J&G rebrands to JG Afrika

JG Afrika board: standing - Jan Norris, Seetella Makhetha, Phaks Ngqumshe, Martha Makhetha; seated - Harold Tiganis, Nomsa Mkaza, Paul Olivier (MD)

Tell us about the transition from Jeffares & Green (J&G) to JG Afrika.

Jeffares & Green is a truly unique firm. Not only has its name endured for nearly a century, but so too have its core values of experience, quality and integrity. It is amazing how Jeffares & Green has retained its identity throughout time and despite extreme changes within the industry.

That being said, it is also a progressive firm and the time has now come to look to the future and to align our corporate identity with our diverse expertise, our modern approach and the great future Africa has as a growing continent.

How were the staff involved in the renaming, and why did the company feel it was necessary to include them in the process?

There is a strong family culture within the firm where mentorship, training and a genuine care for staff members prevails. It was never an option to change the name of the firm without involving staff and getting their buy-in. The voting process was completely anonymous and managed independently off-site. When our people spoke, they did so with an overwhelming 82% majority in favour of our new name – JG Afrika.

Could you explain your specific brand management strategy, and how it ties into JG Afrika's overall marketing/corporate communications?

It was decided to engage the services of brand specialists because such is the pride in the history of Jeffares & Green that we needed objective, outsider influence in order to make the best choices. The brand development started with the selection of a new name, and after much research, the selected options were presented to our staff and a vote held.

In planning for 2016, part of our goal for the new year was to sustain the advancement and success that we have achieved for the past 94 years. Over this period, the company has progressed and evolved to keep pace with fluctuations in demand, the industry and customer requirements. To remain relevant, this must be a continuous process and a strategy plan was meticulously devised to take JG Afrika to the next level on all fronts.

The firm announced its new name to clients in February 2016 and launches the new brand throughout Africa in April.

Charmagne Denny, marketing and communications manager of JG Afrika

What does the name JG Afrika mean to you?

The inclusion of “JG” symbolises the company’s acknowledgement of and appreciation for its long history, while “Afrika” with a “k” denotes our love and commitment for the continent. This is also how it is spelt in our national anthem, Nkosi Sikelel’ iAfrika.

What does the new JG Afrika logo symbolise?

The brand identity was developed and designed with a purpose; to remember the company’s history, to reflect its ethos and project its future. The logo’s icon is representative of man-made, engineered, symmetrical lines. These lines are contrasted with organic shapes which represent the environment (green) and water (blue), denoting the environmental sphere of JG Afrika’s services.

The design and name incorporates the three pillars of the company’s ethos, experience, quality and integrity while displaying fresh innovative thinking.

Charmagne Denny has extensive experience in management, marketing, strategic planning, communications and sales, having worked within both corporate marketing and advertising agency environments as well as having her own consultancy for ten years. She currently develops, implements and manages all JG Afrika’s group communication and promotional and branding campaigns, to both internal and external markets.