Samenvatting

The purpose of this study is to research the current situation concerning brand awareness for Africa Centre (AC). What do people from Cape Town know and what do they think of AC? Within this study research was conducted to create a clear view of the brand awareness and brand knowledge among the people who visit the "Infecting the City" festival in Cape Town, one of AC's projects. With that understanding, advice is provided on how AC could improve their communication strategy in order to drive the brand forward.
This research incorporates AC's concern that the people of Cape Town are unfamiliar with their brand,and are only aware of the individual projects that AC organizes. AC wanted the current situation examined
in order to determine how aware people are of their brand and to receive advice on how to adjust their communication strategy in order to drive the brand forward. AC would like the people of Cape Town to become aware of their brand in order to provide the public
with a deeper understanding of the motivation behind why AC organizes their projects. This allows the public to experience future projects as well. For the purpose of this research, a descriptive design was used. Qualitative research has been completed by means of questionnaires and quantitative research has been completed by means of semi-structured interviews. Outcomes explain that most people (67%) who visited the festival "Infecting the City" are not aware of the AC as an organization. The few people that are aware have the right idea about what AC is and does but they are not quite aware of other projects, beyond the festival. Semi-structured interviews present in-depth information about the outcomes of the questionnaire as well as AC's target group and identity. The findings indicate that there is no structured and coherent corporate identity, and only with a strong identity are branding improvements possible. Therefore, the following advices were formed: 1. Clearly define the corporate identity of AC 1.1 Create a mission statement 1.2 Define a clear target audience for the Africa Centre brand 1.3 State communication goals to communicate with the target group 2. Position the brand and implement branding models AC could position their brand within an environment that generates funds. E .g. by partnering with aligned organizations. With a clear overview of the position that AC wants to take, branding models could help to create a stronger brand and in return improve brand awareness and additional funding.3. Consistent use of marketing and increasing visibility 3.1 Implement a quarterly newsletter 4. Update the AC database and use this tool to communicate about the organization 4.1 Improve use of social media 5. Improve internal communication to keep all employees informed about AC activities The role of the brand is to advance the organization's strategy and mission and building a brand is managing the mission and remaining extremely committed to brand values. (Kylander & Stone, 2012). AC is aware of their brand's direction and why they remain relevant but it is not explained in a coherent or structured way. Only when this is done, together with choosing a specific target audience, will efficient communication and improved brand awareness be possible. For AC it is important to keep the link between the projects and not focus on a strategy solely to drive the brand forward. Rather keep the link with the projects strong, as AC does not exist without them, and people will understand the purpose behind AC's existence.