M-Pesa solidifies position as strongest Superbrand despite COVID pandemic

M-Pesa has been voted Kenya’s leading Superbrand, ahead of parent company Safaricom, which placed second.

This further solidifies the platform’s positioning as being integral and essential to the functioning of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).

“Now more than ever, credibility and value is critical to a brand’s success in the minds of the Kenyan consumer. We can see here clearly that those who have stood the test of the pandemic as a Superbrand have done so because they have earned the confidence of Kenyans. We heartily congratulate our top ten,” said Jawad Jaffer, Project Manager, Superbrands East Africa.

The awards come at a time when the COVID-19 pandemic has hit this segment of the economy the hardest.

The results are derived entirely from a comprehensive survey administered to urban Kenyan consumers and undertaken by Kantar TNS in Nairobi, Mombasa and Kisumu.

In this survey, six new brands made an entry into the top ten for the first time, compared to the previous listing. These include The Kenya Red Cross, Toyota Kenya, Samsung, Dettol and Betika.

So what do emerging and upstarting companies need to do to achieve this type of brand loyalty from the consumer?

“To be a disruptor, emerging brands need to put in the effort to connect emotionally with consumers; insights tell us that consumers do not only look for physical functionality in a brand; it goes beyond functional to the emotional connect,” said David Ogara, Manager, Kantar TNS.

The insights from the Kantar TNS are further mirrored by the PWC 2020 Global Consumer Survey.

Consumers have gravitated towards (and will continue to do so) brands that showed consideration for their well-being and safety in every category. Additionally, price and value will continue to be the paramount decision-making factor.

Key takeaways from the Superbrands consumer insights survey indicated that consumers across different categories opted for more affordable brands because of budget constraints brought about by job losses or pay cuts due to the economic struggles as a result of COVID19.

Top-of-mind for consumers was the gravitation towards brands ‘with purpose’. Those that were committed to supporting communities through COVID19 which is why The Kenya Red Cross features forth on this latest ranking.

In uncertainty consumers turn to familiar brands, those that they have grown up with and ones that are dependable – ‘the trust factor’. Here we see long-standing heritage brands feature heavily on the list from Dettol to Weetabix and Toyota Kenya.

Whilst the local gambling industry has gone through much turmoil, it remains an industry that forms a big part of Kenyan lives, particularly football fans.

Through the pandemic, many consumers have been on the search for ‘quick money’. Whilst there is less loyalty to specific companies within this sector, overall loyalty to betting is extremely high.

Consumers will frequently reduce spend across other sectors (entertainment or necessities) to continue spending on betting.