Local is lekker for South African brands

I have often grudgingly admired the French as they resolutely stick to their quirky shops, food and mannerisms, while rudely gesturing at me as I fumble through bad phrase book lines in an attempt to get them to co-operate. While remaining a world-class nation, the French love local and fiercely protect it.

With the heightened awareness around Heritage Day and a strong focus on Proudly South African week, this experience served to highlight the fact that there has been a strong rise in 'authenticity' as a cultural trend. Real food, real stories and real culture are but a few of the aspects becoming increasingly important to consumers.

Some of the world's biggest brands are acknowledging this trend and displaying a move towards a more authentic local flavour. Evidence shows that big brands are losing out round the world to local brands, with 40 of the top 75 world brands dropping value in 2002, as consumers favour a more home grown feel.

Many South African (SA) brands have realised the value of local and seized the opportunity. The successful Proudly South African initiative has empowered brands to build local equity and instil a sense of loyalty and pride amongst consumers. Not to mention the 'feel good' aspect of knowing that by supporting Proudly South African brands the consumer is contributing towards the economic growth of our country.

However, from a marketer's point of view there is still a lot more to be done to raise the bar and focus on bringing these brands to the fore. They require our support to make them unique, champion their local essence and instil a pride in both the customers that interact with them and the staff tasked with delivering all the delicious brand promises we make. No identikit approaches, just real SA products offering real SA experiences.

Local is truly lekker and there has never been a better time to focus on this strength and build it into a competitive advantage.