Market research firm Kantar TNS has released its survey report for superbrands for 2019/2020. The brief analysis paints interesting trends in Kenya’s consumer space in line with public insights.
For the third year now, financial product M-PESA is the most active brand in East Africa, followed closely by its parent company, Safaricom. This is unsurprisingly normal as M-PESA pioneered mobile money in the region, and continues to push the limits of how consumers access financial services.
The Superbrand survey program, which identifies, examines and lauds the most prominent brands in select regions (88 countries as of this writing) has been exercising its trade in Kenya in more than three decades, although this survey program is on its sixth instalment. The 2019/2020 survey shortlisted approximately 1000 brands, and the insights used to investigate their reach was based on globally used parameters such as quality, reliability, and distinctiveness.
Other brands that featured in the top 10 spots include Colgate, Pampers, Dasani, Citizen TB, Mumias Sugar, Tuskys, Super Loaf, and Weetabix in that order.
“As markets and brands evolve, consumer preferences play a more prominent role. With this the 6th edition, we felt it was more important to give the consumers the power to decide which brands best resonated with them and play a crucial role in their everyday lives,” noted Jawad Jaffer, Superbrands Project Coordinator.
The survey found out that financial services continue to have the edge over other products and services. Particularly, mobile money and payments take precedence over other surveyed segments. Furthermore, Superbrands reports that the digital space is opening more opportunities for companies, which have since taken their products to social media platforms to grow their reach and address customer care issues.
“With an increasing number of brands consolidating and retaining their position among the Kenyan brand elite and the new entrants, the branding scene in Kenya seems to be making great strides in terms of growth and consumer appeal. These top brands are once again led by the impressive MPESA and its parent brand Safaricom while Colgate makes a surprising entry rightfully into the top three,” said Adeola Tejumola, CEO West, East, and Central Africa Kantar TNS.
Lastly, it is worth noting that the survey’s subjects encompassed a variety of demographic factors such as location, age, and gender with a focus on urban populations.
