30 August 2023
Bonono retains ranking as Lesotho’s #1 most admired brand.
MGC, Vodacom and Unicef are the leading brands recognized for doing good for society, people and the environment.
Legendary 97 years old visual artist, Mr Meshu Mokitimi, honoured for inspiring excellence in the creative industry and contributing to building Lesotho’s distinctive identity.
Semonkong, Lesotho – 30 August 2023: Today, in a virtual broadcast from the top of iconic Maletsunyane Falls, in Semonkong, Brand Africa in association with Tangerine Co, Thebe Ikalafeng, the chairman of Brand Africa and Adv. Phelane Phomane, the chairman of Tangerine and convenor of Brand Africa in Lesotho, for the third year in a row, announced Lesotho’s most admired brands out of the annual 2023 Brand Africa 100 | Africa’s Best Brands global survey and rankings. The rankings are based on a survey, analysis and rankings by Geopoll, Kantar and Brand Leadership, respectively, across Africa and in Lesotho. The rankings are part of the pan-Africa research across 32 African countries that account for more than 85% of the continent’s GDP and population.
Recap of the most admired brands in Africa in 2023:
The most admired brands in Lesotho in 2023:
- Bonono is ranked the #1 most admired Lesotho brand, where Nike is the #1 non-Lesotho brand;
- In a new category to recognise brands that are doing good for people, society and the environment, inspired by businesses shifting from profit to purpose, MGC, Vodacom and Unicef/UN emerged as the #1 Lesotho, #1 non-Lesotho and #1 NGO brands in Lesotho;
- In the category for the most admired African brands, MGC and Shoprite are ranked the #1 Lesotho and non-Lesotho brands;
- In the category for the most admired media brands, PC FM and SABC are ranked the #1 Lesotho and non-Lesotho brands;
- In the category for the most admired financial services brands, Alliance Insurance and FNB are ranked the #1 Lesotho and non-Lesotho brands;
- In the category for the most admired brands that reflect African pride, MGC and Shoprite are ranked the #1 Lesotho and non-Lesotho brands.
Reflecting on the rankings, Adv. Phelane Phomane says, “before we engaged on this initiative with Brand Africa, we didn’t have an objective assessment of the state of brands and branding in Lesotho. Now, three years into this edition, it’s incredible but not unexpected given the youth dividend and unemployment to see the emergence and resilience of youth-led brands challenging the ‘established’ brands. The survey is in an unexpected way, a measure of the state of the nation.”
The Brand Africa 100 | Africa’s Best Brands research took place between February and April and covered 32 countries across all economic regions in the continent. The 2023/24 research was once again being conducted by Brand Africa partners, Geopoll covered sub-Sahara Africa, Analysis, a Kantar affiliate in Mauritius covered the sub-Sahara Islands, and Morocco’s Integrate, an affiliate of Kantar covered North Africa. Kantar and Brand Leadership produced the rankings, while the Brand Africa Scientific Committee convened to review, analyse and validate the results.
The key differentiators for this Brand Africa-led study is that it is pan-African, research-led and independent, and not funded by any brand.
“While it is concerning that despite the momentum in operationalising the AfCFTA, rising internal pride in continent albeit against global economic challenges, that overall African consumers have put their trust in mostly non-African brands, rather than give African brands a chance,” says Thebe Ikalafeng, the founder and chairman of Brand Africa. “At a local level, it is gratifying to see that local brands, albeit in the minority, remain competitive, and the growth of youth-led Lesotho brands such as the #1 brand, Bonono, which bodes well for the mountain Kingdom’s future contribution to African branding landscape.”
“With an ever increasing number of countries, greater sample size, and the growth of mobile across the continent, more than ever, using mobile continues to prove to be an effective tool to reach and access respondents across the continent,” says, Bernard Okasi, Director of Research, GeoPoll, which has been the lead data collection partner since 2015.
Karin Du Chenne, Chief Growth Officer Africa Middle East for Kantar, which has been the insight lead for Brand Africa since inception in 2010 says, “despite the increased countries and sample sizes which have invariably grown the volumes of brands analysed, the survey continues to yield a very consistent picture of the leading brands in the continent, albeit not yet to Africa’s advantage.”
For the 10th consecutive year, the complete Africa-wide results, excluding country specific results, including the Top 100, category rankings and comprehensive analysis were published in the July issue of African Business magazine.
In recognizing that great brands and nations result from sustained and visionary leadership, Brand Africa today announced the outstanding Mosotho who over the past 25 years or more has inspired excellence in the creative industry and contributing to building the nation’s distinctive identity and reputation. The laureate for 2023 is the legendary 97 years old visual artist, Mr Meshu Mokitimi.
Now in its 13th year, and every year on or around Africa Day, 25 May, Brand Africa releases the results of the survey on the most admired brands in Africa based on a survey across more than 30 countries which represent as much as 85% of the continent’s GDP and population.
For Information on the Brand Africa agenda, initiatives, and partners and specifically the Brand Africa 100: Africa’s Best Brands Rankings visit www.brand.africa and follow the results on #BrandAfrica100 and #AfricasBestBrands.
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| Overall – Africa’s Best Brands | Overall | African | Media | Financial Services | African Pride | |
| Aided Recall | Spontaneous Recall | |||||
| #1 | Nike | DANGOTE | MTN | DStv | Standard Bank | Dangote |
| #2 | Adidas | MTN | Dangote | BBC | Equity | Ethiopian Airlines |
| #3 | Samsung | DStv | Trade Kings | CNN | ABSA | MTN |
| Most Admired Brands | Lesotho | ||||||
| #1 | Sustainability | Pride | Media | Financial Services | African | |
| #1 Most Admired Lesotho Brand | Bonono Merchants | Matekane Group of Companies | Matekane Group of Companies | PC FM | Alliance Insurance | Maketane Group of Companies |
| Most Admired Brands – Non-Lesotho | Nike | Vodacom | Shoprite | SABC | First National Bank (FNB) | Shoprite |
| NGO | UNICEF | |||||
| Top 10 Lesotho Brands | Bonono Merchants; 2) Basotholand Ink; 3) Alliance Insurance; 4) Joachim; 5) Tlotsa Products; 6) SQO; 7) City Kings; 8) Tripharm; 9) Enrich Stores; 10) Maluti Premium Lager | |||||
| Top 10 Non-Lesotho Brands | 1)Nike; 2) Vodacom; 3) Adidas; 4) Samsung; 5) Econet; 6) Toyota; 7) Puma; 8) Shoprite/Checkers; 9) Coca-Cola; 10) Huawei | |||||
| Top 10 Sustainable Lesotho Brands | 1) Matekane Group of Companies; 2) Maluti Mountain Brewery; 3) Alliance Insurance; 4) Letseng Diamond Mines; 5) Lesotho Post Bank; 6) Mamoth; 7) Bonono Merchants; 8) Wasco; 9) Urban Taxis and Tours; 10) Sotho Kulture | |||||
| Top 10 Sustainable Non-Lesotho Brands | 1) Vodacom; 2) Shoprite/Checkers; 3) Metropolitan; 4) Woolworths; 5) Econet; 6) UNICEF/United Nations; 7) Croix Rouge/Red Cross; 8) Coca-Cola; 9) Standard Bank/Stanbic; 10) Motsepe Foundation | |||||
| Most Admired Brands by Category | Lesotho | ||||||
| Non-Alcoholic Beverages | Alcoholic Beverages | Personal Care | Retail | Technology | ||
| #1 Lesotho Brands | – | Maluti Premium Lager | Tlotsa Products | Enrich Stores | – | |
| #1 Non-Lesotho Brands | Coca-Cola | Amstel Lager | Nivea | Shoprite / Checkers | ||
| Africa Brand Leadership Excellence Award/s | Lesotho | ||||||
| Industry | In recognition of inspiring excellence in the creative industry and contributing to building the nation’s distinctive identity and reputation. | Mr Meshu Mokitimi Africa Brand Leadership Excellence – Industry |
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About Brand Africa 100: Africa’s Best Brands
Recognizing that brands drive the growth, reputation and competitiveness of nations, Brand Africa (www.brand.africa) was established in 2010 as a non-profit brand-led movement to inspire a brand-led African renaissance. The Brand Africa 100 | Africa’s Best Brands, has been the flagship initiative of Brand Africa since 2011. The rankings, announced annually on or around Africa Day, 25 May every year since 2011, are the most authoritative study on brands in Africa, covering 30 countries that account for over 85% of the population and over 85% of the GDP of Africa. The survey is conducted by the world’s leading mobile based research firm, Geopoll, with insights provided by the world’s largest information research firm, Kantar working with in close collaboration with Africa’s premier branding, strategic communications and intellectual property advisory firm, Brand Leadership. For more information on Brand Africa 100 | Africa’s Best Brands visit https://www.brand.africa/Home/FAQs.
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