Gugu Mthembu, a tech enthusiast with over 20 years in industry, drives brand development and diversity. Recognized for leadership, she champions inclusion, supports women in sports/tech, and serves charities while navigating strategic growth. With roots in information technology, she transitioned into marketing, leveraging her skills to drive impactful change.

In a recent conversation with The Global woman leader magazine, Gugu shared her views about the evolving concept of brand authenticity, innovative branding techniques to stand out in a competitive market. She highlighted challenges and ethical considerations with increased consumer data use.

How do you see the concept of brand authenticity evolving in recenttimes?

Brand authenticity as a concept, I believe, will stay unchanging; the notion of being authentic is about remaining true or being grounded on your essence and purpose. However, brands do operate in an ever evolving landscape and therefore need to add a dimension of relevance in their approach. The interpretation of the operating environment is therefore what should evolve to ensure relevance underpinned by the core essence of the brand.

One key aspect of a changing landscape that brands have had to pay careful consideration to is the rise of social media as a key engagement and feedback platform between brands and their audiences. The ubiquity and real-timing of social media have empowered consumers with a bigger voice to share their opinions and experiences with brands and their communities. This transparency has forced brands to be more authentic in their actions and communications to maintain trust and credibility.

Many consumers, especially millennials and Gen Z, prefer to support brands that are clear on what they stand for and align with their values. This has spawned brands to increasingly focus on purpose- driven marketing that integrates social and environmental causes into their brand positioning and identity to contribute positively to society. This however must not be a mere marketing ploy but must authentically align with the brand’s essence.

 Besides external positioning, it is equally important that companies foster a culture of authenticity with their employees internally, which translates into genuine advocacy externally.

So, credibility, integrity, and a company’s ESG focus are still going to be important in measuring authenticity but users’ assessment of our brands is what we as marketers should be paying attention to.

How can we incorporate innovative branding techniques to set the brand apart in a competitive market?

 The allure to differentiate for the sake of differentiation in a competitive market is a real one. However in an ever evolving world where competition is not just in category, there is much value in employing innovative branding that aligns with the brand direction to emotionally connect with consumers, that’s where the magic of branding is.

These could include emotive brand experiences that tell a compelling story and engage consumers on a deeper level.

Collaborations with other brands or influencer partners, that align with the organisations’ values and target audience, are some of the ways brands can bring innovation to life.

Strategic partnerships can help brands expand into new segments and reach new audiences, while enhancing brand credibility.

An example of such partnerships is our Influencer Brand Partner Programme at Telkom, which has been a resounding success, fostering credibility and authenticity. Collaborating with various personalities has significantly boosted net sentiment scores and brand visibility in the social sphere.

The Programme initially launched in 2020 with African Language Stations voices from South Africa’s biggest broadcaster by reach, the programme has evolved into a blend of Brand Influencer Partners and Content Curators.

These partnerships have played a vital role in driving key messaging, educating audiences about our offerings, and contributing to positive net sentiment for the brand and our offerings.

According to you, what challenges and ethical considerations arise with the increasing use of consumer data in branding?

As brands we must recognise that we have a big responsibility of handling the data consumers entrust to us with due care and respect. Brands that demonstrate a commitment to responsible data practices are more likely to earn the trust and loyalty of their customers in the long run. Consumer data is a powerful tool in enabling marketers make faster and better marketing and branding decisions. Privacy, consent and control should not be perceived as a challenge but as a means to establish a trusted partnership between the data handler, the brand, and the data subject, the consumer. By being transparent in how the data is handled and used, through big data principles, to design relevant propositions that align with consumer needs and behaviours will put consumers at ease. Data security, defining data access and handling policies and control measures is no longer just an IT responsibility but one that marketers should embrace. The rise of cybersecurity threats is a major risk to any brand and those that have shown a commitment to secure practices and prompt response when faced with threats establish more trust with their consumers.

How can we leverage data and analytics to track the effectiveness of branding efforts in influencing consumer perception and behaviour?

 It is important that brands are clear on what it is they need to track and measure as we operate in a sea of information. This clarity will also enable them to identify the right tools to employ to enable quick decision making. By matching consumer sentiment data and customer behavioural data, brands can bolster their efforts of targeting and ensuring relevant propositions and communication. This approach will help brands make better decisions to optimise future strategies for greater impact.

What are some emerging trends or technologies that you believe will significantly impact how brands influence consumer perception and behaviour in the future?

The big trend on everyone’s lips is AI and ML (machine learning); harnessing the power of AI to collect and process a lot of information allows brands to create more one-to-one experiences than ever before.

Machine Learning enables brands to sift through data faster and identify patterns quicker than traditional analytics techniques. By embracing ML in data analytics, brands not only understand their users better but are also enabled to find new pockets of growth.

The integration of machine learning and AI in community management, as a partner to our human community managers, on our social media platforms has significantly increased engagement rates and positioned us as an attentive and responsive brand.

How can Brands leverage the power of MarComms to shape perceptions and influence their decisions.

 It’s about understanding just how powerful a force marketing is in igniting interest, shaping consumer decisions and creating meaning for both brands and consumers. However for MarComms to be effective in shaping perceptions and influencing consumer decision making, it has to be anchored on purpose and relevance. Consumers pay more attention to communication that demonstrates a clear purpose, meaning and relevance to the consumer; communication that gives them a clear sense of why what is being communicated matters to them. The shift from brands talking about themselves and what’s great about them to demonstrating their role in a consumer’s life or a business’ cycle puts the brand in a really powerful place to shape perception and influence.