Capetown Unlimited

Capetown unlimited

End of October 2013 I visited The Brandstation, our sister firm in Cape Town.

I spent a full week in this city and managed to do the kind of things that make you wonder if you accidentally booked an “influencer itinerary”.

Ruben Collin and Kim August run The Brandstation, and they hosted me with the kind of generosity you normally only see in travel brochures.

We went to places that are, let’s say, easier to access when you’re with the right people.

What we did (besides “work”)

• We ran a marathon.
• We went clubbing.
• I danced salsa.
• I climbed a mountain with the amazing superstar Bianca Le Grange.
• We saw Rihanna perform.
• We did sweaty workouts, because apparently leisure isn’t leisure unless it hurts a little.

I feel genuinely privileged to work with such brilliant humans and to meet their closest friends.

What we talked about (so yes, we did also use our brains)

We had great conversations about the current state of the South African market, and what that means for meaningfulness and emotive branding.

A reality check is unavoidable.

Around a quarter of South Africans survive on about €1.25 a day. Unemployment is unofficially estimated around 40%.

At the same time, the urban middle class is growing fast. And I was highly impressed by the quality of almost everything I saw: bars, cafés, nightclubs, premium restaurants, and sports facilities.

But I’ll be honest: my view was filtered by being surrounded by the upper class. That changes what you see, and what you don’t.

Where branding is (for now)

Compared to Western European markets, brand strategy grounded in purpose and corporate stories with meaningful content does not seem to have fully materialized yet.

I also got the impression that many brand owners are not (yet) eager to invest in “strategic branding”.

With such large income differences, many brands will, for the time being, be differentiated primarily on price. For now, being visible and being active is the name of the game.

Where branding could go next

Having said that, I’m convinced that as the market grows and matures, the expanding middle class will become more open to brands built on emotive thinking.

That gives The Brandstation an important role: seeding the market and preparing it.

And given South Africa’s challenges, growing and spreading wellbeing, educating children, preventing illness, and more, there is a huge opportunity for brands to take their social responsibility seriously.

Wouldn’t it be something if large corporations genuinely gave back to people? How sympathetic would that be?

Maybe I’m dreaming. But if “conscious capitalism” is ever going to move from keynote to real life, South Africa feels like one of the places where it could actually matter.

I look back on a wonderful week in Cape Town, and I’m already excited to come back next year.