All is set for the hosting of the first ever 'Place Branding' workshop in Nigeria. This is coming at a time when discerning Nigerians are concerned about the image and brand personality of the Nigerian state.

Woodhouse Consulting Limited - a strategic Events, People Development and Place Branding company, in partnership with selected experts across the globe is staging a 2 Day International 'Place Branding' orkshop in Nigeria to update participants with the knowledge and skills in the discipline of Place Branding.

The workshop is also aimed at improving the participants' capacity to effectively market their towns, regions and countries as favourite destinations for trade, tourism and investment.

All South Africans will benefit from a South Africa that is well marketed. According to Professor Roger Sinclair of Wits University, 10% of South Africa’s income is derived as a result of the South African brand. And the value of the South African brand, as calculated by Brandmetrics, is a whopping R379.5billion – the same value as Coca-Cola, the world’s most valuable consumer brand!

Recently, we have received conclusive evidence that more and more South Africans are becoming increasingly optimistic about our future. In the annual Gallup Voice of the People survey, South Africans ranked as the 8th most optimistic worldwide, with optimists outnumbering pessimists three-to-one. The high level of optimism was double that recorded in 2002! Business confidence is also sky-high, with eight out of ten South African business owners optimistic about the year ahead, behind only India and Ireland (in a survey of 30 countries), as measured by Grant Thornton’s International Business Owners Survey

i've lost count of the number of people in the advertising and media fraternity who have asked me, during the build-up to this AdFocus, whether there is space in the market for another advertising annual.

Another? AdFocus is the original. We set the standard. Others followed and copied. They are trespassers.

Seriously (at least, I think I was joking), it is fair to question the value of annual advertising publications. Do they add to the debate, do they tell people what they don't already know, do they educate? Or are they simply publications of record of the industry, by the industry, for the industry.

DAVOS - Only God knows what the future holds. As author Nassim Taleb argues in his bestseller, anyone who believes past experiences give them knowledge of tomorrow is being fooled by the randomness which is often the true reason for their success.

The good news is although the Almighty keeps details to himself, he does give mortals the tools to assess broad trends. Armed with that understanding, we are able to work out the likelihood of scenarios and position ourselves to better withstand the surprises when they happen.

This appears to be the principle from which Swiss Professor Klaus Schwab's unique creation was developed. Now into its 37th year, his Geneva-headquartered World Economic Forum (WEF) is a think-tank/networker/power magnet rolled into one. In terms of its ability to pull the right people, there is nothing that comes close.

The Marketing Committee held a breakfast meeting at the Four Seasons at Nile Plaza Hotel on May 8 with special guest Yvonne Johnston, CEO of the International Marketing Council of South Africa (IMC).

The IMC is an organization that aims to create a positive, united image for South Africa and give the country a strategic advantage in an increasingly competitive marketplace. In her five years leading the organization, Johnston is credited with raising the profile of South Africa's brand, "Alive with Possibility," to the point where it was voted among the "top five hot brands for 2004" by Intelligence Total Business.

Johnston's presentation provided an overview of nation branding, and the challenges and lessons learned over the past five years of implementation of Brand South Africa. She explained that the IMC's "textbook" approach to country branding held true to many of the basic principles that would be applied to marketing any product - focusing on the feelings that a brand invokes. Her suggested starting point for branding Egypt is to learn what the country's citizens, as well as the people of its major tourism and trading nations, feel about Egypt. She asked attendees to consider: "What image does [the thought of] Egypt conjure up in minds around the world? And is Egypt happy to have [its] single thought be about the pyramids?"

The 60th World Association of Newspapers (WAN) Congress, taking place in Cape Town from 3 to 6 June, will attract over 1 500 industry representatives from some 90 countries, providing an excellent opportunity for showcasing "Brand South Africa".

Yvonne Johnston, chief executive of the International Marketing Council of South Africa (IMC), believes the congress offeres the perfect opportunity to expose senior executives from the international newspaper industry to SA's achievements.

"WAN provides an unmatched opportunity for us to get our message across to 1 500 top editors from around the world," Johnston said. "The eyes of the world are on us, not just because of the 2010 World Cup. We have to make use of the opportunity WAN provides. There is widespread interest in our progress."

A recent brand equity study has valued Brand South Africa at US$ 74 billion, up from US$ 52 billion in 2003. This figure is a measure of the selling power of the South African brand, that is, its ability to attract foreigners to the country’s products, industry and shores. South African Ambassador to Oman, HE Yacoob Abba Omar, explains how South Africa changed from the polecat of the world because of Apartheid to a world wide recognised brand.

In 1998, the South African government wondered why it was not enjoying dividends from its “miracle”. South Africa became an independent state in 1994 led by President Nelson Mandela. However, it was not enjoying the increase in investment and tourism we thought we should have.

While South Africa has good reason to be optimistic about its ability to host the 2010 Fifa World Cup, doubts still linger in the minds of the international media, says International Marketing Council of SA (IMC) chief executive Yvonne Johnston.

"Old stereotypes die hard," Johnston told hundreds of newspaper editors from around the world at the World Association of Newspapers conference in Cape Town this week.

Speaking at a luncheon hosted by the IMC, Johnston answered the doubters by saying that South Africans had established an unbeatable track record for "fixing what others have written off as terminally broken, and for finding solutions where others have despaired."

JOHANNESBURG, August 16 (Xinhua) -- South African organizers for the first soccer World Cup in Africa on Wednesday reiterated their confidence that the country can deliver a successful tournament while beating pessimism on the African continent.

Much preparatory work had been done and many others are well on the track for the 2010 FIFA World Cup, Danny Jordaan, chief executive of the tournament's Local Organizing Committee (LOC), said in Johannesburg on Wednesday, citing the finalized match schedule, sold broadcast rights, established website and new stadiums under construction.

Jordaan said the preliminary draw, the first official event as run-up to the 2010 World Cup, will be held in Durban on November 25, with the highest number of countries ever had entered for the event.

"If it's not going to happen, why would 204 countries want to participate and win one of the 32 places?" he told a 2010 National Communications Partnership Conference.

2010 FIFA World Cup stadiums will be powered by generators, in terms of FIFA requirements. The director general of the 2010 unit, Dr Joe Phaahla, said the tournament would be held in winter when the electricity demand would be at its peak.

He said his unit was working closely with Eskom, the department of minerals and energy and the electricity regulator. Phaahla was speaking at a briefing, which preceded a media tour of 2010 FIFA Soccer World Cup sites in Johannesburg. The chief executive of the International Marketing Council of South Africa, Yvonne Johnston, said although there are negative perceptions about South Africa's readiness, the construction sector deserved credit and faith.

South Africa is ready to host a successful World Cup, says Danny Jordaan, while the sports minister believes it is an opportunity to buff up Africa's image around the world.

SOUTH AFRICA is "more than ready" for the world's premier sporting event – so says Danny Jordaan, the chief executive of the 2010 FIFA World Cup™ Local Organising Committee.

He was speaking at the 2010 National Communications Partnership Conference in Sandton on Wednesday, 15 August.

"We have been given plenty of support by the government and the corporate world. All host cities have signed their Host City contracts, stadium contracts have been signed and construction has started, the emblem for the 2010 FIFA World Cup™ has been unveiled, the mascot for event has been finalised - but is yet to be given a name - and the whole project remains well within budget."

When FIFA President Seth Blatter announced two years ago that South Africa would host the 2010 World Cup, the country erupted in euphoria. But much work remains if the country, and the continent as a whole, is to capitalize on the opportunity. How can African businesses position themselves to take advantage of the event? How ready is South Africa to deliver on the 2010 project? How can the host country use the event to present a positive face for Africa?

The man who spearheaded the South African bid, Daniel Alexander Jordaan, Chief Executive Officer, South Africa 2010 Bid Company, South Africa, detailed the impending readiness of the country to host what he called "Africa's world cup". Five stadiums are already prepared for the June 2009 Confederations Cup, and five new stadiums will be completed six months before the 2010 World Cup. "We are confident that we will have all the stadiums in place," he said. The remaining challenges include deciding how South Africa's ticket allotment will be distributed and creating a "World Cup experience outside the stadium".

AN ADVERTISING campaign that promotes SA to the rest of the world had been voted one of 10 most memorable adverts by European readers of leading business publication The Economist, the International Marketing Council of SA (IMC) said yesterday.

The adverts were developed by the IMC, a public-private sector partnership that was set up to market SA, for foreign publications to attract investment and tourism to SA. The survey, conducted by Objective Research to assess the reading habits of Economist subscribers, randomly asked readers to score adverts according to whether they remembered seeing them.

Findings showed that 23% of European readers who completed the questionnaire recalled seeing the IMC’s adverts, putting them in 10th place on the “notable” scale.

Johannesburg - Adverts promoting Brand South Africa have been voted in the 10 most memorable adverts by European readers of the Economist, the International Marketing Council of South Africa (IMC), a leading business publication, said on Monday.

The adverts were specifically developed by the IMC for foreign publications, like the Economist, to attract investment and tourism to South Africa.

The survey, independently conducted by Objective Research to assess the reading habits of Economist subscribers, randomly asked readers to score adverts according to whether they remember seeing them.

AVERAGE economic growth of more than 5% and a 60% increase in flows of foreign direct investment. This is Africa today. Readers of US broadsheets might be forgiven for thinking otherwise. No other region of the world is described in the western press with such sweeping generalisations as Africa. As a consequence, bad news from one country tends to tarnish the image of the whole continent.

Negative perceptions of Africa are so entrenched — think poverty, conflict and disease — that the positive stories often struggle to be heard. Ask Yvonne Johnston at the International Marketing Council of SA, the woman charged with marketing SA to international investors, and she will tell you that the world is almost addicted to Afro-pessimism.

THE International Marketing Council (IMC), a public-private sector body set up to market SA globally, is set to host a national communication partnership conference in the middle of next month. The one-day conference is intended to give marketers an opportunity to co-ordinate communications surrounding the 2010 Fifa World Cup tournament.

Speakers at the conference will include Mike de Vries, the CEO of FC Deutschland, the firm given the task of presenting Germany, the 2006 hosts, as a friendly, open-minded and innovative country.

In a statement, IMC CEO Yvonne Johnston said De Vries would be in the country to talk about his experiences of branding Germany before this year’s cup.

A cross-section of South African organisations, businesses and government departments came together recently to launch the Movement for Good – It Starts With You campaign at the Apartheid Museum in Johannesburg.

The International Marketing Council (IMC), Heartlines, South Africa the Good News, the Valued Citizens Initiative, South African Tourism, First National Bank, City Press newspaper, the South African Broadcasting Corporation, Indalo Yethu, Cell C, the Nelson Mandela Foundation and various government departments put their resources together to encourage South Africans to take charge and “do good” for the country.

“It is about personal responsibility. It is about not saying they must fix it, but I can fix it. I can help create the country I want my children to live in,” said Yvonne Johnston, chief executive of the IMC.

Durban - Success breeds success and that is why there was so much foreign interest in South Africa, Yvonne Johnston, the CEO of the International Marketing Council (IMC) told a CEO briefing at the Tourism Indaba 2005 on Saturday.

"Success breeds success and that is why we have employment rising and crime dropping".

That is one of the reasons why short-term insurer Mutual & Federal reported a 25% rise in earnings, as crime-related claims have dropped dramatically.

Johannesburg - The Businesswomen's Association (BWA) has announced the five finalists for the 2005 Businesswoman of the Year Award, the Nedbank-sponsored event that is now in its 26th year.

The event recognises and honours the achievements of South African women business leaders and creates a cadre of women role models. It acknowledges the success of women in business and celebrates the contribution women make to the economy and future generations of businesswomen.

The finalists are Transman MD Angela Dick, Robyn Heathfield - MD at Torquip Earthmoving Equipment, Airports Company of South Africa (Acsa) MD Monhla Hlahla, International Marketing Council of South Africa (IMC) CE Yvonne Johnston as well as Group MD of FCB South Africa Maserame Mouyeme.