NIKE is the Most Admired Brand in Africa

Nike x Laolu Senbanjo African mystic design sneakers

Global sportswear brand, Nike has emerged the overall #1 brand in Africa spontaneously recalled by consumers in Africa. In the Top 100 best brands in Africa on their 6th annual Brand Africa 100: Africa's Best Brands, the US-company topped Samsung, addidas, Coka-Cola and Apple in the top 5 position.

The highest gains are dominated by apparel and lifestyle sport brands Ralph Lauren (+48), Versace (+41) and a resurgent Reebok (+43). The sports category, led by Nike (#1), remains a strong performer, due to streategic repositioning or expansion in their positioning towards lifestyle and high profile endorsements and partnerships which have freshened and broadened the brands' appeal, particularly to youthful and young consumers.

The biggest faller was Ford, dropping 78% from 50 to 89, possibly due to their much publicized safety issues and recall of the Kuga and Focus brands. Sprite also lost some fizz, dropping 38 spots and Etisalat dropped 31 positions.

In a country-by-country analysis, non-African brands are #1 in 17/23 countries, led by Samsung (8/23), Nike (6/23), Coke (2/23), Gucci (1/23). African brands are #1 in 6/23 countries, led by MTN (2/23), Econet (1/23), Trade Kings (1/23) and Azam (1/23).

Because of their transformational impact in Africa, Brand Africa also includes a focused prompted media and financial services sub-survey.

In the media sub-survey, DStv (incorporating GoTV, Multichoice and Supersport) is the lone pan-African media brand within the Top 10 media list. The media list is led by BBC, which has an extensive history and coverage of Africa through its BBC Worldservice radio and specific African programming. The media list is dominated by America (40%), Europe (30%) and Asia (20%). A deeper analysis of the media category shows high levels of fragmentation, with many local and regional players - thus in general only global players with extensive African reach and resources dominate the top of the list.


"The JSE is a platform of African and global companies alike to raise capital and grow their businesses and brands. It is our continuous aim that as an exchange we continue to provide a platform for growth with innovative products to meet the needs of our clients and grow the African continent from strength to strength," says Zeona Jacobs, Director Marketing and Corporate Affairs at the JSE.

The Brand Africa 100 results will be published in African Business on sale globally from 25 May 2017 and online to subscribers on www.africanbusinessmag.com and
www.brandafrica.org.