Heritage Day celebrates the diverse cultures that make up South Africa. Brands, like cultures, are rooted in storytelling and a number of brands have been part of South Africa’s story for so long that they form part of our heritage. These iconic brands continued to connect with the South African consumer over decades and have earned their status as national favourites.

Heritage brands are brands that have their origin in a previous generation, and over time, have been nurtured to become part of consumers’ lives, endowed from one generation to the next. They are perceived to have status, character, social class and a history. These brands are also sometimes referred to as iconic brands or legacy brands, and their appeal is perpetuated by their narrative or brand story, amplified by nostalgia.

The Ask Afrika Icon Brands™ survey tracks consumer trends with regards to brand and product loyalty among South African consumers. The survey is the largest benchmark of its kind in South Africa, and measures thousands of brands across 238 product categories. Here are a few of the most-loved brands for 2020/2021 according to the survey.

2020/2021 CATEGORY WINNERS:

• ANTISEPTIC TOPICAL OINTMENTS AND SALVES: Zam-Buk
• BREAKFAST CEREALS (hot): Jungle Oats
• CHEWING GUM: Chappies
• CONDIMENTS/TABLE SAUCES (tomato sauce/ketchup): All Gold
• FLOUR: Sasko
• SPREADS (peanut butter): Black Cat
• TINNED FISH: Lucky Star
• TINNED/CANNED BEANS: Koo
• MAAS OR BUTTERMILK (maas/buttermilk): Clover Amasi 
• MAGEU/MAHEU: Mageu No 1
• MAIZE MEAL AND SAMP: White Star
• RICE AND COUSCOUS: Tastic

DOES BRAND LOVE EQUATE BRAND LOYALTY? 

South Africans love brands so much we put them on anything from t-shirts to baby grows to face masks, and some even decorate their homes with them.

Image sources: Heritage Day Collection from Big Blue and Krag Drag; Seats in the shape of iconic products from World of Wonder; N68IUtjb via Tripadvisor

However, this ‘brand love’ does not seem to be a sure measure for brand loyalty. 

Ask Afrika’s Icon Brands survey proved that brand loyalty is on a downward trajectory, not only in the overall market but also in the kasi (township) market, as per their Kasi Star Brands Survey. This trend has been rising over the past couple of years for a myriad of reasons, but here we will focus on the shifts in shopper demographic. 

South Africa’s youth (age 18-34) make up one-third of the population and have considerable spending power. Naturally, brands and marketers need to be increasingly focused on the youth market if they plan to remain on top of this group’s shopping and spending priorities in the years to come, particularly when they start making shopping decisions for their growing families. This is confirmed by Jill Avery, a Senior Lecturer at Harvard Business School, who asserts that millennials can inherit brand loyalty from their parents. As the younger generation age and establish families, the brands their parents used and that they themselves grew up with are often a reference point for choosing which brands to buy. 

However, our current older generations tend to be more brand loyal than the younger demographic who are more price savvy and thus willing to try cheaper brands.

HERITAGE BRANDS, SPEAKING TO THE SHOPPERS OF TOMORROW

Siyabonga Zungu, brand manager at Proudly South African, highlights how brands can resonate with local consumer by being aware of culture, embracing heritage, speaking to young consumers in a relatable language and having consistent messaging that is aligned to their purpose. 
Of the iconic heritage brands that won in their respective categories in the Ask Afrika survey, there are two noteworthy brands that are succeeding in connecting with the younger generation and taking advantage of their heritage positioning.

TASTIC

Tastic has been “an intrinsic part of our country’s heritage and celebratory moments” since 1961 (Thembi Sehloho, Marketing Director of Pasta and Rice).
Over the years, Tastic introduced products like its ‘Rices of the World’, quick cooking rice and flavoured rice to evolve the brand’s offering to satisfy changing consumer tastes.
Tastic is also a great example of a brand that is embracing heritage in a way that resonates with young consumers. In 2019 it partnered with acclaimed South African designer, Laduma Ngxokolo, who designed the limited-edition pack for Heritage Month and this partnership continued this year through the “Tastic and Laduma Education Fund”. At the handover, the brand noted “Celebrating 60 years of true generosity, and there is no better way to do that than giving back to the youth who will shape the future of our nation.”

Images sources: Paton Brands; Blazon Magazine

LUCKY STAR

Another heritage brand that is doing it right is Lucky Star.

The brand has been keeping up with changing consumer tastes and has been launching new products since 2000 – sardines, mussels and notably skinless and boneless pilchard fillets in 2016. 
Lucky Star connects with a younger audience not only through a relatable vernacular, but it also stays relevant through ‘cool’ collaborations. It expertly takes advantage of ‘inherited loyalty’ by emphasising strong ties to heritage with its slogan #TasteOfHome.
It recently announced that it has partnered with sneaker brand Bathu to release a limited-edition sneaker – and this not long after partnering with designer, Maria McCloy to release a limited-edition collection of jackets and accessories. McCloy creates accessories and apparel that allow South Africans to ‘proudly rock’ African aesthetics.

Image source: Bantubahle Mahlangu via IOL

For Heritage Day, Lucky Star has enlisted young, up-and-coming chef, Aya, the Cook Dude, to cook a recipe from Lucky Star’s Heritage Day cookbook, ‘The Taste of the Nation’. The book is a testament to how brands are intertwined with South Africans’ heritage, regardless of how diverse it may be.

Heritage brands are part of our collective heritage. South Africans love our brands, pushing some to reach the status of “iconic”. A brand’s heritage can continue to be a key asset if it maintains its appeal with past, current and future consumers. Declining shopper loyalty is a reminder that even heritage brands need to keep up with changing shoppers and the younger generation as they age. In so doing, they can retain their iconic status, ensure that brand love translates to brand loyalty and be the heritage brands of tomorrow. After all, the heritage brands of today reached legendary status by continually satisfying shoppers as markets and shoppers themselves changed over the decades.

Happy Heritage Day South Africa!