10 Questions with Jeremy Sampson, Executive Chairman of the Interbrand Sampson Group

10 Questions with Jeremy Sampson, Founder and Group Executive Chairman of the Interbrand
Sampson Group.



This week I interviewed Jeremy ahead of his talk at the inaugural Buy, Sell and Invest (BSIV)
Conference 1st - 3rd July at the Sandton Convention Centre hosted by The City of Joburg.

What makes a good brand?

You have to manage it well whatever the brand is, principles need to be laid down and values
and quality.  Do the basics of branding well.

Give us an example of a good South African brand and why are they so good?

MTN.  It is managed in a good disciplined way and they have managed to take this SA Brand global.
It is now in 22 countries worldwide.

Why do people keep flocking to buy Coke and KFC and why are people standing in a queue in
Cape Town to sample Burger King?

They want it.  They lust after it and they are prepared to pay big money for it.  There are so many choices out there, these companies are the ones who do their marketing very well.  Those companies which don't market very well are going to die very quickly.

What does Johannesburg need to do to build their brand in the world?

Invest in it a lot more.  We did the original work for the brand.  They keep putting things out to tender.
They need to use the same team and invest in building the brand around the world.

Tell us about a day in the life of Jeremy Sampson?

8am I'm in the office.  I'm the Executive Chairman of Interbrand so it's breakfast, working meetings
and those can sometimes run right through till 6pm.

When things go right through, there are lots of meetings.  Etv news often ask me to go in for interviews.
It's also interesting travelling and speaking overseas.  I am asked to speak all over.

What book are you currently reading?

I don't have time to read books.  I spend more time reading magazines or digital magazines.  I also love Twitter.

What advice do you have for people who want to make a success of their lives?

Have a plan.  Have a job doing what you love doing.  Decide what you want.  Don't be bullied by other people and enjoy it.

Tell us about Interbrand?

It is New York based.  We are in 40 cities worldwide.  We are the original brand consultancy.
The company is 40 years old.  More and more people want a presence globally so they are contacting us.

How should a brand use Social Media and Twitter?

Use all channels to market so use it.  I thoroughly enjoy Twitter so use it.
Just be relevant.

What do you do to relax?

Reading and Tweeting and also travel and good food and wine.

Jeremy Sampson will be speaking on An Insight, an idea on Successful Branding for Cities of theFuture
at Buy, Sell and Invest (BSIV) hosted by the City of Joburg 1st - 3rd July, Sandton Convention Centre

You can find Jeremy Sampson on Twitter - https://twitter.com/jdrsampson

For more info on the conference and to book email info@bsivjoburg.co.za