THE BRANDQUAD JOURNEY

One calm evening in Africa, two young entrepreneurs sat deep in conversation. The question? What would it take to build great brand leaders and accelerate the continent’s social economic performance in this generation. Europe and America did it; Asia is doing it; why not Africa?

Thomas Watson Snr once said, “to be successful, you need to have your heart in your business and your business in your heart”. He must have hoped that entrepreneurs, who could dare, would take him up on this. In 2009, the dream to build a business that would focus on building both brand leaders and brands for Africa was firmly crystallized. BrandQuad Africa was set up to transform the understanding and experience of brand building in a rapidly evolving yet increasingly competitive regional economic landscape.

What exactly is a brand? Is it a well-known company, product or service? Is brand colourful advertising or perhaps a really large picture of zealously smiling executives strategically placed in the business pages of a daily newspaper? As a matter of fact, brand may be all this but certainly much more.

A Good brand stir consumer emotions and elicit pleasurable feelings. The responses could be inspirational, patriotic or liberating. Its essence must be felt rather than measured; it has to connect with its intended consumer.