South Africa Edition 2

organisations, including companies, parastatals,
government departments, universities, local
communities and other Proudly South African
members are giving preference to the products
and services of other Proudly South African
companies.
The campaign, amongst others, also affords
members access to retail promotional activities
relating to Proudly South African Week and the
Proudly South African flagship projects.
The key benefits of membership are:
• Enjoying access to a committee of the Proudly
South African Board - this is a platform to
discuss important issues affecting specific
economic sectors
• The campaign lobbies with organised
business and government on behalf of
members to promote procurement from
member companies
• Working with the campaign to promote
members’ products and services through
Proudly South African media, such as the
website, Nca! News (electronic newsletter),
Proud! Magazine, events and exhibitions
• Having an opportunity to take part in the
prestigious annual Proudly South African
HomeGrown Awards and to be acknowledged
for innovation and excellence. Prizes and
media exposure offer winners an opportunity
to take their business to a new level of
excellence/competitiveness
• Proudly South African facilitates businessto-business
networking and trade between
members through CEO Forums and nationwide
workshops
• The campaign provides a platform for
corporate members to assist smaller Proudly
South African companies as part of their
corporate social investment initiatives
• Use of the Proudly South Africa mark of
quality to identify and link qualifying products
and services to the campaign; and to benefit
from the campaign’s marketing strategy and
activities that encourage consumers to “buy
local”
To become a Proudly South African member,
a company must satisfy four important criteria:
• QUALITY: The Proudly South African mark
of quality can only be carried by companies,
products and services that meet high quality
standards. Before membership is granted,
companies must satisfy the campaign that
their products, processes and services are of a
high standard. Consumers and members can
lodge complaints if quality is not upheld.
• LOCAL CONTENT: At least 50 percent of
the total costs of production must be incurred
in South Africa. There must be “substantial
transformation” of goods in the production
process
• FAIR LABOUR: The company must practice
fair labour standards and comply with labour
legislation
• ENVIRONMENT: The member company
must have good environmental standards
Compliance with the criteria is verified by the
Proudly South African membership accreditation
panel.
RECENT DEVELOPMENTS
As the campaign has matured over the years, its
effectiveness as a marketing tool has also grown.
Ongoing consumer educational campaigns are
being used to encourage consumers in all market
segments to “buy and support Proudly South
African products and services” and to actively look
for the Proudly South African mark of quality.
This has ensured that the campaign, supported
by patriotic, quality-conscious consumers,
continues to contribute to the nation’s overall
prosperity.
The picturesque town of Clarens was the
first to be awarded Proudly South African status
in 2006. Backed by their Proudly South African
membership, Clarens was awarded substantial
funding for the development of a number of
environmental and other sustainable projects by,
amongst others, the Department of Environmental
Affairs and Tourism.
PROMOTION
Proudly South African companies’ commitment
extends beyond financial contributions to
include promotional activity, brand awareness,
staff education and support for the aims and
objectives of the campaign. Strategic partners
include the Department of Trade and Industry
(the DTI), Nedlac, Cosatu, Fedusa and Nafcoc,
BUSA and SABS. A number of memorandums
of understanding have been concluded between
Proudly South African and organisations such as
the Corporate Governance Framework Research
Institute (CGF). These companies receive
invaluable mileage when they use the Proudly
South African mark of quality on their visual
communications.
The Proudly South African website constantly
updates users, and answers most questions that
the public may have. It includes a members-only
section which requires a password to gain access.
In this section members are provided with useful
information, member-to-member special offers,
and much more.
Proudly South Africans’ “consumer
education” campaign focuses more on belowthe-line
advertising as this approach is aimed at
specific niche groups and is more effective.
BRAND VALUES
Values at the core of Proudly South African
include national pride, integrity, honesty, reliability
and enthusiasm. These values inspire a level
of excellence that maximizes value for all and
promotes a positive contribution to our economy and
society at large. Proudly South African companies
are simultaneously product, service and social
entrepreneurs, through the very values that imbue
them with their unique characteristics. They give
credence to the campaign’s vision for “Building
the Pride and Prosperity of our ‘Nca!tion’ ”.
THINGS YOU DIDN’T KNOW ABOUT
PROUDLY SOUTH AFRICAN
Membership fees have not increased
since the campaign’s inception, despite
inflation
Awareness of the campaign has increased
from 54 percent in Oct/Nov 2002 to 79
percent in Oct/Nov 2006, representing
a 25 percent increase over four years,
which exceeds the 16 percent target set
when the project commenced in 2001
The annual WesBank Proudly South
African Homegrown Awards celebrates
and recognizes the best Proudly South
African companies, products and services
and the innovative creators behind them