M-pesa dethrones Safaricom as Kenya’s leading Superbrand

M-Pesa, the mobile payment service, has ascended to the throne of Kenya’s leading Superbrand. That’s according to a survey released today. M-Pesa dethroned its parent brand and the predecessor, Safaricom to take top spot in the survey, which incorporates the views of both marketing experts and Kenyan consumers. Though Safaricom lost the number one spot to its sub-brand M-pesa, it still performed strongly and managed to finish third. The last survey of this kind was in 2012.

M-Pesa was followed by the Kenyan Red Cross Society and Safaricom in the second and third positions respectively.

The survey was conducted by London based The Centre for Brand Analysis. The Kenyan Consumer Superbrands are chosen by a combination of local Marketing Experts, appointed to the Kenyan Superbrands Council, and fewer than 1,000 Kenyan consumers. The Centre for Brand Analysis considers thousands of brands from over 46 sectors.

“We have surveyed both informed experts and the end consumers who ultimately decide what brands to buy to determine the region’s strongest Superbrands,“ said Stephen Cheliotis, Chief Executive of The Centre for Brand Analysis, “The leading brands not only prove that they offer quality products and services that consumers can trust but do so on a consistent basis.”

Read more: How M-Pesa disrupts entire economies

M-Pesa’s rise to the top was not by any means an easy journey. This is clear as 11 brands remained stagnant in the top 20, proving that penetrating the Kenyan market is no easy fit for new brands.

The Kenyan Red Cross Society and Equity Bank Kenya remained in the top twenty placings, with the former moving up the top twenty and the latter falling down.

There were also the usual brands in the top twenty. These included Coca-Cola, Colgate, Dettol and Crown Paints, all within the top twenty position.

There were also new entries into the top twenty which included three US digital giants. Facebook came in fifth, Google in sixth and Microsoft in seventh. Samsung moved up from 31st to 12th.

“Close to 1 000 brands were reviewed so those brands placing high in the rankings can be rightly proud of their performance and their success in generating respect among experts and desirability among consumers,” Cheliotis emphasised.

The leading brands were subjected to a gruelling process that focused on three core criteria namely, quality, reliability and distinction. Separate surveys are currently being done in Tanzania and Uganda. There is now news of the survey in other countries. A survey like this offers brands a chance to gain insight into the consumers.