Interview with Cilnette Pienaar, Head of Communications & Publishing at GreenCape. GreenCape are proud winners of Organisation of the Year at the 2023 CHARGE Awards
- What role does your vision ‘thriving prosperous Africa mobilised by the green economy’ play in driving strategy?
We work at the interface between business, government and academia in order to identify and remove barriers to economically viable green economy infrastructure solutions in developing countries, thereby catalysing their replicable and large-scale uptake to enable each country and its citizens to prosper. As a knowledge organisation we applied a huge effort to understanding how change happens in the developing world context. Being thoughtful about the how we “show up” and influence the pathways for decisions making that can accelerate the green economy is at the heart of the brand strategy.
- How much emphasis do you place on emotion versus rationality when building an energy brand? Does “feeling” and emotive resonance have a place within your brand strategy?
A strong brand represents the essence of an organisation’s purpose, the “why”. Purpose resonates with passion and practical application, and that should always be an emotive (persuasive / peripheral route) as well as a pragmatic (rational) communication tool.
- What lessons have you learned about simplifying complex concepts/technologies for branding and communications?
We are guided by the simple who, what, when, where, why and how principle of effective communication. Everything we produce and publish needs to be clear on 1) what the audience needs to make a decision, and 2) a simple call to action.
- What did you say when you were convincing people in your company to take branding/reputation seriously as an investable asset? Who did you need to convince?
The professionalization of a non-profit brand is essential, especially in the context of the national and international stakeholders we engage with. No convincing was needed, just delivery of work that we can all be proud of, that contributed to the impact that matters: investment and job creation in the green economy.
- What is the general perception of the brand within your business versus how it was a few years ago? How has it changed, and what are your hopes for your brand in the next few years?
I don’t think people necessarily realised that “brand” is the sum of the parts of the experience that stakeholders have when they engage with GreenCape (across all brand contact points, with people being the most important). I hope that the concept of “brand” has been liberated from its purely commercial / marketing association. The positioning of the brand will be intentionally guided to be globally relevant as a national (and eventually regional African) non-profit organisation supporting economies in green transition.
- What advice would you leave brand and marketing leaders thinking of applying for the 2023/24 CHARGE Awards? Do you have any tips or a story to share about winning?
Clarify the brand purpose, and what that means to the people you serve, before anything else.
GreenCape is a non-profit organisation registered in South Africa. They drive the widespread
adoption of economically viable green economy solutions. They work with businesses, investors, academia and government to help unlock the investment and employment potential of green technologies and services, and to support a transition to a resilient green economy. Their projects are implemented across green economy sectors, including renewable energy, water and sanitation, circular economy, sustainable agriculture and climate finance, with a specific focus on removing barriers to green economy growth.
Are you a future winner of the World’s Best Green Brand?
Finalists for this award will be companies who have achieved or made significant strides towards achieving their sustainability goals. They will have delivered impactful initiatives or campaigns that will be influential through the sustainable energy transition. The winning company may have created new systems, products or solutions to help customers through the sustainable energy transition or have successfully partnered with another company to deliver a value-adding green project worthy of international recognition by their peers. This category will highlight the value of branding as a critical tool in communicating innovation and the value of green technology or products. If you qualify or would like to nominate an energy brand, please submit a nomination at https://charge.events/categories/.
