The South African National Roads Agency (SANRAL) releases various publications intended to communicate its vision, foster understanding, and encourage positive behavioural change among its target audiences. To achieve the communication objectives outlined in SANRAL’s strategy, these publications must effectively reach the intended audiences and be perceived as engaging and valuable by them. In 2020, SANRAL initiated research to establish an empirical baseline for its reputation and to measure awareness, reach, and resonance for several of its publications. However, low awareness levels among the target audiences limited the study’s ability to fully assess how these publications are perceived.

To address this gap, SANRAL commissioned Mthente Research and Consulting Services to build on the previous research and develop a more comprehensive understanding of the target audiences. This new study sought to identify who the target audiences are, what their communication needs entail, and how well SANRAL’s current publications align with these needs. The Mthente team completed 1867 in-person surveys conducted at various locations across South Africa, including petrol stations, home affairs offices, traffic departments, and bus stops.

sefa, the Small Enterprise Finance Agency (sefa), is a South African organisation focused on supporting small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) and cooperatives. sefa’s core function is to foster the establishment, development and growth of SMMEs and cooperatives. As such, sefa’s task is to provide SMMEs and cooperatives throughout South Africa with simple access to finance efficiently and sustainably by delivering wholesale and direct lending credit facilities or products; providing credit guarantees to SMMEs and cooperatives; supporting the institutional strengthening of financial intermediaries, so that they can effectively assist small and micro-enterprises and cooperatives; creating strategic partnerships with a range of institutions for sustainable small, micro- and cooperative enterprise development and support; monitoring the effectiveness and impact of sefa’s financing, credit guarantee and capacity development activities; and developing (through partnerships) innovative finance products, tools and channels, to speed up increased market participation in the provision of affordable finance.

Mthente Research and Consulting Services (Pty) Ltd was commissioned by sefa to conduct a brand equity and brand reputation Survey to measure brand health, monitor growth, track advertising campaigns (traditional and digital), and inform strategy. The study used a probability proportionate to size sampling approach, with a database of 3696 existing and potential self-funded clients provided by sefa and additional potential clients, chambers, business associations, and fraternities sourced, to include in the survey sample frame. Mthente utilised a mixed research methodology by conducting surveys and focus groups to accomplish the study’s objectives; to ascertain the commercial value of sefa’s brand, the perception, image, reputation, and attitude towards the sefa’s brand in the market,  sefa’s brand awareness in the market,   sefa’s competitive standing in the market the effectiveness of sefa’s brand management efforts.

Mthente Research was commissioned by the Richards Bay Industrial Development Zone (RBIDZ) to conduct a stakeholder perception, satisfaction, and brand visibility survey. The insights of the study was to bring forth invaluable insights, serving as a keystone for RBIDZ to not only affirm its strategic pursuits but to also refine its relationship with stakeholders, enhance brand recognition, and solidify its position as a lodestar for sustainable industrial and socio-economic development within the region and beyond.

As part of this research Mthente conducted a desktop review of documents provided by the RBIDZ, engaged the RBIDZ team in a stakeholder mapping exercise to identify key stakeholders to participate on the study, developed the survey and interview tools guided from previous surveys, achieved a survey sample of 119  respondents and 16 in-depth interviews. Mthente used descriptive analysis, inferential statistics and data weighting and representation to present the key findings in a report with recommendations to the RBIDZ. Concluding that the study’s objectives were effectively met, illustrating that the assessment of stakeholders’ general perception of the RBIDZ has demonstrated a mainly favourable view.