Our narrative problem: Why perception management is now an economic imperative

EARLIER this week, Discovery CEO Adrian Gore issued a stark but vital reminder: in emerging markets like South Africa, narrative drives reality.

- DR NIK EBERL

This is not just an elegant turn of phrase. It is how markets function — and a warning that the stories we tell about our country can either attract or repel the investment, talent, and trust we so desperately need.

“The flywheel has to turn, and if you get it wrong at any point, it’s problematic,” Gore cautioned the audience. When narrative spins virtuous, it creates a reinforcing cycle: positive perception invites capital inflows, tourism, innovation, and confidence. But when it spins vicious, perception deters investment, erodes trust, and makes even incremental progress invisible.

Narrative as Causality

South Africa's fundamentals are not as dire as the prevailing commentary suggests. Load-shedding has eased, crime in several major metros is trending downward, and the Government of National Unity has opened a new chapter of political cooperation. Yet the narrative amplified at home and abroad is “crisis, stagnation, decline.”

Once entrenched, this perception becomes more powerful than the facts themselves. Investors and tourists do not sift through granular data before making decisions. They rely on reputation, mood, and brand. That is why Gore laments that “the narrative is dramatically worse than reality.” It is also why perception management is not an exercise in spin — it is an economic necessity.

A Case Study in Perception Management: The 2010 FIFA World Cup

South Africa has been here before. When we hosted the 2010 FIFA World Cup, the world’s media arrived primed with scepticism: crime, chaos, incapacity. What they encountered instead was competence, hospitality, and spectacle.