Airtel ranked amongst Africa's Top Ten Most Admired Global Brands

News Date: 4th October 2013

Bharti Airtel, a leading telecommunications service provider with operations in 20 countries across South Asia and Africa, has consolidated its position as one of Africa's top ten most admired global brands. A new survey conducted by the African Business magazine indicates that despite only a 3 year presence in Africa, Airtel surpassed Japanese car manufacturer Honda and earned ninth position on the list of the top ten most admired global brands on the continent.

Except for Samsung which grew its brand value year-on-year by 121 per cent, Airtel's 30 percent brand value increase was better than any of the others in the top ten, including that of leader Coca Cola, which grew just 27 percent. Its 30 per cent brand value growth indicates that the telecommunications company is connecting with communities on the African continent.

Commenting on the achievement, Andre Beyers, Chief Marketing Officer at Airtel Africa, said: "When we launched the Airtel brand in 2010, our overall vision was to be the most loved brand in Africa by 2015. This recognition from the African Business Awards is proof that we are on the right track."He added: "During the past three years, we have invested resources to provide customers with value added services and have reached out to the communities that we serve. We expect even better results over the coming years."

Airtel Africa now has the largest 3G country footprint in sub Saharan Africa. The telecommunications company, which has launched 3G services in 14 African countries, recently hit the 15 million data user landmark in Africa.

In addition, Airtel Money is positioned to become Africa's most preferred financial services provider. With a coverage across Airtel Africa's operations in 17 African countries, the mobile money platform is poised to serve more Africans than any other financial institution in Africa by 2015. Leveraging a network of over 100,000 agent locations, Airtel Money facilitates access to financial services for the unbanked population.

The success of Airtel Africa across all of its 17 African markets can also be linked to its social responsibility strategy which aims at creating a positive impact on local communities. The telecommunications company has leveraged music and football to create an emotional connection with communities all over Africa. Initiatives like the Airtel Rising Stars football tournament, Africa's largest youth football tournament for girls and boys in collaboration with Manchester United and Arsenal; and Nigeria's Got Talent reality show, which both aim at identifying and nurturing local talent, have helped enhance the brand's popularity on the continent.

"Customers may choose our products and services because they are useful and affordable, but they also connect with Airtel as a brand because it connects with their passions", concludes Mr. Beyers.