Following Barclays PLC’s recent announcement of its intention to acquire a controlling stake in the Absa Group for a reported R33-billion, it was announced in Johannesburg today that the Absa brand will not be replaced by the brand of its soon-to-be parent.
‘The approach is to capitalise on market preference, which is clearly Absa,” said Brendan O’Donnell, Absa’s group executive of marketing and communication.
According to O’Donnell, for the past five months the Absa Group, together with advertising agency JWT and brand consultants Interbrand Sampson, have been planning a ‘holistic marketing programme” to address the implications of the Barclays deal for the bank’s stakeholders. The programme will see Absa’s pay-off line ‘Today, tomorrow, together” enhanced by a new positioning, under the theme ‘My Bank”.
O’Donnell would not comment on the budget for the programme, but it is estimated to run into the tens of millions. Launched to 600 of the bank’s senior employees last week and due to be communicated to all of Absa’s 31,000 employees this week, the new positioning will be unleashed on the public on Saturday May 28, to coincide with the Absa Cup final.
The media campaign will kick off on television and radio and then broaden to include radio and print, and will be framed in all 11 official languages. It was announced that the media schedule for the six weeks following Saturday’s public launch ‘will be intense”.
Speaking at the media conference in Johannesburg this morning, Jeremy Sampson of Interbrand Sampson pointed out that the Absa brand ‘is worth nearly R5-billion”. Absa qualified as one of South Africa’s top 10 brands in terms of the Interbrand Sampson Brand Value Report, and at less than 7 years old it is the youngest in the category.
Barclays PLC’s acqusition of more than 50% of Absa will be the single biggest foreign direct investment yet in South Africa.
From e-Media, the inside scoop on the media industry. Get The Media’s FREE breaking news newsletter, delivered by e-mail. Subscribe by e-mail now