Ramatsiyi Moholoa

Ramatsiyi Moholoa

Orlando Pirates commended their supporters yesterday after the South African soccer giants once more won the prestigious Superbrand status.

It is the second consecutive year that London-based Superbrands, the world's largest independent arbiter of brands, present Pirates with the award.

An ecstatic Nkosana Khoza, Pirates' executive marketing assistant, said: "It feels great to receive the award once more, it is a great honour for us. What makes it even more exciting for us is that we are the only soccer club that was competing against some major global brands.

"The role played by the supporters in this regard is also great, they have been wonderful and we appreciate their continuos support.

"It is work in progress for us, the challenge that we are facing is to uphold the standard so that we continue being a leading brand. It all started with the emblem that we have worked so hard for; 70 years from now we must still work hard to promote our image."

As part of their selection process, Superbrands compiles a database of the most visible and noteworthy brands in each market. A council of experts from the branding, advertising, public relations and marketing industries, plus some notable senior figures from local and international blue-chip companies then grade each brand.

The criteria are: market dominance, longevity, goodwill, customer loyalty and overall market acceptance.