The BrandZ™ Top 100 ranking of the most valuable global brands gives the marketing fraternity a strong indication of the brands that lead the industry. We look at the high flyers and global trends that arise from the report.

Are we all sitting down? Good a quick story. Dinosaur hunters will tell you the last of the Cretaceous beasts died out 66 million years ago. The prevailing theory is that T.Rex and his foul-breathed brethren were wiped out by a comet or asteroid crashing in Central America, kicking up so much dust and ash that the Earth cooled for years afterward and made survival impossible.

Pay TV in South Africa is enjoying a growth in sales as well as an increase in programming choices, both local and international. TLC’s Lee Hobbs, talked to us about what makes the international lifestyle channel relevant amongst the female demographic in South Africa. We couldn’t help but notice how this data applies to brands.

The recession, slump, downturn, stagnation, call it what you want depending on the state of your daily cash flow, has actually been a good thing for brands. Before you think I’ve been juiced with a dose of Buffetarian optimism, let me explain. One of the biggest problems facing any brand is diminishing custodial continuity.

The 4, 000, 000 and Rising seminar hosted by the UCT Unilever Institute of Strategic Marketing can best be described as a life-changing experience for the fortunate mass of marketers who attended. It forced us to scrap what we believe about the surging black middleclass in South Africa, to incorporate a new multi-dimensional view of the country’s future ruling class.