The release of Brand Finance South Africa 50 2018, a
report on South Africa's top brands (many of which are advised
by ENSafrica's IP team), gives all of us involved in brands and
branding a chance to consider the commercial importance of our
field.
The report was produced by the company Brand Finance and
mentions that over the past year, the value of South African brands
grew by an impressive 8% to ZAR426-billion. The future looks
bright: "The potential for South Africa going forward is huge,
especially as new brands such as Capitec emerge."
The report starts with some useful definitions. A brand is a
"marketing-related intangible asset including, but not limited
to, names, terms, signs, symbols, logos and designs intended to
identify goods, services or entities, creating distinctive images
and associations in the minds of stakeholders, thereby generating
benefits." Brand value is equal to a net economic benefit that
a brand owner would achieve by licensing the
