BRANDING

Nike is still the top brand on the continent, annual study finds

By our African Marketing Confederation News Team | 2024

Africans overwhelmingly prefer international brands to local ones, according to the Brand Africa 100: Africa’s Best Brands report.

Despite 64% of Africans expressing confidence in the continent, they remain loyal to non-African brands, which continue to dominate the preferences of the continent’s consumers. 

 

Once again, it is international brands Nike, Adidas and Samsung that are listed by African when they are asked to spontaneously recall their top brands. For Nike, it is its seventh consecutive year as the number one brand. 

 

This is according to the annual Brand Africa 100: Africa’s Best Brands report, which has been produced for the past 14 years by Brand Africa. Recognising that brands drive the growth, reputation and competitiveness of nations, Brand Africa was established in 2010 as a non-profit brand-led movement to inspire a brand-led African renaissance. 

 

African brands have only a 14% share of the Top 100 most admired brands in Africa – the same share as last year – when it comes to the most admired African brands that are spontaneously recalled by consumers on the continent. 

Photo by Wallace Chuck from Pexels

 

 

MTN and Dangote lead the African list 

 

This local list is led by South African-based telecommunications group, MTN. Next is the Nigerian conglomerate Dangote, followed Zambian consumer group Trade Kings. These are followed by Nigerian telecommunications group Glo, South African media group DStv, and Ethiopian Airlines. 

 

In an interesting insight – affirming how entrenched non-African brands are in Africa – many top names such as Coca-Cola, Pepsi, Samsung, Lacoste, Total (Energies) and Guinness are mistakenly recalled among the most admired ‘African’ brands when the question is asked: ‘What African brands do you admire?’ 

 

 

Thebe Ikalafeng, founder and Chairman of Brand Africa, says it is “disappointing” that the share of African brands remains at 14%.  

 

“As nations continue to create an enabling environment for African entrepreneurs and the AfCFTA opportunity is realised, it’s just a matter of time, but ultimately the share of African brands will increase,” he believes. 

 

Among the other highlights of the report: 

 

  • Kenya’s Equity Bank leapfrogs African banking giants to take pole position as the most admired financial services brand in Africa. 

 

  • The BBC retains lead as the #1 most admired media brand in Africa. 

 

  • South Africa, Nigeria, United States, China and Kenya are the top five countries perceived to ‘contribute to a better Africa’. 

 

  • MTN, Coca Cola and the United Nations/UNICEF lead in ‘doing good for society and the environment’. 

 

Over the next few weeks, Brand Africa will release country specific results in key countries across the continent. You can find out more about the report here. 

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