Brands originating in Kenya that citizens in the country admire have been revealed.
While a list of the top brands in Africa, which featured Safaricom, Tusker and Bidco, was released last month by Brand Africa, the non-profit organisation on June 25 revealed which Kenyan brands are most admired by Kenyans.
Topping the list is telecommunications firm Safaricom, which for the purpose of the survey was collated with M-Pesa and Vodacom, Brand Africa said.
Tusker, the alcoholic beverage brand that excites Africans as per the overall list, ranked second in the country.
National carrier Kenya Airways is in third place despite facing headwinds over lack of profitability in recent years.
Citizen TV, the flagship tv station of Royal Media Services comes in fourth place while consumer goods company Bidco is fifth.
During the announcement of the top brands in Kenya on June 25, Brand Africa chair Thebe Ikalefeng said come up with the metric reveals that Africa has is retaining the ownership of African brands, especially its profits for the continent.
“One of the biggest challenges facing Africa is transforming its vibrant entrepreneurial energy and environment to create competitive brands that meet the needs of its growing consumer market,” he said.
Ikalefeng, who is also the founder of Brand Africa, added, ““More importantly, as is evident with Safaricom, Mpesa and Tusker, the leading made in Kenya brands, the next biggest challenge is retaining the ownership of these brands and ultimately the profits in Africa.”
[Read: Gambler sues Safaricom over data leak]
Overall in Kenya, Coca Cola ruled the roost, maintaining its top billing in the country ahead of Safaricom.
Tech firm Samsung jumped ahead of Tusker to place third in Kenya, with Airtel jumping five places to fifth.
iPhone makers Apple, along with Colgate were newcomers to the top 10 most admired brands in Kenya.
The ranking was compiled as a partnership between the Brand Leadership Group, research service providers Geopoll and data insights firm Kantar.
A mobile platform was used to gather data from over 2,200 respondents, with over 15,500 brands mentioned within the survey.
“The scope of the Brand Africa study across such a diverse sample and geographic spread would be impossible to achieve using traditional research methodologies,” said GeoPoll chief executive Nicholas Becker.
Respondents were from 25 selected countries on the continent, and had to be 18 years or over. According to Brand Africa, the selected countries account for 80% of Africa’s population and 75% of the continent’s GDP.
In the overall list, African brands dropped to 14% share in the top 100. With the ranking having been established in 2011, this represented an all time low.
“The key to success for building sustainable brands, irrespective of origins or domicile, is to establish an emotional connection, creating intimacy and being more present in consumers everyday lives.” said Karin Du Chenne, Kantar’s Chief Growth Officer Africa Middle East.
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