Cape Town City Council’s communications during the 2017/2018 water crisis, and the impact on the brand image of the city

Abstract

There are many definitions of how a brand can be defined, brands are seen as social constructs in their primary form (Klopper & North, 2011). This means that a brands intended identity is never achieved but rather a brand image is created by consumers. This creates a subjective view of a brand such as the City of Cape Town to the onlooking public. Brands unfortunately create negative perceptions surrounding the brand and this leads to a negative brand image. The aim of this study is to explore the impact on the City of Cape Town as a brand with regards to preparation efforts taken leading up to the current drought. These efforts aim to ensure successful communication in order for the City of Cape Town maintains their brand image amongst voters. The objectives of this research proposal were to determine which governance responsibilities drive brand identity and to establish how preparations have affected voter perceptions of The City of Cape Town’s brand image. With the use of research and development as well as qualitative research, the aim of this study is to help other cities leading up to natural disasters manage their brand image. Through examining the failures and successes of The City of Cape Town, the study should guide other cities in successfully managing efforts leading up a natural disaster to positively impact their brand image. The small scale of qualitative study involved a focus group of four members and a questionnaire of 10 participants. Through the themes created from the primary research there is proof that respondents appear to feel that the efforts taken out by The City of Cape Town have had both a positive affect as well as a negative effect on their perceptions of the city. With findings leaning slightly more towards the creation of negative perceptions. These findings show that voter perception have been affected leading up to the next election. The key findings and insights from both primary and secondary research aided this study in creating sound recommendations for political entities.