Issued by: Brands & Branding


These two sentences, from Brand Economics' senior vice-president, Jonathan Knowles, succinctly summarise what every good marketer, brand builder or public relations professional has been thinking since the entity plunged South Africa into its current energy crisis.

They also form the core of an article written by HKLM's Brand Consultant, Lori Levitan, AD, in the 2008 edition of The Encyclopaedia of Brands & Branding in South Africa, which will be launched in September this year.

In this article, Levitan points out that the currency of brand trust has increased in value over the latter part of the 20th century as the functional differences between the goods and services on offer from competing providers become harder to identify. Living in uncertain times has also significantly altered the attributes people ascribe to being ‘trustworthy'.

Using the most dramatic ‘trust bust' in the South African commercial arena in recent times, Eskom, she explores what the company can do now to rebuild trust in the eyes of its profoundly sceptical consumers, and then asks with trust as the competitive advantage of the 21st century, what practical steps can brand and business managers take to build it?
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This is achieved by an in-depth discussion about the concepts of ‘brand versus reputation', ‘trust versus confidence' and ‘building trust'.

“In the business world, trust represents a competitive advantage, infinitely exploitable and virtually impossible to replicate. Without the requisite accountability, however, it's easy to lose and far more difficult to regain.

“So to build trust, companies should focus on their performance in these fields - accountability, transparency and receptiveness,” she argues.

Brands & Branding launched the Brand Trust Index™ in conjunction with Ipsos Markinor in the 2007 edition. This highlighted which brands, out of a cross-section of product categories, were most trusted by South African consumers. The top 10 most trusted brands that year were (from number 1) Discovery Channel, Tastic, Nokia, Ace, Koo, All Gold, Kellogg's, SABC1, White Star and Cadbury's Dairy Milk Chocolate.

Interestingly, despite several service categories being included in the survey, none of the big and powerful service brands featured in the top 10 list.

“The difficulty for service brands is that they rely on the human factor to meet these high expectations, while manufactured goods (such as chocolate) rely almost solely on the product itself - certainly an easier variable to manage. Not sweet enough? Just add more sugar. It's not that easy with people who lack ‘sweetness',” explains Brands & Branding's publisher, Ken Preston.

“Trust is very closely linked to expectation, which is shaped by brand promises. Trust is created when promises - and thus expectations - are met, but it is destroyed when promises are broken.

“It's the fine line that brands have to tread - if you create high expectations with bold promises, you simultaneously create a potentially long and hard fall from grace if you don't meet those expectations. Service brands naturally create high expectations - they have to. Who could sell a banking brand that's ‘Today. Tomorrow. Together. Mostly.' or ‘Inspired. Motivated. Involved. Sometimes.'?”

Levitan concludes: “As with most virtues, the key lies in actions rather than words. Start with a review of current practices from the perspective of the four dimensions of reliability, integrity, empathy and familiarity. The aim is to eliminate behaviours that may be damaging your perceived trustworthiness and identify behaviours that actively promote it constantly.”

The Encyclopaedia of Brands & Branding in South Africa is published by Affinity Publishing, and the 2008 edition will be on sale in September this year. For further information email affinity@iafrica.com or call +27 11 442 2366.

Visit our PRESS OFFICE: Affinity Publishing has an established reputation for producing high quality “benchmark” books on Branding, Advertising, Design and now Renewal and Development in Johannesburg. The flagship Encyclopaedia of Brands & Branding is going into its 14th edition in 2008 and is regarded as South Africa's leading brand knowledge resource.The 2nd volume of Joburg! “Towards 2010” is being compiled and is due for release in September 2008.- more....

[23 Jun 2008 16:09]

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