PRACTICE MARKETING blog

I just found this article interesting. It was published in the Pretoria News, the main newspaper of the executive capitol of South Africa. It’s entitled, “Moves to modify Madiba magic ‘myth’” by Melanie Peters. (BTW: Madiba is an honorary elder statesman title associated with Mandela.)

It’s a happy birthday makeover! The whole article is great; here’s an excerpt:

“Nelson Mandela is one of the greatest statesmen ever and brand specialists and top advertising executives say that Madiba Magic is a priceless brand legacy that will live for years to come.

The former president turned 89 on Wednesday and his foundation announced that it was working on a personal brand make-over.

Nelson Mandela Foundation CEO Achmat Dangor said that, at Mandela’s insistence, it would be working to break down “the mythology around the man”.

For the true brand legacy to remain, a branding campaign must be engineered to combat the tendency by the media to turn him into a myth, he said.

Advertising industry leaders were wary of putting a price tag on the brand, but all agreed that he had “priceless” pulling power.

He is a major draw card when raising funds for charity. Major celebrities in the world clamour for a photo opportunity with him or to get involved in charity work because his name has been linked to it.

…

Roger Sinclair, professor of marketing at Wits University, said Mandela’s popularity was a worldwide phenomenon, and that it was impossible to say how much his brand was worth.

“It’s priceless. It is no ordinary brand because he is an extraordinary person,” Sinclair said. “After he is gone his legacy will still generate value. Winston Churchill still carries weight 50 years later and he carries half the weight that Madiba does.

‘It is impossible to put a value to it. He is a powerful personal brand.’“