Rebranding Of Miss South Africa Pageant

I had the pleasure of being invited to a reunion of four of South Africa’s most beautiful women, three of them Miss South Africa pageant winners, on Wednesday, July 31, at Maslow Hotel in Sandton. Miss South Africa, Marilyn Ramos, was joined by Miss South Africa 2011, Melinda Bam, voted the sexiest woman in the world by FHM, Bokang Montjane (Miss SA 2010), and Pearl Nxele, who was second princess in 2012.

The occasion was not only to do a rare video shoot, but they were also there to “shoot the breeze” on a host of relevant issues, including the rebranding and new-look of the Miss South Africa Pageant, women empowerment and that real women do enter beauty contests.

The hot topic now is the nationwide call for entries, which close on 31 August, with the experts providing tips on how to enter the Miss South Africa Pageant, how to fill out the entry form and what is expected in the "audition" process.

The women discussed their personal Miss South Africa experiences and helped encourage young people who would like to enter but don’t know how to go about it.

The Miss South Africa Pageant has become a part and parcel of South African life and now, after many decades, the whole concept and the pageant are undergoing dramatic and exciting makeovers. Part of the extensive revamp is that the new Miss South Africa will be crowned in March 2014, instead of December, which means that unlike previous years, she will get to reign in the year of her appointment.

Also, popular former Miss South Africa Melinda Bam has been appointed to a new post as National Executive of Miss South Africa Pty Ltd joining the Miss South Africa team.

These changes are all part of a concerted drive by Sun International to grow the Miss South Africa brand and make it relevant for today’s young generation. Several focus groups of bright young people were employed to establish whether the Miss South Africa Pageant is relevant today, what it means to them and how can it be improved. The feedback was incredibly positive, according to the Miss South Africa organisers.

Melinda Bam said they will discuss women empowerment, its role in society and whether Miss South Africa has its place in today’s changing world. 

On the Miss South Africa brand, Bam says: 

“The focus is to rebrand Miss South Africa in a way that makes it relatable to the public again, to engage the public to grow a new sentiment around the brand, and also to take Miss South Africa back to the people.”

And when asked what it was like to be voted sexiest woman in the world, Bam replied: 

“it is quite surreal. It is very flattering, but it is more important that people get to learn what I am all about, rather than just seeing a pretty face.”

The point is that the Miss South Africa Pageant is far more than being just a pretty face!