adminthis year’s edition has a special focus on encouraging the development of local brands.
“This year’s Superbrand awards will have a special section for local brands only as a way of encouraging the development of local brands,” he said.
MAZ adopted the Superbrand concept in 2010 to develop strong national brands. “The Superbrand awards were established in the spirit of developing strong brands, strong companies and ultimately a strong economy,” added Mr Dube.
MAZ has also indicated that this year it could extend the sectoral categories to ensure broader market participation.
Last year MAZ announced 37 sectoral categories that cut across various sectors of the economy from which the brands were drawn including information and communication technologies, telecommunications, pharmaceuticals, industrial manufacturing, human resources, consultancy and print media, among others.
The organisers also said they were anticipating the participation of at least 200 companies compared to the 100 companies that participated last year.
In 2010, telecommunications group Econet Wireless Zimbabwe eclipsed Coca-Cola to clinch the Superbrand of the Year title, while the Spar retail franchise came in third position.
Last year’s awards saw Econet again assuming top position followed by Coca-Cola, and in third position came Mazoe. The Herald has maintained the top spot in the print media category since the inception of the awards. Guest speaker at the launch, South African motivational speaker Mr Justin Cohen urged the MAZ to adopt a broader appreciation of the “Superbrand”.
“Do not just give out awards to your best performers, but get them to tell their stories. Stories drive performance,” he said.
Mr Cohen also urged local companies to ensure that there are no disparities between the companies’ perception of their brands and how customers perceive the same brands because “customers are their ultimate salespeople”.
Meanwhile, the MAZ has indicated that it will host an outdoor brand exhibition in September.
Online Reporter