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The Angolan market is increasingly sought after by national companies that see new business opportunities there. This was the case for Brandimage, chosen to create the new image of the Ministry of Energy and Water of Angola. We spoke with José Ferreira and Miguel Almeida to understand how it all happened.

What does Brandimage’s activity consist of? Brandimage is a company specialising in brand creation and management. We develop sustainable communication systems focused on business opportunities, oriented to market expectations and enhancing the competitive advantage of brands. This methodology has been the foundation of all our projects, without exception, and has been responsible for our clients’ results and, consequently, ours.

In such a challenging time as we are experiencing, what is the main challenge you face? The main challenge is to maintain competitiveness with an honest service offering. It is very tempting for companies to present low-cost communication solutions, based on inconsequential, quick, cheap creativity, but without expectations of results.

The main challenge in a time of scarce resources is to demonstrate to the market that communication costs should not be in the expense column but rather in the investment one.

Do you think internationalisation is one of the ways for companies to survive? Undoubtedly, it is one of the few ways out for companies, given that, at this moment, Portugal already offers a very competitive market, both in terms of quality and price. In my opinion, the main challenge that companies face is their ability to reinvent and adapt to new markets. Many Portuguese companies attempt internationalisation without clearly defining their positioning in this new reality and end up in cases of failure or having to reformulate their action strategy. It’s a constant in the national scenario. I think it’s a cultural issue. We are always confusing the concept of brand with logo and judging other markets through the knowledge we have of our own.

How long have you been in the Angolan market? We entered the Angolan market in 2009 through Angobetumes, at the time a company of Sonangol and Trafigura. In the course of this collaboration, we were invited to participate in the international competition to create the image of the DT Group, which we won and which was the start of a lasting collaboration.

The recognition of the work developed brought other business opportunities, such as the image of the bankers’ union, the AEMR, and recently, the image of the Ministry of Energy and Water.

What are the main differences you can point out between this and the national market? The Angolan market is optimistic which causes dynamism in the emergence of new projects and the desire to do well. However, this market is very relational, that is, all commercial relationships that are established depend a lot on the personal relationships that are established. Trust relationships are more important than any contract. In Portugal, the market is very pessimistic and, consequently, very transactional. On the one hand, companies that already have a presence in the market reduce costs and, on the other hand, startups have difficult access to funds to invest.

How do you position yourselves in the Angolan market? In the Angolan market, we are positioned as a company of excellence in the creation and management of brands oriented towards large and medium-sized companies, public companies, and banks. We present ourselves to the Angolan market as an honest solution of excellence in effectiveness and with costs proportional to the quality of work developed.

Unfortunately, this market is tainted by cases of Portuguese companies that in an opportunistic posture sold cat for hare. So far, all our projects have been developed and created in Portugal and implemented remotely. This project for the MINEA is the first in partnership with Mora and Associates, which allows us to have a team always on the ground, with greater availability for the monitoring of projects and for the creation of new business opportunities.

How did the opportunity to create the new image of the Ministry of Energy and Water of Angola come about? This opportunity arose from a relationship previously established with the former PCA of EPAL (Public Water Company of Luanda) to whom Brandimage was introduced, who was always very interested in our company and the approach we take to brands. Although EPAL did not result in business, we were invited to participate in the public competition, from which we were selected, to create the new image of MINEA.

In this context, a new image will be developed that will synthesise the values and objectives of the institution. Training actions for change will be implemented, aimed at levelling the team’s behaviour and the correct communication of the brand’s values to the outside world. Media communication actions and institutional advertising will also be developed.

To what extent can this business cement your position in Africa? I believe this will become a flagship project in our portfolio, not only due to the visibility of the institution but especially due to the MINEA team, which, with its noble objectives and high expectations, will surely enable us to develop an excellent project.

Does creativity still make a difference? Creativity has never been as crucial as it is in the current context, where there are no formulas for success. We have never had so many communication resources available at such affordable costs, and it has never been so challenging to achieve results. It is necessary to consistently surprise positively at every moment of communication, from strategy to design. Creativity, when exercised consistently, yields results and is sustainable.

Is it possible to talk about sustainability (as a facet of creative work) when referring to Africa? Without a doubt. All our projects developed for Africa are proof of this. I believe that sustainability, as well as social and environmental responsibility, must be a concern for both parties to ensure its implementation, regardless of the society.

Besides this one, what other clients do you have in that market? We work with the DT group, AEMR (Angolan Exploration Mining Resources), Moviflor Angola, SNEBA (Bankers’ Union), and Free Mine.

Are you planning to expand to other African countries? We are evaluating other territories, particularly Mozambique where we already have an ongoing project for the online presence of Moviflor. However, we are aware that a small structure like ours cannot handle too much dispersion.

How do you view the future? With considerable optimism. We believe we will maintain our ability to reinvent ourselves at every moment. With pragmatism and total loyalty to our values.