US dollars in first nine 

months of 2009. 

Locally, Crocs has opened four concept stores 

and a large number of retailers stock the range 

across South Africa. 

HISTORY 

It all started in July 2002, in Boulder, Colorado 

when three Boulder, Colorado-based founders 

discovered an unusual clog manufactured by Fin 

2006 

2009 

Project N.A., a company based out of Quebec, 

Canada. After adding an innovative strap, the 

original Crocs shoe was born. 

Initially intended as a boating/outdoor shoe 

because of its comfortable and non-marking sole, 

Crocs began to enter the mainstream with the 

introduction of the brand’s first Beach Model in 

November 2002 at the Florida Boat Show - and 

the sale of 200 pairs in two days. From there, 

the popularity of the footwear mushroomed and 

sales poured in. By 2005 Crocs had become 

universally accepted as an all-purpose shoe for 

comfort and fashion. 

From 2003 to 2004, Crocs focused on 

accommodating its remarkable growth, yet 

maintained its commitment to the core values 

and principles that made the company an instant 

success. Crocs expanded its product line, added 

warehouses and shipping programs, recruited 

and hired an exceptional senior management 

team and acquired Fin Project N.A. in 2004. 

Today, Crocs are available all over the world 

as well as on the internet, as the brand continues 

to expand significantly in all aspects of its 

business. 

May 2005 saw the launch of Crocs in South 

Africa. The brand currently has four local 

concept stores, located at the V&A Waterfront, 

Cape Town; Menlyn Shopping Mall, Pretoria; 

La Lucia Mall, La Lucia, KwaZulu-Natal; and 

at Cape Town International Airport. It also has 

several licensed distributors and a variety of 

stores across the country selling the sought-after 

shoes. 

In November 2006, Crocs crossover footwear 

line with Disney was released in South Africa, 

bringing well-loved characters, from Winnie the 

Pooh through various “princesses” to kids around 

the country. 

THE PRODUCT 

Besides their bright colours, Crocs also come in a 

variety of styles. Crocs manufactures its footwear 

in company-owned facilities in North America and 

in third party manufacturers’ facilities throughout 

the world. The North American facilities provide 

Crocs with maximum production flexibility, 

allowing the company to meet changing customer 

demand quickly and efficiently. In addition, the 

geographic diversity of its company-operated and 

third party manufacturing facilities allows Crocs 

to more rapidly and cost-effectively serve specific 

markets around the world. 

Since Crocs, Inc. began marketing its first 

shoe model, the Beach model, in November 

2002, the company has expanded its product line

to include over 120 unique shoe models and in a 

variety of color offerings; most other styles are 

produced in a palette of four to six colours or 

two-colour combinations. 

The brand’s Fuzz Collection, which has 

permanently attached woolly liners, extends the 

range into winter wear. Sporty flip-flops, Mary- 

Janes, Trailbreak multi-sport sandals and men’s 

Dekum canvas shoes are just a few of the models 

in a range that has grown considerably 

since the first Crocs turned the 

footwear market on its head. 

The brand also entered the golf 

shoe marketplace when it acquired 

golf shoe manufacturer Bite Footware, 

and introduced a Croc-styled pair 

of golf shoes called the Crocs Ace. 

Croc’s now-famous ergonomic design 

has been expanded further into a range 

that includes: 

• Crocs Rx 

• Crocs Work 

• Crocs Prepair 

Crocs are certified by the United 

States Ergonomics Council and 

the American Podiatric Medical 

Association for their therapeutic 

benefits. The company created what it 

calls an Rx line of models specifically 

with healthy feet in mind: CrocsRx 

Relief, CrocsRx Cloud, CrocsRx 

Custom Cloud and CrocsRx Silver 

Cloud. 

The company also sells other 

fashion accessories, including the 

Jibbitz decorations which can 

be clipped to the ventilation 

holes of the Crocs. These 

include designs mainly aimed 

at children, and feature a 

variety of fun and colorful 

designs and characters. In 

another nod to the popularity 

of Crocs, a line of purses 

and cell-phone holders - 

called Croc-O-Dials - is also 

produced in a wide array of 

colors. 


As evidence of the brand’s 

global growth, October 2009 

saw Crocs announce the planned 

opening of the company’s 

largest retail location in the 

world in Boulder, Colorado. 

In January 2010, Crocs 

donated 50 pairs of shoes to 

the African Children’s Choir to 

wear as they travelled around 

the United States. The choir 

comprises vulnerable children 

from various countries in 

Africa, many of whom have 

lost their parents to poverty 

or disease. The African 

Children’s Choir helps these 

2010 

children overcome poverty 

and spread their message of hope to the world. 

PROMOTION 

Crocs are marketed through various initiatives, 

including catalogues in print and online. Instore 

posters and promotions are also used by 

the brand, and the internet site allows customers 

to buy products online, as well as interact via 

2007/2008 

blogs. In particular, Crocs emphasizes an in-depth, 

interactive approach with the grassroots public, 

an initiative which can be clearly reflected in the 

many grass-roots events and PR exposures the 

company puts forward in the local communities. 

To support its foray on to golf courses, Crocs 

signed on as a partner with the PGA Tour in 2008, 

ran a limited flight of advertisements in golf and 

lifestyle publications, and set up a consumer 

“test drive” booth at 30 professional men’s and 

women’s tour events. The on-site Crocs booths 

allowed consumers to take a pair of the golf 

shoes on to the course to follow the tournament, 

and then return them at the end of the day. 

Much of the company’s sales comes from 

word-of-mouth marketing, with wearers and 

some health-care providers suggesting them to 

eliminate plantar pain and aching feet, saying the 

shoes’ inner support, heel cups, massaging heel 

nubs and arch support are ideal for people with 

foot problems. 

BRAND VALUES 

Despite the brand’s rapid and ongoing success, 

its makers still stand behind the core values of 

Crocs Footwear: “We are committed to making 

a lightweight, comfortable, fashionable and 

functional shoe that can be produced quickly and 

at an affordable cost to our customers.” 

Besides comfort and function, values 

associated with the shoe are: 

• Innovative 

• Different 

• Exciting 

• Fun 

• Useful 

The brand has become a global icon and even 

those who don’t “see themselves” in the shoes 

are converted after wearing them - usually once! 

Today, Crocs shoes are available in some 9,500 

domestic store locations and in more than 125 

countries worldwide. 


CROCS 

All Crocs shoes are constructed with 

Croslite TM , a material that is soft, 

lightweight, non-marking, and odour 

resistant 

By 2003, Crocs had become universally 

accepted as an all-purpose shoe for 

comfort and fashion 

To support its foray onto golf courses, 

Crocs signed on as a partner with the 

PGA Tour in 2008 

Crocs were named after crocodiles, 

which are tough, strong creatures with no 

natural predators 

The Crocs brand was launched in South 

Africa in 2005

THE MARKET 

DRUM’s over two million readers are young, sharp 

and funky - and want news that keeps them 

abreast of the world and its trends, along with 

articles that help them get ahead in their own lives. 

The magazine caters for the typical black South 

African family interested in everything from news, 

human drama, celebrities and sport to fashion and 

beauty, recipes and advice on how to improve their 

life and health. DRUM’s target market is women 

and men (61 percent women and 39 percent men) 

in LSM 5 to 8 and age group 16 to 49. 

The majority of readers live in urban 

areas and enjoy an average standard of living. 

They’re proud of their African heritage, and see 

themselves first and foremost as South Africans. 

They enjoy spending time with their families, 

see AIDS as a serious threat to the South African 

economy and are concerned about other healthcare 

issues and unemployment. Readers believe 

they’re living in better conditions now than predemocracy 

and they strive to be fully employed 

and aspire to meaningful careers. 

Audit Bureau of Circulation (ABC) figures 

from July to September 2009 show that an 

average of 105,889 copies were sold each week. 

DRUM Zulu accounts for 12 percent published 

in English and Zulu, DRUM sells more copies 

per month than any other black publication in 

South Africa. 

ACHIEVEMENTS 

• In 2000, DRUM was voted the best general 

magazine and South Africa’s best-known 

magazine brand among its black and white 

market peers 

• It is a registered member of the Audit Bureau 

of Circulation (ABC) 

• DRUM’s most successful issue ever was 

in December 1995 with sales of 221,737 

that month, and in December 1999, DRUM 

achieved sales of 156,981 in one week 

• In 2006 DRUM received a Media 24 

Excellence award in the category Proudly 

South African for its coverage of the Oscar 

triumph of the film Tsotsi 

• It has been awarded Superbrand Status since 

2006 

• Journalist Kaizer Ngwenya was honoured 

with the CNN Multichoice Free Press Africa 

Award in 2007 

• DRUM received the Advantage ADmag Gold 

Award for Best General Interest Magazine for 

two consecutive years, 2007 and 2008 

• It was awarded the prestigious Neil Hamman 

Award by Media24 in 2008 

HISTORY 

DRUM was first known as The African Drum, 

and it was edited by Robert Crisp, a journalist 

and broadcaster. Copies were sent abroad by 

the South African government as an example 

of their success with the “bantu’’. In 1951, Jim 

Bailey took over, and with a name change to 

DRUM, the magazine started to reflect the 

real lives of black South Africans. First edited 

by Anthony Sampson, the magazine had as 

its backbone crime, investigative reporting, 

girls, jazz and sport. This was fleshed out by 

imaginative photography. It captured all aspects 

of township life and, as the political climate 

worsened, became a voice black people came 

to trust and rely on. 

In 1953, East and West African editions 

were launched. It was known for scooping 

many of the major stories of the time and was 

an essential part of people’s lives - as it still 

is today. Journalists and photographers such 

as Henry Nxumalo, Peter Magubane and 

Ernest Cole, who have become legends in

their own right, started their careers at DRUM. 

Despite bannings, it survived the dark 

apartheid years and is now part of publishing 

giant Media24’s family magazines division. It 

continues to walk the road of life with its readers, 

catering for new interests in a democratic society 

with its own unique challenges and talking 

points. 

THE PRODUCT 

There is no magazine like DRUM (and its sister 

publications YOU and Huisgenoot) anywhere 

else in the world. It provides a unique mix of 

information, entertainment and education. In the 

African market there is no competitor for this 

brand - in terms of editorial mix and publishing 

excellence, as well as printing and distribution 

platforms. 

In recent years DRUM’s readers have begun 

empowering themselves and expanding their 

horizons and the content has evolved to meet their 

new demands and preferences. The magazine’s 

design is bold, bright and accessible and has also 

been changed and refined to speak to the market. 

Recent editorial innovations include: 

• How SA lives: This weekly editorial feature 

showcases ordinary South Africans and the 

lives they lead in our beautiful and unique 

country. DRUM takes readers into their 

homes and hearts as they share their hopes, 

fears, pride and dreams 

• DRUM in the classroom: This is a special 

weekly feature aimed at supporting South 

African learners, teachers and parents. It 

aims to provide valuable and easily accessible 

information to aid in the classroom 

• DRUM Darlings: This special annual issue 

was launched in 2005 and gives DRUM 

readers the opportunity to vote for their 

favourite celebrities. It is a unique poll in the 

South African 

market as it truly represents 

the opinion of the black market 

when it comes to the popularity 

of celebrities 

DRUM continually strives 

to develop a closer relationship 

with its readers, who have been 

encouraged to become part of the 

DRUM family through regular 

polls, SMS participation and 

improved prizes for letters. The 

response has been remarkable. 

DRUM has become a brand to 

be proud of - for its publishers, 

editorial team and readers. 


In June 2006 DRUM and its sister 

magazines YOU and Huisgenoot, 

launched the Unite Against Crime 

campaign, using their collective 

power as South Africa’s three 

largest family magazines to 

allow South Africans to make 

their voice heard in the protest 

against crime. 

A black ribbon was 

the chosen symbol for the 

campaign - the colour of 

mourning, not only for the 

thousands of people who have 

already been killed, but also for the millions who 

live in constant fear of becoming the next victim. 

Reaction from readers, giving the campaign their 

unequivocal support, has been overwhelming. As 

part of the campaign the Heroes Against Crime 

competition was launched. 

Another recent development was the launch 

of the Dream with Drum competition, in which 

readers’ dreams are made real by Drum. 

PROMOTION 

DRUM promotes itself through 

television and also makes use 

of selected radio programmes. 

The magazine focuses on certain 

targeted events that vary from year 

to year, but include the sponsorship 

of music shows and jazz festivals. 

BRAND VALUES 

DRUM communicates in a 

language readers understand and 

can relate to. It is informative 

and empowering, offering value 

for money at an affordable price. 

DRUM is committed to being 

a world-class magazine, and a 

real people’s magazine, in touch 

with its readers’ lives, fears and 

hopes. It is being produced by a 

highly skilled team dedicated to 

maintaining quality. 

Readers can be sure that 

what they read meets the highest 

standards of journalism and 

professionalism. The same goes 

for advertisers, who have come 

to expect excellent service from 

the magazine’s enthusiastic 

team. 


DRUM 

At over two million readers weekly, 

DRUM is currently the top read weekly 

consumer magazine in South Africa, 

followed by its sister magazines, 

Huisgenoot and YOU 

DRUM is published in English, but also 

has a Zulu edition, which makes up about 

15 percent of its print order 

DRUM’s most successful issue ever was 

in December 1995 when it was still a 

monthly magazine, with sales of 221,737 

DRUM became a weekly magazine in 

September 1996, and in December 1996, 

achieved sales of 156,981 in one week 

DRUM has been part of the Naspers 

stable for over 20 years

The Market 

DStv is now 15 years old, having brought satellite 

viewing to the Africa continent in 1995. It is seen 

in 48 countries and boasts an African subscriber 

base of more than three million subscribers. 

Although competition is expected in S.A. in 

2010, DStv still has 100 percent market share. 

Its South African base has continued, through 

good and lean years, to grow by double digit 

numbers. 

DStv’s success has been around the strength 

of its offering. It has continued to acquire 

world class channels in all major pay-tv genres. 

(General entertainment, sport, documentaries, 

local programming and kids) While catering for 

large market segments, it doesn’t forget the need 

for a number of niche language channels. 

DStv has become one of South Africa’s most 

recognizable brands. Its “so much more” promise 

is strongly embedded in the top ten list of South 

Africa’s most popular pay-off lines. Amongst the 

younger population (9-22) DStv is 4th on the list 

of “Things I couldn’t live without”. 

DStv’s greatest achievement over the last 

few years is that it has managed to move itself 

from an elite brand, mainly for the richer white 

population, to a brand much more broadly based 

- and attracting a far more diverse demographic. 

The success of DStv Compact, at 700,000 

subscribers, and now making up 30 percent of 

the DStv base, attests to this. 

Achievements 

During the last few years, DStv has achieved many 

milestones: 

• The DStv Compact base has reached 

700,000 subscribers in only five years 

• The PVR launched in 2005, has made way 

for the HD PVR. Already DStv offers four 

HD channels and more are in the pipeline 

• The brand has received local and international 

recognition with a number of Loerie 

Advertising Awards, Promax International 

Awards, and various others. 

• The Total DStv S.A. base, in early 2010, 

stands at 2.4m. A market penetration of 

approximately 24 percent 

History 

The pay-TV channel, M-Net - an analogue 

subscriber-based channel, was the forerunner to 

DStv. In 1995, MultiChoice launched the DStv 

satellite platform with 16 channels. These included 

11 entertainment channels; SuperSport 1, 3, 5 and 

6; and the audio offering that gave subscribers 39 

CD-quality music channels to choose from. 

The brand has moved ahead quickly since 

those early days, continually launching new 

channels, bouquets and technologies. 

The Product 

• DStv Premium: +80 channels (incl. 4 HD) 

aimed at LSM 8-10. 

• DStv Compact +35 channels, launched in 

2005 and growing very quickly. Aimed at 

LSM 5-7. It is predicted to reach one million 

subscribers by 2012 

• DStv Select +26 channels. Not as popular 

as Compact due to no live sport channels but 

fulfilling a market need at less than 150 rand 

per month 

• DStv Commercial: DStv offers a number

of packages to commercial establishments. 

Although only about five percent of the 

business, the DStv product is seen and 

sampled through this medium. 

• DStv Indian/Portuguese: These bouquets 

target subscribers of African and Portuguese 

descent and can be bought “stand alone” or 

as a sell through with DStv Premium, Select 

or Compact 

Recent Developments 

The brand continuously expands its offerings. 

Channels added in the last few years include: 

• Vuzu 

• eNews 

• SS Blitz 

• Discovery World 

The PVR, with its recording, pausing and 

replay capabilities, changed the way an ever 

growing part of the base was now able to view 

television. 

The HD PVR with its crystal clear M-Net, 

SuperSport and Discovery channels will soon 

become the norm. More HD channels are planned 

to heighten the DStv experience. 

Promotion 

Like any major brand, good, creative advertising 

and promotion is vital. The brand must have a 

personality which attracts subscribers and nonsubscribers 

alike. 

At the same time, it must be able to inform the 

uninformed as to the benefits of having DStv. 

In general, brand promotion must: 

• Grow the subscriber base 

• Increase (positive) brand awareness 

• Maintain brand relevance to what are 

sometimes very different demographics. 

Brand Values 

The mother brand is now 15 years old and although 

mature, is fresh, world class, culturally resonant, 

compelling and entertaining. “So much more” is 

not only about quantity, but quality as well. 

The DStv Compact brand, although topping 

into all DStv values, also concentrates on 

“affordable luxury” - It also stresses the power 

of the home in today’s home - “make your home 

the place to be”. 


DStv 

m Apart from world famous channels in 

each genre, it also has 40 DMX 24Hr a 

day audio music channels 

m DStv was the second satellite platform to 

be launched worldwide (after BSkyB) 

m The Total DStv S.A. base, in early 2010, 

stands at 2.4 million. A market penetration 

of approximately 24 percent 

m DStv’s Dish Magazine is South Africa’s 

2nd biggest monthly magazine 

m The DStv Select base has reached 

700, 000 subscribers in only five years 

m The brand has received local and 

international recognition with a number 

of Loerie Advertising Awards, Promax 

International Awards, and various others

THE MARKET 

South African electricity public utility Eskom 

was established in 1923 as the Electricity Supply 

Commission (ESCOM) by the government of South 

Africa in terms of the Electricity Act (1922). At that 

time the facility was also known by its Afrikaans 

name, Elektrisiteitsvoorsieningskommissie 

(EVKOM). After restructuring, the two acronyms 

were combined in 1987 and the company became 

known as Eskom. 

Eskom is one of the top ten utilities in the world 

by generating capacity (44 193MW nominal). 

The utility generates, transmits and distributes 

electricity to industrial, mining, commercial, 

agricultural and residential customers, as well as 

to redistributors such as municipalities. Eskom 

buys electricity from - and sells electricity to - 

the countries of the South African Development 

Community (SADC). However, future involvement 

in markets outside South Africa is limited to 

those projects that have a direct impact on ensuring 

the security of supply for South Africa. 

Some 95 percent of the electricity used in 

South Africa and 45 percent of electricity used 

in Africa is generated by Eskom, which plays a 

major role in accelerating growth in the South 

African economy by providing a reliable supply 

of electricity to satisfy the needs of the country. 

The contribution that Eskom has made to 

South Africa and the rest of the continent over the 

past 86 years has been enormous and its role into 

the future continues to be critical to the success 

of the country. The brand is cognisant of the 

role it plays as a state-owned enterprise to set a 

foundation for the growth and development of the 

economy. 

ACHIEVEMENTS 

Some of the company’s 

highlights in the year ending 

March 2009 include 112,965 

electrification connections that 

were made during the year, 

exceeding its set target by 

5,470. Since the inception of 

the electrification programme 

in 1991, a total of 3,638 188 

homes have been electrified. 

Eskom also achieved 

an 85/100 rating and 

attained Level Two B-BBEE 

contributor status, meaning 

that any entity conducting 

business with Eskom can 

claim 125 percent on its 

B-BBEE procurement spend. 

The brand is committed to social investment 

and development. In the 2007/2008 financial 

year, Eskom spent 823 million rand on training 

and educating employees. 

Eskom’s new build highlights in 2008/9 

include: 

• Camden power station is fully operational 

(eight units) 

• Two units of Grootvlei power station have 

been synchronised to the grid 

• One unit of Komati power station is now 

synchronised to the grid 

• Two more open-cycle gas turbine units have 

been commissioned at Gourikwa power 

station and five at Ankerlig 

HISTORY 

On 6 March 1923, the Government Gazette 

announced the establishment of the Electricity 

Supply Commission (Escom), effective as of 1 

March 1923. 

In accordance with conditions first stipulated 

in the Power Act of 1910 and included in the 

Electricity Act of 1922, all assets of the Victoria 

Falls Power Company were expropriated and 

taken over by Escom in 1948. In 1977, Megawatt 

Park in Sandton became Eskom’s head office. 

Restructured to meet the electricity demands 

of a changing South Africa, the Electricity Supply 

Commission (Escom) was renamed Eskom in 

1987. To continue to stay ahead of the curve, the 

Eskom Convention Centre - a comprehensive 

training facility - was built in Midrand in 1985. 

In 1994, a national regulator replaced Africa’s 

electricity control board. It was empowered 

to ensure the orderly, effective generation and 

distribution of electricity throughout the country. 

Eskom took over the distribution responsibility in 

a number of municipalities and devoted attention 

to improving the quality of supply, metering and 

billing systems. 

Eskom Enterprises was formed in 1999 

to focus on Eskom’s non-regulated business 

activities in South Africa, and became involved 

in the energy and related services business 

internationally. Eskom Enterprises now focuses 

mainly on the build programme and lifecycle 

support for the brand’s various divisions. 

THE PRODUCT 

In 1831, Michael Faraday discovered that magnets 

and moving wire had strange effects on each other 

when they moved close together. He found in fact, 

that the mechanical energy used to move a magnet 

inside a coil of wire could be changed into electrical 

energy which flowed through the wire. 

It was this simple discovery that led to modern 

power stations. In large power stations, huge 

magnets are turned inside vast coils of insulated 

metal wire. It is here that the primary sources of 

energy are used. There are a number of ways of 

utilising primary sources of energy to “drive” a 

generator. In South Africa, coal is primarily used 

to generate the electricity the country needs. 

Because there is no realistic way to store large 

quantities of electricity required for distribution 

to the user, the amount being fed into the grid 

must always match what consumers need. This 

varies not just from day to day, but from minute 

to minute. 

For education on the dynamics of electricity 

generation, Eskom’s Generation division has 

four visitors centres - Lethabo in Vereeniging 

(coal-fired); Koeberg near Cape Town (nuclear); 

Palmiet near Grabouw; and Drakensberg near 

Bergville (pumped storage). Visitor centres 

include interactive models 

demonstrating how 

electricity is generated as 

well as informative displays 

and presentations tailored to 

suit visitors’ needs. 

RECENT 

DEVELOPMENTS 

“Together building the power 

base of sustainable growth 

and development” is Eskom’s 

vision, which was developed 

to align the company with its 

new build programme that 

will see Eskom double its 

capacity to about 80 000MW 

by 2026.

To ensure a security of supply for 

the future, additional power stations and 

major power lines are being built to meet 

rising electricity demands in the country. 

Since the programme began in 2005, 

additional capacity of 4,454MW has 

been commissioned. 

Over the next five years, Eskom 

will be spending some 385 billion rand 

on new electricity infrastructure, a 

significant increase from the 150 billion 

rand previously scheduled for the five 

years to 2012. While this is a medium 

to long-term solution to the current 

power shortage, it will ensure that power 

demands will be adequately met in the 

future. 

South Africa plans to build 

40,000MW of new generation capacity 

by 2025, of which 12,476 are already 

under construction. A further 6,134MW 

will come on-stream within the next five 

years, including the completion of the 

two remaining old coal-fired stations 

being returned to service; the upgrade of 

Arnot power station; the first three units 

of Medupi; and the first unit of Kusile. 

Some 1 962km of high-voltage transmission 

lines have been built in the past four years, as 

well as numerous new transmission substations 

and transmission network upgrade projects. The 

construction of the 765kV ultra high-voltage line to 

the Cape is progressing well, with 430km already 

strung. The Apollo substation refurbishment 

was completed in May 2008. This increases the 

availability of the Cahora Bassa/Apollo highvoltage 

direct current interconnection. 

PROMOTION 

Eskom’s marketing campaigns comprise both above 

and below-the-line communication, targeting all 

areas from large industrial customers to individual 

households. 

Marketing includes engagement with national 

and international media, media partnerships, 

community activation, stakeholder engagement 

and partnering with key organisations to maximise 

impact and reach. 

Against the current global environmental 

backdrop and the need to reduce electricity 

A new source of energy in this community 

Let’s introduce you to the people 

of AmaBlom who are start-up 

agri-entrepreneurs receiving 

big company benefits from 

Timbali Technology Incubator in 

Nelspruit, Mpumalanga. 

Timbali uses a cluster-model to 

increase economy of scale to grow 

export quality flowers that will 

enable these women and men to run 

independent, competitive businesses. 

Already AmaBlom produces over 

5,5 million flowersa year which 

are sold all over the world. 

All thanks to the abundant 

energy of these budding 

young entrepreneurs. We 

at Eskom are especially 

proud to have supplied 

the power and energy 

saving technologies to 

make their hopes and dreams 

come to life. To see how the 

people of AmaBlom made this ad, 

go to www.eskom.co/amablom. 

EskomHoldingsLimited Reg No 2002/015527/06 

consumption nationally while Eskom builds new 

power stations, communication is focused on 

educating consumers on energy efficiency. 

Eskom sponsors programmes such as the eta 

Awards and the Eskom Expo for Young Scientists 

competition to further encourage innovative 

thinking and reward companies and individuals 

for their efforts in designing and/or implementing 

energy efficient solutions. 

Public safety also forms a vital part of Eskom’s 

communications, with above and below the line 

campaigns consistently educating South Africans 

about the safe use of electricity and the dangers of 

illegal and unsafe use of electricity. 

Eskom also delivers on its corporate social 

investment through the Eskom Development 

Foundation, a section 21 Company. The 

Foundation’s objectives are to support economic 

and social projects through grants and donations, 

targeting communities where Eskom implements 

its “new build” programme and the communities in 

which it operates, and in broad terms, supporting 

the theme of energy. 

www.eskom.co.za 

BRAND VALUES 

Eskom is first and foremost an African company, 

with its brand personality defined through its 

values: 

• African, and proudly so 

• World-class, globally competitive leaders 

• Ready to embrace partnerships and strong 

alliances 

• Agile, quick to identify and explore 

opportunities 

• Driven by ingenuity with integrity. 


ESKOM 

Eskom’s next generation of power stations 

will use water far more efficiently 

The two new coal-fired power stations 

will employ clean coal technologies 

It takes up to eight years to build a coalfired 

power station 

Ash from several power stations is used 

in the production of cement 

Baseload power stations, largely coalfired 

and nuclear, are designed to operate 

continuously - 24 hours a day - until 

the units come off-line for scheduled 

maintenance 

Eskom’s Klipheuwel wind farm is the 

first wind farm in sub-Saharan Africa 

Koeberg is the only nuclear power station 

in Africa 

Eskom has 381,700km of power lines 

across South Africa

THE MARKET 

It’s a brand that has taken mealtime to new levels of 

nutrition for pets. Eukanuba comprises a core range 

for dogs and a prescription range of veterinary 

diets for dogs (and cats), aimed at conscientious 

and responsible animal lovers who choose to feed 

their pets the best they can. 

A leading global brand, Eukanuba is sold 

solely through the vet channel in South Africa, 

as it relies on the professional recommendation 

and endorsement of veterinarians. Eukanuba 

is unique in that its brand status is built on this 

professional endorsement, and also to some 

degree on word of mouth through top breeders 

who show their dogs. 

The target consumer is the responsible and 

caring dog owner - ideally, one who recognises 

the links between good health, exercise, veterinary 

care and their dogs’ general state of well-being 

and happiness: one who chooses to make their 

good dog great. 

Eukanuba’s market presence has continued 

to grow in volume despite challenging global 

economic conditions - and during a time when 

national pet food sales through the vet channel 

are declining for the first time in ten years in 

South Africa. The brand is set to continue its 

growth in the vet market, with no plans to go 

into the grocery or mass market: professional 

recommendation and a thorough understanding 

of nutrition are required to recommend the 

Eukanuba products. 

The popularity of Eukanuba has been built on 

the four key pillars of nutrition and professional 

recommendation that have stood the test of time 

- more than 40 years, in fact! 

ACHIEVEMENTS 

In 2009, Eukanuba celebrated its 40th year - and 

double-digit growth every year since inception. 

According to Animal Talk magazine, for the past 

four years, the South African Top Dog, as rated 

by the Kennel Union of South Africa (KUSA), 

has been fed exclusively on Eukanuba, with seven 

out of ten show dogs also being fed exclusively 

on the product. 

The brand’s manufacturing plant undergoes 

voluntary annual inspections by the independent 

American Institute of Bakers (AIB), which 

assesses positive and negative conditions by 

physically examining the facility, its equipment 

and practices to determine plant programme 

standards. The P&G Petcare manufacturing plant 

in Coevorden, Holland (where Eukanuba for the 

South African market is manufactured) has been 

consistently independently audited and awarded 

a superior rating from the AIB on human food 

safety and quality standards - an achievement 

not many human food companies can claim. 

Eukanuba has made significant contributions 

to the world of dog and cat nutrition from the 

start, continually investing in innovative research 

and development. This list highlights some of 

its many nutritional breakthroughs and exciting 

pioneering innovations: 

• 1968: beet pulp, a special fibre, is shown to 

promote a healthy digestive tract and help to 

maintain the integrity of the mucosal barrier 

• 1994: an adjusted Omega 6 and Omega 3 fatty 

acid ratio of 5-10:1 is shown to reduce the 

level of circulating inflammatory mediators 

and improve skin and coat condition 

• 1994: fructooligosaccharides (FOS), forming 

a prebiotic fibre that promotes the growth of 

beneficial intestinal flora at the expense of 

the pathogenic bacteria, are introduced 

• 1997: the Nitrogen Trap System is pioneered 

to stimulate an alternative nitrogen excretion 

route via the faeces to decrease the workload 

of the kidneys 

• 1997: Eukanuba Puppy and Junior Large 

Breed Formula become the first large-breed 

puppy product in Europe 

• 1997: antioxidants, vitamin E, beta-carotene 

and lutein contained in Eukanuba, are shown 

to support the immune system and improve 

vaccine efficacy 

• 1998: mannanoligosaccharide (MOS) fibre is 

found to bind pathogenic bacteria and prevent 

their adherence to the intestinal wall 

• 1998: a special carbohydrate blend is introduced 

to help blunt blood sugar levels after 

eating, helping to control appetite and possible 

weight gain 

• 1998: the advanced weight control system 

of L-Carnitine and vitamin A is added to 

Eukanuba Restricted Calorie to help reduce 

weight and improve body condition 

• 1998: carboxymethylcellulose, a special fibre 

shown to increase glucose tolerance, helps 

diabetic and overweight dogs 

• 2001: a polyphosphate dental care system, 

introduced into Eukanuba, is shown to reduce 

tartar accumulation on the teeth by up to 55 

percent 

• 2004: a mature life-stage diet concept, tailored 

to meet the nutritional needs of mature (7- 11 

years) dogs, is introduced 

• 2005: high levels of DHA, a key brainbuilding 

Omega 3 fatty acid, shown to 

improve a puppy’s ability to learn 

• 2009: FOS prebiotics are included in the core 

adult range, in line with the proof in 1994 of 

the beneficial link between prebiotics and gut 

health 

HISTORY 

It all started in 1946 with a man called Paul F Iams, 

founder of the Iams Company, who recognised 

that dogs and cats should be fed as carnivores, and 

started the world’s first meat-based, dry complete 

diet, calling it “Iams 999” to indicate it was near 

to perfect. 

In 1969 Iams introduced Eukanuba, made with 

lots of meat. The word itself means “something 

supreme”. In 1970 he appointed Clay Mathile, 

who would become his successor in 1981. In 

1984 the product launched internationally and 

soon became the premium dog food of choice in 

the United States and Europe. 

Start-up was slow in South Africa, with staff 

delivering the product themselves. It expanded 

rapidly and suddenly growing demand required 

a large warehouse and third-party logistics 

Feed as his nature intended 

Feed as his nature intended 

Feed as his nature intended

contracts nationally. Eukanuba was the first 

super-premium pet food brand to be launched 

in South Africa and some vets at the time said 

nobody would be interested in this standard of 

food for their pets; that it was “too upmarket, 

expensive and advanced for what South African 

pets need”. Local pet owners felt otherwise and 

soon many competitors attempted to follow in 

Eukanuba’s footsteps. 

THE PRODUCT 

The pillars of nutrition and innovative science 

in all Eukanuba products present a package of 

tailored nutrition - or “magic in a bag” - designed 

specifically to suit life-stage and lifestyle nutrition. 

Recognising that dogs have different requirements 

at different ages depending on their lifestyles, the 

company offers, in each of its various products, 

something specific to meet those needs. Puppies, 

adult dogs and senior dogs are catered for; as 

are overweight dogs, and those with sensitive 

skin, joint problems and intestinal upsets. In the 

case of the Eukanuba Prescription Diet range, 

even serious illnesses such as renal failure can be 

helped with the correct diet. All adult diets contain 

DentalCare. 

The number one differentiating factor is that 

Eukanuba believes that meat, not cereal, should 

be the main source of proteins. This is the first 

of the four pillars of nutrition. The others are the 

use of beet fibre, the balance of special oils and 

the use of high-quality carbohydrates. Eukanuba 

products are aimed at making good dogs great, 

enabling them to live the best life possible with a 

tailored approach for specific needs. 

The packaging has clear and comprehensive 

detail with easy feeding guidelines, and the 

striking colours of the Eukanuba brand make 

it easy to identify on shelf. On-pack “icons” 

indicate various health benefits and the text 

includes the 100 percent money-back guarantee, 

a toll-free information number specifically 

for South Africa and an ingredient listing that 

indicates Eukanuba’s commitment to quality and 

“fixed” ingredients. 


The introduction of prebiotics in the form of 

FOS in almost the entire Eukanuba adult range 

has once again set the pace for others to follow. 

Food is imported from Europe, and is 

free of genetically modified organisms 

(GMOs). Standards are so high that the 

brand believes it could not replicate 

them locally. 

PROMOTION 

Besides professional recommendation 

by vets, Eukanuba is promoted heavily 

in “enthusiast media” such as Animal 

Talk, All about Dogs and Pets Life, as 

well as on certain veterinary talk shows 

on 702 or Cape Talk. 

Sponsorships of dog shows - more 

than 30 annually around South Africa 

- and sending the Top KUSA dog to 

the Eukanuba World Challenge in 

California constitute a huge investment, 

as well as good promotion to the right 

target group. 

Food-court promotions are held 

outside vet shops and public relations 

exposure from sponsorships and 

welfare organisations arises from 

Eukanuba’s many ongoing donations. 

Due to the rules and constraints 

surrounding veterinary advertising, 

marketing must be innovative. 

One highly successful venture was 

the inception of fully sponsored Eukanuba Puppy 

Schools. There are now more than 70 around 

South Africa and new ones open monthly. All 

are linked to a vet and each trainer is required 

to spend a certain amount of time discussing the 

importance of premium nutrition and the role of 

the vet as part of responsible pet ownership. 

Eukanuba’s new “carnivore” campaign has 

been well received by vets and an international 

website offers a local link provinding vast amount 

of information. 

BRAND VALUES 

Eukanuba stands for quality and commitment to 

safety, finest quality ingredients, value for money, 

and premium nutrition. The product is about dogs 

looking magnificent on Eukanuba and feeling 

great. 

Consumers are promised the best and 

Eukanuba delivers with a 100 percent moneyback 

guarantee, and all issues raised are followed 

New puppy? 

Want the best start in life? 

Ask us for your FREE Eukanuba Puppy Guide today 

up with personal phone calls. As the payoff line 

says, Eukanuba is committed to Making Good 

Dogs Great, and packaging is designed to reflect 

this, with healthy, shiny-coated, happy dogs 

carrying this message to consumers. 

Eukanuba ensures the consistency of its 

products by using specific suppliers that meet 

the highest standards. Each raw ingredient must 

undergo stringent testing, before it is accepted 

into the factory and there are more than 120 

safety and quality-control checks per bag in the 

plant. 

Eukanuba’s AIB rating is higher than many 

human foods. It is also GMO free, which 

many human foods cannot claim. Cutting-edge 

manufacturing equipment also ensures a finished 

product of the highest quality for those who know 

good dogs can be great! 


EUKANUBA 

m The name Eukanuba comes from a jazz 

term meaning “tops” or “the best” 

m The brand’s manufacturing process 

is so quality conscious that rejected 

ingredients may be used by other human 

and pet food manufacturers after being 

turned away from the Eukanuba and Iams 

manufacturing plant. 

m Iams cat foods are the sister brand to 

Eukanuba dog foods 

m The lamb used, really does come from 

New Zealand and the Norwegian salmon 

really is from Norway, as they offer 

superior sources of Omega 3 fatty acids 

for improved coat and skin health

THE MARKET 

It’s sexy, it’s funny, it’s useful - and it began life as 

a fashion trade magazine in the United Kingdom 

called For Him Magazine. 

FHM, South Africa’s premier men’s lifestyle 

magazine brand, targets the LSM 10 male between 

20 and 35 - and very well, too, considering its 

turnover for the past financial year was 46.3 

million rand, and there’s every indication it will 

maintain a growth rate of around six percent and 

a stable market share. 

Published by UpperCase Media (UCM), 

the glossy magazine offers something for every 

reader, from its ever-popular FHM calendar - 

always shot in an exotic location with 12 new 

models every year - to information men can 

use to get more out of life and improve their 

relationships. 

FHM currently owns about 40 percent of 

its market and stands out on the shelves with 

spectacular packaging and merchandising 

initiatives for special editions. With fashion, 

motoring, entertainment and sport on the menu, 

FHM produces the goods for a selective urban 

market with major aspirations. It really is a guy 

thing. 

ACHIEVEMENTS 

With its upbeat - and usually irreverent - style, 

it’s little wonder that FHM is often called to the 

podium at award ceremonies. Some achievements 

include: 

2009 

• UCM: Media Owner Sales Team (MOST) 

Award for Excellence in Media Sales and 

Marketing: Magazines 

2008 

• FHM: named “Coolest Male Magazine” in 

the Sunday Times Generation Next Youth 

Brands Survey; FHM’s “It’s a guy thing” also 

named one of South Africa’s top ten brand 

slogans, across all products and services 

2007 

• FHM: named second “Coolest Magazine” 

in the Sunday Times Generation Next Youth 

Brand Survey, behind heat; FHM’s “It’s a guy 

thing” also named one of South Africa’s top 

ten brand slogans, across all products and 

services 

2006 

• UCM: AdVantage AdMag Gold Award for 

Best Publisher of the Year. 

• FHM: AdVantage AdMag Gold Award for 

Best Male Magazine of the Year 

2005 

• FHM: AdVantage AdMag Award for Best 

Men’s Magazine 

• FHM Advertising Director Michael Bester: 

Media24 Excellence Award for Sales Manager 

of the Year 

• FHM Fashion Director Chris Viljoen: MPA 

Mondi Award for Fashion 

2004 


Magazine 

• FHM Collections: Sappi Pica Award for Best 

Supplement 

• FHM Fashion Director Chris Viljoen: MPA 

Mondi Award for Fashion 

2003 

• FHM Advertising Sales Team: Media Owner 

Marketing Award (MOMA) for Excellence in 

Media Sales and Marketing: Magazines 

• FHM Reviews Team: MPA Mondi Award for 

Reviews 

2002 

• FHM Advertising Sales Team: MOMA for 

Excellence in Media Sales and Marketing: 

Magazines 

• FHM Fashion Director Chris Viljoen: SA 

Fashion Week Fashion Editor of the Year 

2001 

• UCM: AdVantage AdMag Award for Best 

Publisher of the Year 


Male Magazine of the Year 

• FHM: Sappi Pica Award for Best Design 

FHM is the first magazine in South Africa to 

publish in 3D: the magazine’s 10th birthday issue 

- the December 2009 issue, which went on sale in 

October - hit the shelves in retro cool 3D, along 

with free 3D glasses. 

This brand was also the first men’s lifestyle 

magazine in South Africa to inform and entertain 

its readers with interesting and popular content 

from all over the world. FHM is the first men’s 

lifestyle magazine to record a song played 

on commercial radio, downloadable from 

fhm.co.za. (All proceeds from High Maintenance 

goes to Powa.)

HISTORY 

FHM was launched at the end of 1999 

by Louis Eksteen and Kim Browne, 

who created a new media company, 

UCM, in a joint venture between 

Media24 and Bauer Media. 

Starting with a staff complement 

of 12, the company later launched 

South Africa’s only glossy weekly 

magazine, heat. Some 60 UCM staff 

members now produce a variety of 

media products under the FHM and 

heat brands in print, and via UCM 

Digital. 

With no offices or furniture to start 

off with, UCM raided the Media24 

furniture dump. A handyman put 

some tables and chairs together and 

with these - plus a mouldy old couch 

and a small spare office - the launch 

pad of both UCM and FHM was set. 

Many a night was spent sleeping on 

the “smelly” couch and many staffers 

still believe the new, shiny and clean 

black leather couch bought years later 

has just never been as comfortable as 

the old one. 

FHM remains a unique brand 

in a highly competitive set. While 

almost nobody tipped it to succeed, 

its inimitable, fun character made it a 

much talked-about, loved and truly South African 

brand that overtook the competition to become 

the number one men’s lifestyle media brand. It 

also became one of the most profitable monthly 

magazines in the country. 

Some ten years later, it’s a brand recognised 

across the country and trusted to continue 

bringing hot topics, hot fashions and hot models 

to thousands of affluent, aspirant men. 

THE PRODUCT 

FHM provides South African guys with sexy, 

funny and valuable information and entertainment, 

delivered in a irreverent, tongue-in-cheek manner 

across print and digital platforms. 

The brand pioneered a variety of magazine 

packaging innovations, including specially 

manufactured foil bags for special editions such 

as FHM’s 100 Sexiest issues. Added value from 

FHM also comes in the form of its website, 

a mobisite, a reader campaign to vote for the 

world’s 100 sexiest women and South Africa’s 

biggest model search, among other innovative 

products. 

Its many fans have come to expect the brand’s 

irreverence: the little non-literal picture captions 

in FHM rarely have anything to do with the 

actual picture, take an incredible amount of time 

to write - and have become the most popular 

element of the magazine. 

FHM has much interaction with its readers, 

both online and via its print platform. The 

editorial team says the most popular pictures 

sent in by FHM readers are of their own injuries 

and are known in FHM circles as “gross pics”. 

Competitions encourage reader participation, 

and the most valuable prize that can be won by 

an FHM fan is the opportunity to go on an FHM 

shoot. Priceless. 


m.fhm.co.za, the official FHM web site formatted 

for mobile phones, is showing great progress. 

The FHM Guy Awards - where FHM fans 

vote for their favourite products and brands - are 

becoming very popular; chosen brands also feel 

honoured enough to use their FHM status in their 

own marketing efforts. 

FHM produced an hour-long special 

documentary movie for M-Net HD about the 

FHM Calendar 2010. 

PROMOTION 

The FHM message is carried on TV, radio, outdoor 

and advertising trade media, as well as online. 

The brand also produces all its own commercials 

through UCM Creative Solutions. 

FHM pioneered high-definition (HD) video 

via YouTube HD, and all FHM videos produced 

since July 2009 are in HD. So popular are they 

that the FHM Channel on YouTube has already 

reached the one million mark in total downloads. 

The brand is very active in social-networking 

media such as Facebook and Twitter. In addition, 

special direct-marketing activities are aimed 

at new and current subscribers to the printed 

magazine, along with weekly e-mail newsletters 

to its online community database. 

All special issues - such as FHM 100 Sexiest 

and the annual FHM Style and Grooming Awards 

- are coupled with hugely popular parties and 

events for fans and advertisers. FHM posters 

are always extremely popular and are regularly 

stolen. 

The brand’s payoff line: “FHM: It’s a guy 

thing” is regularly voted in the top ten coolest 

brand slogans across all brands (not just media) 

in the Sunday Times Generation Next survey. 

BRAND VALUES 

This is a brand that is all about sexiness, edginess 

and usefulness. Its brand values include: 

• Quality 

• Coolness 

• Humour 

• Market relevance 

The brand is committed to giving fans 

the newest, greatest content they don’t get 

anywhere else, all packaged in such a way that 

an FHM fan will be respected by his peers - 

and seen as a “really cool guy” in a fun way, 

without any hint of “poncy-ness”. 

To ensure a consistently good read and 

high-quality product, the FHM publishers 

personally sign off on all creative elements, 

especially each issue’s cover and all branding 

elements used. 


FHM 

FHM is one of South Africa’s most 

profitable monthly magazines 

FHM South Africa is considered one of 

the top three editions among the brand’s 

33 editions around the world 

FHM’s deputy editor Alyn Adams is a 

renowned stand-up comedian 

FHM’s original managing editor, Melinda 

Shaw, was heat’s launch editor and is now 

its editor in chief 

The FHM Pumas, the FHM staff seven-aside 

corporate soccer team, sponsored by 

Puma, has been on an unlikely winning 

streak in 2009 

FHM’s second issue featured an “almost 

life size” drop-down cover of Jennifer 

Lopez, and this scarce issue is now a 

collector’s item 

The most valuable prize an FHM fan can 

win is the opportunity to go on an FHM 

shoot 

FHM has launched an online shop called 

FHM Guy Stuff: It’s a buy thing!

THE MARKET 

It’s a brand that has literally soared: from its 

first store opening in Sydney, Australia in 1981, 

Flight Centre Limited has grown to become one 

of the world’s largest - and most recognisable - 

independent travel retailers. 

Flight Centre is globally established as the 

market leader for the cost-conscious traveller, 

specialising in value-for-money travel. It’s a onestop 

travel shop, taking care of everything from 

flights, travel insurance and hotels, to transfers, 

car hire and visas. With more than 2,000 retail 

stores across South Africa, the 

United Kingdom, Australia, 

New Zealand, the United States, 

Canada, India, Beijing, Singapore 

and Hong Kong, Flight Centre 

employs more than 8,000 people 

worldwide. 

Consultants offer “Unbeatable” 

passion and experience, going 

the extra mile to ensure clients 

get the best trip at the best price. 

Flight Centre’s Low Price Promise 

- “We will beat your quote 

or your booking is free” - is a 

promise travellers have come to 

depend upon, and one that works 

well for the brand: its turnover 

for the past complete financial 

year was 2.4 billion rand. 

With 130 retail stores 

in South Africa, Flight 

Centre is travel for South 

Africans: it’s about going 

places, meeting people and 

taking care of business and having an efficient 

team organising the whole process. Key to the 

brand’s successful operations is value for money 

and an offering for every sector of the market, 

from road-coach travellers to executive businessclass 

flyers. 

Around the globe, Flight Centre has earned a 

reputation for reliability, flexibility and bringing 

new and diverse offerings to market at the speed 

of sound. In innovation, dedication to service 

excellence and price, Flight Centre lives up to its 

payoff line: Unbeatable. 

ACHIEVEMENTS 

Since 2002, Flight Centre has participated 

in the Deloitte Best Company to Work For 

survey - and has taken first place in the 

Tourism & Leisure industry sector every year 

since then. 

From 2003 Flight Centre has also consistently 

placed in the Top Ten overall in the survey, and 

in 2009 was awarded second place among all 

medium-sized companies. 

The brand has won the “Best of Joburg” 

readers’ survey for ten years in a row, an 

accomplishment it is particularly proud of as 

voting is undertaken by the very people to whom 

Flight Centre provides services. 

In 2006, Deloitte honoured Flight Centre with 

the Sustainable Performance Award, which was 

followed by numerous industry awards, ranging 

from Top Upcoming Consortium, in 2008, to Top 

Revenue Consortium and Top 

Supporters Awards. 

HISTORY 

Flight Centre was founded by Graham Turner 

in 1981. Turner - a vet by profession – initially 

set up and ran what became a successful budget 

bus-trip company in Europe, called Topdeck. By 

1990, Flight Centre had opened stores in New 

Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United 

States. However, the latter two countries’ offices 

were closed temporarily in 1991 in the face of the 

Gulf War. Expansion began again with a move to 

South Africa in 1994, Canada in early 1995, and 

the United Kingdom later that same year. United 

States operations recommenced in late 1999. 

History shows that Flight Centre revolutionised 

the retailing of international air travel by shifting 

to a model where profitability was driven by 

volume rather than margins. The value offering 

proved irresistible to travellers everywhere and 

the company grew rapidly, establishing a variety 

of brands to cater for different sectors of the 

travel market. 

Flight Centre has always been quick to 

forecast or pick up on market trends and make 

use of opportunities efficiently and effectively. 

Its “flat structure” management style keeps the 

lines of communication open across the entire 

brand, allowing for agility in bringing offerings 

to market and making the most of special options 

for its clients. 

THE PRODUCT 

Flight Centre product offerings are all based on 

offering value for money. One of the reasons for 

the brand’s success, is the company’s commitment 

to its Low Price Promise, whereby it guarantees 

to beat any genuine airfare, accommodation, 

package or tour quote, subject to availability and 

based on South African-registered businesses and 

websites. 

Clients who happen to find a cheaper 

airfare or package quote simply 

take their written quote on 

the same day to a Flight 

Centre store. Not only 

will Flight Centre 

match the legitimate 

quote, it will beat it! 

Travellers can 

choose from a 

variety of products, 

including: 

• Youth and Adventure 

- special deals for students 

and youth travellers 

• Travel Associates - boutique travel services 

for the discerning client 

Corporate products comprise: 

• Corporate Traveller - for the SME market 

• Corporate Traveller Executive leisure - 

leisure travel for the executive 

• Corporate Traveller Events - corporate 

eventing and conferences 

• Corporate Traveller Groups - specialised 

group travel 

Flight Centre’s latest product - launched 

in October 2009 - is a Bridal Registry, which 

allows friends and family of the soon-to-be weds 

to contribute towards the couple’s honeymoon 

travel, rather than buy gifts the couple quite 

possibly already has. 


With plans to open at least six new stores across 

its various operations by June 2010, Flight Centre 

is continually leveraging its solid partnerships to 

bring travellers innovative packages and options.

One such option is 

the brand’s recently 

launched Airline 

Failure Protection, 

which offers peace of 

mind in an economy 

that has seen airlines 

cease business operations 

in a matter of days. 

Airline Failure Protection 

means that if clients have a 

scheduled trip booked with 

Flight Centre and their airline 

of choice ceases operations due 

to insolvency or bankruptcy, 

Flight Centre will take care of its 

clients in the following ways: 

• If travellers are abroad, the cost 

of an alternative supplier will 

be covered for that leg of their 

itinerary. 

• If travellers are yet to travel, Flight Centre 

provides either a full refund or an alternative 

flight to the value of the initial ticket cost. 

Because Flight Centre caters for all sectors 

of the travel market, a new partnership with 

Greyhound sees the company able to offer coach 

travel around South Africa. 

PROMOTION 

Flight Centre advertises extensively across all 

of the traditional above-the-line media, 

including print, radio and TV, and also 

makes use of below-the-line opportunities 

such as direct marketing, billboards and 

bus advertising. In addition, it makes use 

of online advertising, drawing travellers to 

its user-friendly website. 

Multi-channel distribution is aimed at 

everyone who has travelled at some point 

in time or would love to travel in the future. 

Branding is consistent in any Flight Centre 

retail outlet, advertisement or outdoor 

promotion around the world. The strong red 

corporate colour, combined with the picture of 

a pilot, has become synonymous not only with 

the Flight Centre brand, but with inexpensive 

and reliable travel - and efficient arrangements to 

facilitate it. 

While the brand had no payoff line for 

some time, the addition of “Unbeatable” under 

the Flight Centre logo really speaks to its core 

business focus and its allegiance to its own 

ideals. 

BRAND VALUES 

This is a brand that takes its values seriously, 

inculcating them into its daily operations and its 

staff. 

Flight Centre’s philosophy has long included 

ensuring the well-being of its staff and their 

communities. To this end, part of the brand’s 

corporate responsibility initiatives is its support 

of the Philile Foundation, a nongovernmental 

organisation 

focused on the education 

and health care of 

disadvantaged children. 

Flight Centre 

participates in the annual 

“Do It Day”, and every 

staff member has a Social 

Responsibility Leave Day 

- getting a day off work to 

volunteer for a community 

upliftment project of their 

choice. The company has also promoted skills 

development since 2004 in the form of its 

Learnership Programme. 

The company’s brand values bring key words to 

mind for clients: trustworthy, committed, caring, 

innovative and flexible. In promising unbeatable 

value, Flight Centre backs it up with guarantees 

on pricing and service. 

Vital to maintaining its brand values is the 

group philosophy, “One Best Way”. Flight Centre 

strives to find the “one best way” of conducting 

business, but embraces change when a better way 

is discovered - which then becomes the “one best 

way”. This breeds cohesion among both staff 

and within operations, while growing the brand’s 

image of trustworthiness among travellers. 


FLIGHT CENTRE 

Flight Centre’s founder, Graham Turner, 

is a qualified vet who has never practised 

professionally, but founded the global 

travel giant that is Flight Centre instead 

Flight Centre South Africa has the 

youngest ever executive general manager: 

Janine Salame is 30 and began her career 

with the company as a travel consultant 

Flight Centre firmly believes in Reward & 

Recognition: in its first year of operation 

in South Africa, the top consultant won 

a fruit basket. Fortunately things have 

changed since then, and every year the 

company hosts a national award ceremony 

at which the top consultant now wins a 

car 

Flight Centre operates on egalitarian 

principles whereby all staff have identical 

facilities: there are no switchboards or 

beverage staff; all staff sit in the same 

type of open-plan office, answer their 

own phones, and make their own tea and 

coffee 

Flight Centre Limited has more than 

2,000 stores and businesses in 11 different 

countries worldwide, and employs more 

than 8,000 staff members 

In South Africa, Flight Centre has more 

than 130 retail outlets and employs 750 

staff members

THE MARKET 

Starting out as Amsterdam Furnishers in the early 

1980s, the Furniture City brand has become the 

store of choice for middle- to upper-income South 

Africans looking to buy lounge suites, couches and 

a range of other quality home furnishings. 

To complement its primary line, Furniture 

City also offers dining room suites, bedroom 

suites, entertainment units and occasional chairs 

- including wingbacks and tub chairs - to suit 

any home’s style. The brand’s bedding range 

comprises base sets and mattresses across various 

price ranges; and its electrical offering includes 

hi-fi sets, TVs, washing machines, tumble driers, 

dishwashers and a selection of small appliances. 

This broad range ensures that Furniture City 

is perfectly positioned to continue to capture a 

large share of the South African market. Brand 

positioning, as well as Furniture City’s unique 

and differentiated credit offering, continues to 

attract both new and repeat customers. 

Due to the brand’s association with African 

Bank Investments Limited (ABIL), it is able to 

offer its products on credit at affordable rates - 

rates that its competitors cannot match. This, 

together with the broad, high-quality product 

offering, positions Furniture City in a unique 

space in the market, ideal for turnover growth. 

Furniture City’s national store footprint makes 

it easily accessible in major urban locations and 

its Urban Living range of products appeals to 

the younger, aspirational and trend-conscious 

consumer. 

ACHIEVEMENTS 

Furniture City opened its first shopping mall store 

in 2009 - namely, the new Urban Living concept 

store at the Canal Walk shopping centre in Cape 

Town. Janez Vermerien - of South Africa’s premier 

lifestyle television show Top Billing - was there 

to cut the ribbon and officially launch the store. 

A well-known personality, Vermerien was also the 

spokesperson for Furniture City’s Urban Living 

brand launch. 

Urban Living is a Furniture City sub-brand 

that comprises modern and trendy furniture to 

complement the standard product-range offering 

for which the brand is so well known. 

HISTORY 

Furniture City’s roots go back to a company called 

Amsterdam Furnishers in the 1980s. Little has 

been recorded regarding this part of the brand’s 

history, but it appears that Amsterdam Furnishers 

“evolved” into Furniture City, the brand that speaks 

of quality furnishings to South Africans today. 

Furniture City was later acquired by the then 

furniture retail group Amrel, which was the 

holding company for other well-known 

brands Geen & Richards, Lubners 

and Fairdeal. During this period, the 

Furniture City logo was blue, red and 

white and the payoff line was “You’ll 

never see what you can see in the City”. 

The brand’s television advertising 

featured a helicopter, which became 

synonymous with Furniture City. 

Under the Amrel Group banner, 

Furniture City’s store base grew to 16 

outlets. A takeover of the Beares Group 

in the early 1990s led to Furniture City 

becoming part of one of the major 

furniture retail groups at the time, 

known as Relyant Retail. 

Extensive research conducted 

by Relyant Retail in 2000 brought 

about a decision to acquire a major 

appliance outlet and bring its offering 

into Furniture City to support the 

positioning of the brand: “the widest 

range under one roof ”. Appliance

UPPERS 

CreativeMix FYC0110_011 

City was purchased by the Group, leading to the 

development of what is known as the Three Cities 

- Furniture City, Appliance City and Sleep City. 

However, as a three-tier brand, the concept 

was difficult to promote, and further market 

research showed that it confused consumers. This 

led to more research into brand positioning, and 

Espial Go-to-Market - an agency that specialises 

in brand logos, positioning and marketing - was 

commissioned to assist. The now well-known 

“orange spiral” logo was developed and a new 

image cemented for Furniture City. 

When the brand was acquired by Ellerines 

Holdings through a merger in 2003, further 

expansion ensued, leading to a footprint of some 

29 stores. This has since grown to a base of 32 

stores countrywide, due to a short-term expansion 

drive under the new holding company, ABIL. 

THE PRODUCT 

Furniture City is committed to helping customers 

furnish every room in their homes. The brand’s 

intention is to bring furnishing and decorating 

dreams to life. Its range of lounge products offers 

solutions for any size of room - from couches 

and corner suites for smaller, space-constrained 

rooms to larger three-piece lounge suites for more 

spacious homes. 

All products are available as either full settings 

- dining suites, bedroom suites and lounge suites 

- or individual pieces, enabling customers to 

choose specific elements to suit the space they 

are furnishing. 

The Furniture City range also includes tried 

and trusted decor colours such as browns, beiges 

and creams, as well as more contemporary 

and trendy colours, such as purples, oranges 

and whites. Home accessories in current, 

internationally trendy colours include lamps, 

ornaments, pictures and cushions that further 

enhance the look customers are after. 

Furniture City is about differentiation of 

product offering, and the brand’s merchandisers 

travel overseas regularly to view product 

innovations at furniture fairs and establish a fit 

with its positioning. With a limited supplier base 

in South Africa to meet the demands of local 

retailers with national outlets, the company has 

found it necessary to source products overseas. 

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This means South Africans have constant access 

to international trends in the furniture and 

accessories arena. 


A recent introduction by Furniture City is the range 

of own-brand homeware products, packaged in 

attractive boxes branded with the Urban Living 

logo. Goods are all imported, and of the same 

quality as well-known aspirational brands. The 

range includes items such as cookware (pots and 

pans) and crockery (dinner services). 

The brand’s new Urban Living at Furniture 

City store opened in Canal Walk in September 

2009, as did a new store in the Parow Centre in 

Parow. 

PROMOTION 

Furniture City’s media strategy is based on a 

consistent presence in the consumers’ mind, 

built on frequency of exposure. In an industry 

that generally sees a long period of time between 

purchases by consumers, the brand ensures that it 

is constantly present in order to be visible when the 

consumer makes the decision to purchase. 

Advertising is predominantly in newspapers, 

with television and radio used to support special 

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offers and promotions. Exposure in magazines 

supports “Create the look …” articles, promoting 

the brand’s accessory and product offering. 

Furniture City also engages in special 

promotions, which have proven successful. The 

company believes that if the right product is 

advertised at the right price, it will always elicit a 

huge response, as consumers always seek value. 

The payoff line “The way you want to live” 

perfectly encapsulates what the brand is about and 

what Furniture City wants to offer consumers. 

Furniture City’s combination of print and 

electronic platforms in its media selection is 

based on its fit with the target-market profile. The 

largest portion of the brand’s sales is attributable 

to furniture items, followed by electrical and then 

bedding, and its media and marketing selection 

is designed in accordance with this, as well as 

current trends. 

The brand is also in the process of reviewing 

its website to deliver a better online service to 

consumers, in line with current e-commerce 

developments. 

BRAND VALUES 

At Furniture City, it’s all about fashionable and 

affordable value for money, borne out by the 

brand’s unique credit offering with an interest rate 

unmatched by competitors, thanks to its association 

with ABIL. In all, it’s a promise of fashionable 

items that are surprisingly affordable. 

Committed to delivering on its promises, 

providing-high quality service, being innovative 

and offering value for money, this is a brand that 

South African consumers have come to trust 

- and for good reason: Not only does it offer a 

look to suit every home, but merchandisers for 

each category have a specification agreement in 

place with every supplier to ensure the consistent 

delivery of quality products. 


FURNITURE CITY 

A major strength of this brand is in 

its lounge offering - it is the highestcontributing 

rand value category in terms 

of sales 

Furniture City has a strong commitment 

to social responsibility, often donating 

products to initiatives such as the 

Highveld Radio 94.7 Christmas Wish 

List; it also has an arrangement with 

the Abraham Kriel Children’s Homes, 

donating furniture and appliances on a 

regular basis 

Furniture City is regularly voted “the most 

preferred furniture store” by consumers 

in surveys conducted by newspapers such 

as The Star and Daily News 

Urban Living is a sub-brand that offers 

a range of quality homeware goods to 

consumers looking for an “edge” to their 

décor selections

THE MARKET 

Once considered highly specialised equipment 

for aircraft and boats, global positioning system 

(GPS) technology now comes in a variety of 

hand-held and wristwatch units for sportsmen, 

outdoors enthusiasts, fishermen and drivers. In 

South Africa, when you’re talking GPS, you’re 

talking Garmin. 

Having sold more than five million units 

worldwide in its first 12 years, the Garmin 

product line has grown into 50 different items 

marketed through a network of 2,500 dealers, 

distributors and partners in 100 countries. 

With some 70 - 80 percent share in certain 

sectors of the South African GPS market, 

Garmin has shown 45 percent compound 

growth in revenue over the past four years and 

its staff complement has grown from 15 to 87 

over the same period. 

A consistent winner of international 

awards across all sectors, the brand continues 

to innovate. Garmin knows the future is 

geotagged: it’s about mobility and connectivity, 

collaborative social networking, safety, 

service and ready access to information. It’s 

more than Garmin guidance - it’s a lifestyle. 

ACHIEVEMENTS 

Garmin is a consistent winner of global awards, 

from Sailing Today’s Premium Buy 2009 for 

the GPSmap 5008, to the Stuff Magazine Best 

Sat-Nav Product of 2009 for the Forerunner 

310XT. The Oregon 300 (with Garmin GB 

Discoverer mapping) was awarded the Most 

Innovative Product in the Navigation Sector 

for 2009, and Which? Magazine named the 

nüvi 765T Best Buy in April 2009. 

While these awards are a source of pride 

for the company and encourage continued 

innovation, Garmin counts its aid in 

humanitarian efforts among its most valued 

achievements. In its work with renowned 

humanitarian explorer Kingsley Holgate, 

Garmin was a major part of the effort to 

map communities across transfrontier 

parks in nine countries through Africa. This 

mapping now enables resources to be taken 

to communities many never knew existed. 

Garmin’s performance in South Africa 

has seen the brand post revenue growth of 17 

percent in the fitness sphere and 25 percent in 

the marine sector, even while the latter industry 

shrank 30 percent in the past year. Currently 

installed on around 20 percent of navigationenabled 

mobile phones, the brand’s growth 

since inception is logged at 700 percent. 

1 Thread_1521_SAS 

HISTORY 

Garmin was founded in 1989 in Kansas, USA by 

two electrical engineers, Gary Burrell and Dr Min 

Kao; the brand name being derived from the first 

names of the founders. 

Both men had been employed by Kansasbased 

King Radio Corporation, a manufacturer of 

radios and aircraft navigation equipment. Burrell 

had a keen interest in integration and is credited 

with designing the first combination navigation/ 

communications radio for general aviation while 

at the firm. 

Saving lives 

The Garmin 525s simply offers the sharpest, brightest and most colourful 5inch 

screen you’ll ever see. The 1kW digital sonar, capable of a scan depth of up to 

2000 feet (610 meters) is CANet capable, allowing your sounder data to be shared 

with other onboard plotter displays. An optional Bluechart g2 Vision card provides 

high resolution aerial reference photos for navigating tricky harbours, channels 

and marinas. After all if the Garmin 525s is good enough for the NSRI, surely it’s 

good enough for you. 

Garmin 525s 

Garmin’s first product was introduced in 

January 1991. Aimed at boaters and pilots of 

small planes, the GPS 100AVD was about the 

size of a paperback book and sold for around 

1,000 US dollars. By 1992, GPS devices had 

become a 100 million US dollar-a-year market. 

Garmin subsequently introduced another 

GPS unit for pilots called the GPS 95. This one 

incorporated a display of the plane’s position on a 

moving map, as well as nearby airports and radio 

beacons. 

The brand turned its attention to the 

automotive market in the late 1990s with two 

hand-held units: GPS III, introduced in late 

1997, incorporated a map of major roads in 

the Americas and displayed the position of the 

driver and destination on the map; and the 1998 

StreetPilot replaced the more detailed mapping 

programs requiring a laptop computer. 

Garmin’s next project was a waterproof 

mobile phone with a GPS receiver and map 

display built in, called NavTalk. The company 

also expanded beyond GPS products in its 

aviation-related products, introducing a Mode 

C transponder (a device for communicating a 

plane’s position to air traffic controllers) and 

an intercom. Sales reached 232.6 million US 

dollars in 1999. 

In 2003 the GPS spread from gadget 

enthusiasts to the mass market, which then saw 

the combining of a handheld personal digital 

assistant (PDA) with GPS technology, allowing 

users to receive turn-by-turn directions to 

contacts listed in their address books. Called 

the iQue 3600, the unit offered a full colour 

map and “voice guidance” to give users spoken 

directions while driving. 

At the same time, Garmin was rolling out its 

first GPS device to sell for under 100 US dollars, 

the Geko 101. Garmin technology was also 

featured in a Timex athletic training watch, 

enabling speed and distance calculations for 

runners. Towards the end of 2003 Garmin 

brought out its own training watch, the 

Forerunner 201, which included altitude 

capabilities. 

As new products were launched, South 

African users were kept current with 

offerings, and came to feel that they’d be 

“lost without it”. 

THE PRODUCT 

Already a household name in South 

Africa, Garmin has six vertical markets 

in which it operates: On the Go, On the 

Road, On the Trail, On the Water, Onto

Fitness and In the Air. 

On the Go offers Garmin GPS on laptops, 

PDAs and mobile phones. 

On the Road covers slim, light units that 

provide turn by turn voice prompts and high 

quality graphics. The GPS navigator comes 

preloaded with Garmap Southern Africa 

Streetmaps and thousands of points of interest 

(POIs). The zûmo 660 - designed by bikers for 

bikers - is a rugged unit with enhanced A2DP 

stereo Bluetooth connectivity for hands-free 

phone calling without a rider having to remove 

gloves or helmet. 

On the Trail is where outdoor navigation 

meets choice - from touch-screen simplicity 

to hands-free wrist options, the smallest and 

lightest waterproof GPS, and TracBack facilities 

- in a range of products designed for every type 

of adventure. 

On the Water is the marine range that 

comprises chartplotters, fishfinders, GPS 

sounders, handhelds, marine networking and 

radar. 

Onto Fitness is the Garmin range for 

swimmers, cyclists, athletes and runners of every 

type and incorporates options such as a personal 

trainer, heart-rate monitor and data storage for 

post-workout analysis in rugged and waterproof 

casings. 

In choosing Garmin, fitness buffs are able to 

upload, analyse and share information on Garmin 

Connect, a website that hosts a global community 

of cyclists, runners and outdoor enthusiasts. The 

website enables the analysis of core metrics, 

customised reports and goal setting to determine 

how performance measures up with others. Users 

can “model” their workouts on other members’ 

successes, allowing for shared experience to 

become a personal part of their workout. 

In the Air comprises a broad range of aviation 

products, from handhelds to glass cockpit 

systems. (In South Africa aviation products are 

supplied through separate, specialist channels.) 

All products are backed by Garmin’s 

dedication to customer support. With a national 

after-sales service and support infrastructure, the 

brand ensures that Garmin users stay loyal to a 

company that is loyal to them. 


We rock. We roam. We don’t stay home: GTribe, 

Garmin’s quarterly lifestyle magazine was 

recently launched for those with shared interests 

and passion. It’s an eclectic 

mix of adventure and fun 

designed for travel-minded 

executives, adrenalin 

junkies and all those in 

between. A cutting-edge, 

innovative, cool read, it 

reflects the lives readers 

currently lead and inspires 

them to live the lives they 

want to lead. 

A hybrid publication 

- available in print and 

online - GTribe has a 

20,000 print run and 

with over 32,000 online 

visitors in the first month 

of operation has been 

enthusiastically received 

by its target market. 

Another exciting 

move from Garmin is 

the imminent launch of 

Intelligent Routing, a 

service which offers realtime 

traffic data to ease 

road congestion and frayed tempers by giving 

users information during traffic back-ups. Some 

50,000 cars around the country send traffic 

information into a data centre which is broadcast 

to Garmin users with traffic receivers. Users can 

input their route and see the amount of traffic 

they will encounter, and information including 

the duration of traffic jams and optimal routes to 

take is made available immediately. Following a 

thorough test period, traffic broadcasts now wait 

only on a final licence approval from ICASA to 

be made available to the public. 

PROMOTION 

With an overall adspend upwards of 15 million 

rand a year, Garmin is promoted across all media. 

The brand incorporates a strong PR strategy 

when launching products and to inform users and 

potential users of innovations. Garmin’s 2010 

Nature campaign including 2 TVC executions 

was recently named Best TV Advertisement by 

BestAds.com in the USA. 

Key to Garmin’s dominant presence in the 

adventure and outdoor arena, however, are 

its Brand Ambassadors, which include wellknown 

and exciting local personalities such as 

Paralympic swimming phenomenon Natalie du 

Toit, professional Xterra triathlete Dan 

Hugo, Mannie “Mr African” Heymans, 

solo adventurer Riaan Manser and Miss 

South Africa 2009, Tatum Keshwar. 

When Ambassadors perform, 

Garmin is there: on Wednesday 8 

July 2009, Riaan Manser crossed the 

finish line in Tamatave, 5 000km and 

11 months after setting off to become 

the first person to circumnavigate 

Madagascar by kayak, alone and 

unaided - except for the guidance of a 

Garmin. 

Cementing the Garmin outdooreverywhere 

image is the Jump Garmin 

Skydiving Team, a small group of 

highly experienced gravity-powered 

aviators who jump from or out of literally any 

aircraft - anytime, anywhere - wearing the small, 

versatile Foretrex 210 wrist-mounted GPS. 

BRAND VALUES 

Safety, accuracy, security, lifestyle: These are the 

values embodied by the Garmin brand. 

Garmin is continually redefining the business 

it’s in - and it isn’t just about navigation any more. 

This brand is a trusted part of an adventurous 

and well-lived life. It’s a working tool that 

takes exploration seriously so users can relax 

into the experience. It’s a “getting there” item 

that becomes a “where I’ve been” celebration. 

It’s about getting a businessman there on time; 

keeping a family safe; and offering information 

at every turn. 

The Garmin payoff line expresses precisely 

how its loyal users feel: “You’ll be lost without 

it!” 


GARMIN 

m Garmin offers Celebrity Voices for users 

to customise their sat-navs and give their 

journeys the VIP treatment 

m Riaan Manser became the first person to 

circumnavigate Madagascar by kayak, 

alone and unaided - using a Garmin 

m By its second issue, Garmin’s GTribe 

magazine had a 20,000 print run and over 

32,000 online visitors 

m Garmin was used by the 2009 Boundless 

Expedition Team (led by Kingsley 

Holdgate) to map communities across 

transfrontier parks in nine countries 

through Africa

THE MARKET 

Consumer-electronics retail store network Hi-Fi 

Corporation was founded some 16 years ago and 

took the South African market by storm with 

discounts as high as 40 percent on well-known 

brand names, compared to existing retailers. 

Since then, the brand has become a household 

name - and one that can today boast a market 

comprising every income group in the country. 

From mobile phones to cameras, white goods to 

large screen television sets, South Africans look 

to Hi-Fi Corporation for their biggest savings on 

quality equipment. 

Acquired by the JD Group in 2003, Hi-Fi 

Corporation is now the largest audio and visual 

warehouse in the southern hemisphere, built 

predominantly on bringing the lowest possible 

prices to market - even at the expense, in many 

instances, of margins. 

Consumer electronics is an aggressive 

market and Hi-Fi Corporation has continually 

maintained market position by combining 

service, price and promotional activities in a 

strategy that has created a Superbrand. 

Hi-Fi Corporation operates 35 stores across 

Southern Africa and still carries the largest 

range of electronic goods under one roof - more 

than 6, 000 products in a single store. It’s about 

offering the widest range at the lowest price, 

every day. 

Around 99 percent of Hi-Fi Corporation’s 

goods are now sourced locally, from the 

original manufacturer, and fully backed by the 

manufacturer’s guarantees. Top international 

brands such as Sony, Panasonic, Defy, LG, Acer, 

Canon, Sharp, Nikon, KIC and HP, to name a 

few, offer full brand backup. 

From cellular phones to cameras, DVD 

recorders to ipods, consumers trust Hi-Fi 

Corporation to deliver the goods when it comes 

to cost, service and customer satisfaction. 

ACHIEVEMENTS 

In its 16-year history, Hi-Fi Corporation has 

consistently improved its consumer offerings, 

leading the public to vote the brand Best Electronic 

Store in 2004, 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009 in the 

Best of Johannesburg Awards. 

Growing from a single store to 35 across the 

country in just less than 16 years is an achievement 

the brand and its holding company, the JD group, 

is proud of. Over the years, Hi-Fi Corporation 

has been able to position itself as both a mass 

discounter and an electronics specialist, joining 

two areas that have traditionally been “either or” 

sectors in retailing. 

HISTORY 

One man’s entrepreneurship and vision changed 

the face of the retail electronics industry in South 

Africa forever: in 1993 Yaron Remen, shocked by 

the inflated prices consumers were being charged 

for electronic goods, saw an opportunity to import 

genuine brand names at realistic prices and pass 

the savings on to the customer. 

The first store opened its doors in Wynberg, 

Sandton, and its entire stock holding was sold 

out within a week. There was great demand for 

these products and the consumer finally had a 

price champion. The Hi-Fi Corporation success 

story had begun. 

In some instances, Hi-Fi Corporation was 

slicing up to 40 percent off opposition retailers’ 

prices on the same product. The popularity of 

the brand saw the opening of 34 more stores 

over the next 16 years, as the chain grew from 

strength to strength. 

Acquired by JD Group in 2003, Hi-Fi 

Corporation now extends its footprint across 

South Africa into Windhoek in Namibia and 

Gaborone in Botswana. 

THE PRODUCT 

As a consumer-electronics retail store network, 

Hi-Fi Corporation is “living the promise” with a 

three-way guarantee: 

• Price: if customers find the same product 

at a lower price within seven days, Hi-Fi 

Corporation will refund 105 percent of the 

difference 

• Quality: Hi-Fi Corporation sells only original, 

genuine products; all products are SABS 

tested and conform to stringent international 

safety and quality requirements - and most 

a minimum one-year Hi-Fi Corporation 

guarantee 

• Service: Hi-Fi Corporation offers a 14-day 

exchange guarantee on faulty products and 

thereafter, during the guarantee period, faulty 

products will be repaired within 21 days or 

thereafter, replaced with a similar product 

While terms and conditions apply, Hi-Fi 

Corporation also offers a no-nonsense Double 

Impact Guarantee on some of the items it sells. 

The guarantee comprises the following: 

• an additional two-year guarantee over and 

above the original guarantee on the product 

• a guaranteed loan unit, provided for basic 

functionality, if the item is sent for repairs 

and is not returned to the customer within 

seven days 

• double the difference back within 30 days if 

the customer finds the same product cheaper 

elsewhere 

The massive range of products available 

from each Hi-Fi Corporation store is designed 

to meet the requirements of every shopper, from 

the housewife buying a dishwasher, a student 

purchasing a laptop or printer or a teenager 

needing a hairdryer, to a business person looking 

for a GPS or a desktop computer. 


After extensive research, October 2008 saw the 

brand begin a two-year repositioning initiative 

that brings a complete new look and feel to every 

store, along with the new payoff line, “lowest 

price, every day”. 

The rollout began with the Tokai, 

Amanzimtoti, Woodmead and The Glen stores, 

and makes shopping at Hi-Fi Corporation a far 

better experience. Spacious aisles in the retail 

outlets and signage that clearly identifies product 

areas are now complemented by a long-term

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staff upskilling program, in line with the 

JD Group’s Art of Service Strategy. 

Much of the focus is now on offering 

supreme customer service. In a South 

African first, Hi-Fi Corporation has 

installed cutting-edge equipmenttesting 

stations in every store which 

can determine on the spot, what repairs 

need to be made to items brought in by 

customers. This cuts out the time that used 

to be taken in sending appliances to the 

manufacturer and waiting for a response 

for the client. The service results not only 

in a quicker turnaround, but in customers 

understanding the extent of the repairs 

necessary before they leave the store. 

The Art of Service Strategy is a 

group-wide move towards improving 

the customers’ in-store experience at all 

levels. Hi-Fi Corporation shoppers are 

assured of making their high-quality, 

high-end purchases in a pleasant, service-centric 

environment. 

Under the leadership of Allan Herman, who 

was appointed Chief Executive Officer of Hi-Fi 

Corporation in June 2009, the rollout is expected 

to be complete by mid-2010, while staff training 

will be ongoing. 

In a move that brings even more convenience 

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to customers, Hi-Fi Corporation has also 

set up Vodacom kiosks in all its South 

African branches to enable fast and 

friendly sign-up for cellular contracts. 

PROMOTION 

Hi-Fi Corporation uses a broad mix of 

media to promote its products, including 

radio, television, newspaper inserts and 

advertisements. The company’s website 

allows the online community to view 

products and compare prices, while an 

electronic newsletter sent to a database of 

some 130,000 people encourages visits 

to the site. 

Newspaper inserts and flyers handed 

to shoppers at Hi-Fi Corporation 

advertise product specials - television 

sets, fridges, sound systems, food 

mixers, cell and landline phones, iPods and 

laptops - indicating both cash prices and hirepurchase 

payments. Payment options are handled 

by HiFinance, the division that oversees hirepurchase 

options across the JD group. 

Hi-Fi Corporation sales have become 

known around the country for offering items 

at “ridiculous” prices. Years of experience 

have shown staff that preparation for a sale is 

vital: many customers sleep outside the store in 

anticipation of its opening, for the chance to buy 

a 2000 rand product for less than 1000 rand. 

Staff members erect fencing to keep queues 

orderly and ensure everyone has a fair chance at 

an exceptional bargain. With between 3000 and 

4000 shoppers at a Hi-Fi Corporation opening 

sale, it’s key that those manning the floors are 

able to deal with everyone in an orderly yet 

enthusiastic fashion. 

BRAND VALUES 

The brand pledges to achieve and pursue excellence 

beyond its own and its customers’ expectations, 

making a “great deal a great experience”. 

Hi-Fi Corporation’s vision is to be the leading 

one-stop retailer of branded, private-label, 

content and associated services in electrical 

and electronic solutions in the South African 

market. 

The company’s mission statement reflects 

its payoff line: Lowest price every day. This is 

one of the founding principles of the chain and 

one the brand has adhered to in every economic 

condition. 

For staff, Hi-Fi Corporation has a code of conduct 

that states: 

• Smile and welcome every customer with the 

right attitude at all times 

• Have a helpful and informative attitude 

• Practise initiative and discretion in all our 

decisions 

• Adopt a professional attitude in all we do 

• Thank the customer and show gratitude for 

every purchase 

• Pride ourselves in all our achievements 

A description of the brand’s values would, 

from a customer’s perspective, include the words 

“value, quality, service and satisfaction”. 


HI-FI CORPORATION 

m Every Hi-Fi Corporation store now 

has a state-of-the-art testing facility to 

diagnose problems with equipment or 

products customers bring in for repair 

m Most of the high-quality international 

brands sold in Hi-Fi Corporation stores 

are supported by the manufacturers 

locally 

m Hi-Fi Corporation has set up Vodacom 

kiosks in all of its South African 

branches to enable fast and friendly signup 

for cellular contracts 

m The first 15 customers to buy a branded 

laptop at the relaunch of the Hi-Fi 

Corporation The Glen store got the 

computer at less than 3000 rand 

m Hi-Fi Corporation remains one of 

the most reasonably priced electronic 

retailers in the country

THE MARKET 

Week after week more than two million South 

Africans - men and women of all age groups - pick 

up their copy of Huisgenoot for an informative, 

educational and entertaining read. Huisgenoot 

is by far the biggest-selling magazine in South 

Africa, proving beyond doubt it has a winning 

recipe: to entertain, intrigue and inform with 

topical background features about news and issues 

that touch South African families. The secret to 

Huisgenoot’s unparalleled success is simple: spoil 

your readers by giving them exactly what they 

want, neatly packaged in an impeccable magazine 

full of vibrant colour. 

Most readers live in urban areas and enjoy 

a higher-than-average standard of living. 

Huisgenoot readers are proud to be South African 

and irrespective of cultural background, are first 

and foremost South African. With such broad 

appeal and an 18 percent market share in the 

top 15 magazines, the same marketing message 

is used to reach the entire spectrum of readers 

regardless of their social or financial standing. 

There are three things no corner store should 

ever be without: bread, milk and Huisgenoot. It is 

the market leader and very much in demand and 

all retailers realise the importance of stocking the 

publication. 

With a weekly Audit Bureau of Circulation 

(ABC) figure of 317,880 (July to September 

2009), the number of copies sold in this three 

period totalled an amazing 4,132,427 copies. 

Modern trends have seen many traditional corner 

cafés become part of a bigger supermarket group 

or franchise, and sales have therefore moved 

away from old-style cafés. Less than ten years 

ago, only 40 percent of Huisgenoot sales were 

achieved through supermarkets. This figure now 

stands at 76 percent. Magazines are delivered on 

consignment and the retailers carry no risk for 

unsold copies, making the product financially 

attractive. 

Huisgenoot continually strives to maintain 

market leadership and to be a magazine of worldclass 

quality that offers real value to readers and 

advertisers. 

ACHIEVEMENTS 

Among its many achievements over the 

years, Huisgenoot is particularly proud of the 

following: 

• Star-in-You Kids Choice Award: 2002, 2003 

• Sappi Pica Award - Best General Interest 

Magazine: 2002, 2003 

• AdMag Advantage Award - Best General 

Interest Magazine: 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005 

• Mondi Award: 2003, 2004, 2005 (Dana 

Snyman) 

• Media24 Excellence Award: 2003 (Julia 

Viljoen) 

• Media24 Excellence Award: 2003 (Hannelie 

Booyens) 

• Media24 Excellence Award: 2003 (Carmen 

Niehaus) 

• Media24 Best Front Cover: 2003 

• Media24 Innovation Award: 2003 (Bluster & 

Tikolo) 

• Citadel Words on Money Journalism Award: 

2003 

• Galliova Award: 2003 (Carmen Niehaus) 

• Citadel Award: 2005 (Elretha Louw) 

• Sunday Times Generation Next Brand Survey 

(Preferred Magazine): 2004, 2005 

• Sunday Times Generation Next Brand Survey 

(Coolest Magazine for Tweens): 2006 

• Sappi Pica award - Best Annuals and Special 

Sections: 2006 

• Media24 Excellence Award - Innovation: 

2006 

• Media24 Excellence Award - Best Magazine 

Concept of the Year: 2006 

• Media24 Excellence Award - Best Visual 

Concept: 2006 

• Awarded Superbrand Status since 2005 

• Media24 Excellence Award - Positively SA: 

2008 

• Admag Award for Best General Interest 

Magazine: 2008 

Huisgenoot was South Africa’s first dedicated 

‘‘family’’ magazine: an informative, educational 

and entertaining package of reader-friendly 

human-interest articles; cookery and handicraft 

guides; gardening and DIY tips; beauty, health 

and fashion features; light fiction; competitions 

and children’s material. YOU was cloned in the 

same formula to become the first successful allround 

English-language family magazine in South 

Africa. In their typographical style and layout, 

both were the first local magazines to make bold 

and dramatic use of colour photographs to anchor, 

illustrate and enhance actuality-linked articles. 

Huisgenoot, along with YOU, was also the first 

magazine to feature a children’s curriculumbased 

section every week. 

HISTORY 

The first issue of De Huisgenoot appeared in May 

1916. Initially the magazine appeared monthly 

and only in Dutch. In December 1917 the “De” 

was replaced by “Die” to form the name Die 

Huisgenoot, and Dutch gave way to Afrikaans. 

On 23 November 1923, Die Huisgenoot became 

a weekly magazine. Markus Viljoen, editor from 

1931 to 1949, focused heavily on culture and 

literature, with top Afrikaans writers - Mikro, CM 

van de Heever and NP van Wyk Louw - making 

regular contributions. During World War II, weekly 

sales of Die Huisgenoot reached 40,000. Literature 

and culture made space for more popular stories 

and the circulation soared to 100,000 in 1949. 

With the appearance of television in the 

mid ‘70s, the focus of the magazine shifted to 

celebrity and actuality content. The “Die” was 

dropped from the masthead in 1978.

Niel Hamman took over as editor 

in 1978 when the circulation was 

around 140,000. Over the next ten 

years, he and his team increased the 

circulation to more than 500,000. 

Huisgenoot is currently under the 

editorship of Esmaré Weideman. 

Despite increasing market 

fragmentation and the decline of 

mass-market magazines worldwide, 

Huisgenoot manages to maintain a 

stable circulation of 317,880 with 

more than two million readers a 

week. 

THE PRODUCT 

The main content focus is articles 

about real people, their sorrows and 

their joys. Huisgenoot’s editorial mix includes 

human drama, medical and scientific discoveries, 

general-interest coverage and everything from 

glamour and fashion to consumer affairs. Recipes 

and handicrafts, crossword puzzles, DIY projects, 

motoring news and sport, broaden its market 

appeal. 

There is also the chance to win wonderful 

competitions, read interesting fiction and get 

curriculum-based information for children’s 

school projects. It all adds up to a formula that 

appeals to every sector of the South African 

market. 


Huisgenoot celebrated its 93rd birthday in May 

2009. To commemorate its 90th birthday, it 

brought out a special issue: Huisgenoot 90 - Die 

Gedenkuitgawe. This collector’s item featured the 

best of the past 90 years as seen in the pages of 

Huisgenoot. The first print run of 100,000 was sold 

out within weeks and the second run of 50,000 was 

practically sold out. As part of the celebrations, 

Huisgenoot launched a commemorative 

nationwide musical concert tour, highlighting 

some of Huisgenoot’s most memorable stories of 

the past nine decades and held a special Birthday 

Ball at Emperors Palace. 

In 2006, also to celebrate Huisgenoot’s 

90th birthday, the magazine received a minimakeover. 

The look was revamped to reflect 

a more sophisticated reader, and to show how 

the title moves with the times. The new modern 

and user-friendly layout is a natural evolution 

for the readers who have grown to love over the 

magazine years. 

On 29 June 2006, Huisgenoot, YOU and 

DRUM magazines launched the Unite against 

Crime Campaign. A black ribbon was the chosen 

symbol for the campaign - the colour of mourning, 

not only for the thousands of people who have 

already been killed, but also for the millions who 

live in constant fear of becoming the next victim. 

Together South Africans are encouraged to stem 

the tide of crime before South Africa is engulfed 

by one of the most serious threats to its young 

democracy. 

As part of the campaign, a competition 

was launched in which readers were invited to 

nominate everyday heroes. Ten finalists were 

chosen and the winner announced at a glitzy gala 

event at Emperors Palace. In 2007 Huisgenoot 

launched a brand extension in the form of a 

quarterly stand-alone magazine titled Pols, a 

quality title focusing on health issues. 

Another initiative was launched in 2008 to 

promote the creation of fresh, new Afrikaans 

lyrics, as Huisgenoot plays such a big part in the 

Afrikaans music industry. The project attracted 

thousands of entries and successfully secured 12 

new songs. The project is being repeated in 2009. 

2008 also saw the successful launch of a new 

brand extension for Huisgenoot titled Huisgenoot 

Tempo - a quarterly stand-alone magazine 

focusing on the Afrikaans music industry. 

PROMOTION 

Huisgenoot is a family magazine and touches 

its reader’s lives on a very personal level. Due 

to its huge core of loyal readers, the magazine 

relies heavily on interactive marketing activities 

for promotion. Interactive elements include 

presence at all the major Afrikaans festivals in 

South Africa, such as the Klein Karoo Nasionale 

Kunstefees (KKNK), Aardklop, Suidooster and 

Stokkiesdraai festivals, which readers visit and 

where the magazine staff has the opportunity to 

meet readers and create a space where they can 

relax and enjoy themselves. 

Besides the major arts festivals, Huisgenoot 

also has an annual Afrikaans music concert at 

Sun City, called Huisgenoot Skouspel. This event 

will be celebrating its tenth year of running in 

2009, and promises to be the cherry on top of all 

that went before. It is regarded by many as the 

most prestigious event on the Afrikaans music 

calendar. Skouspel will be in its seventh year in 

2007. 

Huisgenoot and YOU started 2007 with a 

bang with the Kaapse Jol held at the Bellville 

Velodrome in Cape Town. The event was the 

biggest concert celebrating local music talent ever 

held in Cape Town. The concert was dedicated to 

the memory of murdered South African music 

legend Taliep Petersen. In 2009 Huisgenoot and 

YOU hosted Skouspel Plus, held at the Grand 

Arena, Grand West in Cape Town, which builds 

on the huge successes of the annual Sun City 

Skouspel. 

In another first, at the Suidoosterfees, held 

in January in Cape Town, Huisgenoot, YOU and 

DRUM launched the TeenTalent Competition, in 

which teenagers from all over the Western Cape 

were invited to audition in front of judges. After 

two days of auditions, ten 

finalists were chosen and 

on the third day, took part 

in a workshop. The event 

culminated in the finalists 

sharing the stage with 

local artists in the finale 

of the competition. All ten 

finalists also performed at 

the Kaapse Jol. 

BRAND VALUES 

The Huisgenoot brand 

offers instant recognition 

to consumers; credibility in 

editorial content; topicality 

in presentation of news and 

actuality-based features; 

easy readability; the broadest possible appeal 

across social and income groups; and cuttingedge 

typography and layout. It speaks to readers 

in a language they are comfortable with, and its 

commitment to integrity offers a read for the whole 

family. It is always on time, ensuring trust among 

its readers. “How to” guidelines add value to a 

publication that is already seen as filled with relevant 

information at an affordable price. The brand aims 

consistently to present relevant, personal, top-class 

entertainment - on time, every time. Huisgenoot’s 

masthead is instantly recognised countrywide. This 

national identification imprinted in consumers’ 

minds - be they regular readers or impulse buyers 

- is the essence of successful branding. Through 

faithful adherence to a highly successful formula 

in content, design and nationwide consumer 

identification with the magazines, Huisgenoot 

maintains continuity and brand recognition. 


HUISGENOOT 

Huisgenoot is the only local magazine that 

exceeds 200,000 in weekly circulation 

Huisgenoot and sister publication YOU 

account for 29 percent market share of 

the top 15 SA magazines 

Huisgenoot turns 94 years old in May 

2010 

With average weekly sales of 317,880 

at R13,95 a copy, Huisgenoot generates 

over 18 million rand a month 

Huisgenoot is the most read Afrikaans 

weekly magazine in the country with a 

readership of over two million on average 

per week

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