Brand South Africa Research Note

Transcription

1 Brand South Africa Research Note Working with the Nation Brand Perspectives from Global South Africans living Down Under By: Dr. Petrus de Kock General Manager, Research, Brand South Africa

2 Background One of Brand South Africa s key international programmes focuses on Global South Africans (GSA). Essentially Global South Africans are the sum total of the country s diaspora. Through the GSA network Brand SA endeavours to reach out to South Africans living and working abroad. The critical importance diaspora communities could, and do play, not only in the South African case, is underlined by the African Union. South Africa hosted, and became signatory to the African Union Declaration of the Global African Diaspora Summit, 25 May Through the AU s work on the African diaspora, the organisation underlines the important economic, social, and developmental role African expats and diaspora communities can play back home on the continent. The same thinking applies to Brand South Africa s GSA programme. Through this network Brand SA aims to keep South Africans updated regarding developments in the country. But, simultaneously the goal is to involve South Africans living abroad more directly in efforts to promote and market the nation brand, and to understand the ways in which such South Africans are already, or are willing to play a role in the social, economic, and human development back home. Brand SA s stakeholder & research mission to Australia Between 22 and 26 March 2015 Brand SA embarked on a stakeholder engagement and research mission to Australia. During November 2014, the late Minister for Performance Monitoring & Evaluation, Mr Collins Chabane, led a delegation of senior government officials, and Brand SA executives to Australia to open a conversation with the South African community in the country. This was part of carrying the 20 Years of Democracy message to the GSA community. There are varying estimates, but approximately South Africans live down under. This is the second largest South African diaspora community outside of the United Kingdom. Following on the successful Ministerial delegation in 2014, Brand SA decided to dedicate the 2015 GSA engagements in Australia to more focused stakeholder engagements, and research reference group discussions. The purpose with the 2015 GSA outreach was to, in partnership with the South African High Commission in Australia: 1. To provide feedback on the performance of the Nation Brand domestically and internationally; 2. The research reference group sessions hosted in Melbourne & Sydney acted as platforms where South Africans living abroad can help deepen Brand SA s understanding of the needs of this community, perceptions of the country, and to identify concrete ways in which Brand SA can work more directly with GSA s in the market.

3 In the discussions with GSAs Brand SA requested input and suggestions on the following issues and questions: GSAs to suggest feasible means by which Brand SA can communicate, and interact with South Africans on an ongoing basis; To what extent are South Africans in Australia still connected to home?; What kind of news/ information on SA would GSA s like to receive from Brand SA?; Recommendations on means/ platforms of communication between Brand SA and GSA s ; Concerns regarding, and perceived strengths, of the nation brand. To what extent are GSAs connected to the country? Brand South Africa s Domestic Perceptions Research indicates that South Africans maintain high levels of national pride. The Pride Index score for the latest round of research stands at 80/100. While this may be true for the domestic environment, discussions with GSAs clearly indicated that while many families may have been living in Australia since the 1970s and 80s, they still actively maintain contact, and are unquestionably proud to hail from South Africa.

4 HE High Commissioner Designate to Australia, Mr Sibusiso Ndebele, opening the GSA dinner 24 March 2015 In terms of the ways in which South Africans are still connected to Home it is evident from discussions that family and networks of friends, professional and business networks, investments and attachment to unique South African brands and products (like Biltong, of course) keep GSAs either directly, or indirectly connected to home. From discussions on how South Africans are connected to the country it also emerged that there are some exciting ways in which GSAs are already playing their part to positively contribute to the country. What are GSAs already doing for SA? A few examples of the kinds of projects GSAs are already involved with in South Africa: Several South Africans are involved in fund raising activities for local charities, e.g. for AIDS orphans; A small group of South Africans have for several years already been involved in raising finds to build school libraries in Limpopo Province; Australia Aid South Africa is also quite active in a variety of spheres to support initiatives in South Africa. But, just as important as what is already being done, is the fact that consistently throughout discussions GSAs indicated that they would be willing to do much more to reach out, and support initiatives in South Africa.

5 Ask us what you need! In terms of discussions on what GSAs could potentially do to contribute to the country, several reference group participants in both Sydney & Melbourne had a rather straight forward answer: come to us, and clearly indicate what it is you need. During discussions it became clear that Brand SA should ideally identify a few key areas of activity it want to mobilise support for. Some of the concrete suggestions made in this regard include: Sharing information on investment or business opportunities in SA; GSA Research Reference Group in Melbourne

6 Identifying and communicating specific interventions needed in SA, for which the GSAs can either mobilise monetary, skills, or other resources to support such activities; Brand SA could assemble senior GSA executives in the corporate sphere in Australia to identify possible sectors, or areas where the country needs investment; It was also suggested that Brand SA should approach GSAs with a concrete list of projects or initiatives such as: support to education; the development of student exchange programmes; community development initiatives that can be supported by GSA fund raising or skills and capacity development interventions; Alumni associations from SA universities could explore closer ties with graduates and in so doing open opportunities for deeper contact and GSA network interactions. Participants in the reference groups also indicated that there is a significant level of goodwill towards South Africa among the GSA, but also general Australian community. From this perspective it means that the lessons Brand SA is taking from the interactions are: 1. Brand SA to be concrete and rather specific on the areas/issues it needs GSA support; 2. That there exists a significant corps of South Africans abroad that are already involved in projects back home, or that are more than willing to devote time, skills, expertise or resources to supporting initiatives inside South Africa. The reputation of the brand During 2014 Brand South African launched the SA Inc. research project to assess the country s reputation in peer African markets. From fieldwork conducted in Kenya, Ghana and Nigeria one finding that emerges the strongest is that the country, or nation brand s reputation, is to a large extent shaped by the experience African peers have of South African individuals, corporate brands, or government interactions with peers in the market. From the SA Inc project Brand SA gathered some insight on soft factors such as business culture and etiquette, and how the behaviour of individuals, or organisations, can impact either positively, or negatively on the over-all reputation of the nation brand. Why is this relevant for the GSA discussion in Australia? In a world where digital modes of communication and platforms dominate the public sphere, it is interesting to note that traditional word of mouth is still the most trusted source of information. This means that the way in which GSAs speak about the country, the way they carry the country message, and interact with peer wherever they are, have an indirect, but sometimes lasting impact on the reputation of the country.

7 This implies that the reputation of the nation brand can be boosted and enhanced, or damaged and undermined through the way we speak about the country, and the manner in which we treat people we meet on our journeys through the world. Through the research reference group discussions it emerged that some of the key perceived reputational challenges Brand SA has to deal with in the Australian context include: Reports on crime in South Africa. This is a particularly sensitive issue, due to the fact that some post-1994 SA immigrants to Australia cite crime in the country as one of the main reasons for choosing to relocate to Australia; The country s current energy challenges and the need to contextualise and tell the story of what interventions are coming through to deal with the situation; The need to contextualise key government policies such as Black Economic Empowerment. This calls for a clear articulation of the transformative journey South Africa is engaged in; Perceptions of corruption in government and insufficient service delivery. It should also be noted, however, that through the reference group discussions Brand SA also managed to learn that increased flow of information to the GSA community can go a long way towards creating a better contextual understanding of the unique challenges the nation brand is facing as it enters the third decade of democracy. In terms of the latter, participants in the discussions noted that there are several well organised South African networks of families, businesses, and professionals. A suggestion was made that Brand SA should ensure that these networks are linked to the GSA newsletters, and that research and indicators on the economic performance, social development, and key achievements in the country will be welcomed by South Africans living in Australia. What are the lessons? One of the first lessons that Brand SA brought back from Sydney and Melbourne is that there is a significant energy, and willingness from GSAs to contribute positively to the development of the country. In order to extract more value from the GSA network Brand SA is paying specific attention to suggestions pertaining to the concrete projects GSAs can be linked to inside the country. One of Brand SA s key domestic programmes is Play Your Part. Based on input received from GSAs it may be interesting to explore the option of a GSA Play Your Part platform, where individuals and organisations active abroad can become part of the movement that promotes active citizenship. It is furthermore enlightening to learn about the range of projects GSAs are already involved in back home. This gives Brand SA confidence to develop the network further, and to rise to the challenge of being more specific in its requests for assistance back home. Many more are the lessons the team brought back home. Suffice it to say that the suggestions made by GSAs are being given serious consideration. As the programme is developed further in future, Brand SA will do it best to brings workable ideas to a practical implementable stage.

8 Thank You to the GSAs Each of the research reference group discussions Brand SA hosted carried on much longer than planned for. Brand SA took this as a lesson that the South Africans in Australia are no different from those still living at home: - They are friendly - They are engaging - And they are willing to contribute constructively to the future of the country. With this being said Brand South Africa would like to thank all the GSAs that supported, and participated in the discussions. A special word of thanks also goes to HE Mr Sibusiso Ndebele, and the team from the South African High Commission, without your assistance and support the sessions in Melbourne and Sydney would not have been a success. Brand SA believes that the GSA network can become a bridge between worlds, and that it can create new opportunities for learning, growth and development. We value your input, and look forward to creating a stronger network that can serve not only the needs of the country, but also to support South Africans wherever they are. Sydney Harbour Bridge