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Presentation # 19
Branding a Country
(Creating a Concept Around an
Idea or a State of Mind)
By
Prof. Dr. Zafar U. Ahmed
President and CEO
Academy for Global Business Advancement
Texas A&M University at Commerce,
Commerce, Texas, USA
What is a Place Brand?
It is the place’s
reputation or image or
impression or perception
among those people that cares about it,
such as citizens, potential investors
and visitors
Can A Country Be Branded?
• Brands are something that reside in the
minds of its stakeholders
• Branding involves creating mental structures
and helping consumers organize their
knowledge about products and services in a
way that clarifies their decision making and,
in the process, provides value to the
destination (country)
Can a Country Be Branded?
• The key to branding is that consumers
perceive differences among brands in a
product category
• Accordingly, marketers can benefit from
branding whenever consumers are in a
choice situation
Branding a Geographic Location
• The brand name is relatively fixed by the
name of the location
• The power of branding is in making people
aware of the location and then linking the
desirable associations
• Increased mobility of both investors, and
businesses and growth in the tourism
industry have contributed to the rise of
place marketing
Branding a Geographic Location
• Cities, states, regions, and countries are now
actively promoted through advertising,
direct mail, and other communication tools
• The goal of this types of campaigns is to
create awareness and a favorable image of a
location that will entice temporary visits or
permanent moves from individuals and
businesses alike
Branding a Geographic Location
Nations can be branded, and governments and their
institutions can use the principles of branding to add
to the value of their industries and the brands they
represent’
Branding a Geographic Location
Region/
Country
Asia
United States
Japan
Europe
Activity,
relaxation,
intriguing,
enriching,
diverse,
powerful,
memories
Australia’s
Attributes
Big nature,
outdoors, city
life
Fun, diversity,
active,
adventure, live
it
Surprise,
undiscovered,
culture, lifestyle
Campaign
“Let the magic
begin”
“Holiday”
“Country of
surprises”
“The sooner you
go the longer
the memories…”
Message
Excitement,
shopping,
nightlife
Take a break
from work and
discover people
and islands
Fast-paced,
sophisticated,
cosmopolitan,
modern
Emotional,
appealing,
unique, travel
now
Branding Philosophies
Branding Philosophies
Supranational Brand
Nation Brand
Sector Umbrella Brands
Regional and City Brands
Corporate Brands
Product Brands
Intellectual Architecture
A place’s intellectual architecture has
been a critical element in constructing
the brand of a place (e.g., UK)
Branding Philosophies
• The living brand enhances the perception
that community members, investors, and
potential tourists, have of the place
• Any strategy to manage a place’s brand must
also manage its intellectual architecture
Place Brand Strategy
• Rather than artificially branding a city or
country, a place brand strategy requires
governments to:
– Develop a political and social process that allows
constituent actors to identify and then put into
practice a (relatively) constituent social, economic
and political message that accurately reflects the
place in question
Place Brand DNA
• If a place brand’s heritage is of negative
attributes, the terms ‘re-branding’ or
repositioning apply
• Jewish and global tourists visit the sites of
holocaust across Germany. Why???
Practices of Branding
CRM and Country Branding
‘in the case of a country/government deploying CRM,
it would need to ensure that every communication
channel through which it communicates with its
citizens and investors is funneled through a strategic
CRM infrastructure’
The Interconnection of brand identity,
brand positioning and brand image
BRAND
IDENTITY
How the owners
want the brand to
be perceived
BRAND POSITIONING
That part of the value proposition
communicated to a target group that
demonstrates competitive advantage
BRAND
IMAGE
How the brand is
perceived
Nation Branding Influential Map
Natural
Resources
Nature
Cities
History
People
Geography
Education
Culture
Etiquette
Character
Nation
Brands
Resources
Culture
Economy
Politics
Education
Industries
Economy
Soc. System
Political Structure
Cases in Branding
Poland, as a Case in Point
Introduction
In the case of Poland the
most important challenges
include coordination
between organizations
responsible for and
influencing country
branding, collaboration
between private and public
sectors as well as between
particular territorial units,
financial backing and finally
the fulfillment of the Poland
brand by the people of the
country
Why Does Poland Need a Brand?
• Globalization of the economy
• Challenges relating to Poland’s
accession to the European Union (EU)
• Growing competition primarily from
neighbors in the region and the related
need for Polish companies and
products to be competitive
Positive & Negative Stereotypes
Negative
Positive
• Associated with a successful
transformation of the
political system
• Thorough and courageous
reforms
• Developing democracy
• Membership of NATO and
the EU
•
•
•
•
•
•
Ignorance
Corruption
Crime
Cunningness
Crudeness
Dishonesty
Common Image
Poles being religious and
suffering people throughout
history
Elements of the Poland Brand
• In searching for sources of Polish brand identity it is
necessary to analyze hitherto perceptions of Poland
and Poles (as well as neighboring countries) to find
out what will constitute the key to the nature of the
brand
• Poland is a country that is relatively industrialized,
with many attractive areas of nature,some of which
are exceptional and not available across other East
European countries
The Core Brand Identity of Brand Poland and the
Possibilities over which it could be extended
Tourism
Historical
places, sites
and building
Raw
materials
Natural
Resources
Nature, natural,
naturalistic, naturalism
Hospitality
Restaurants
Rituals
Tourism
Tradition
Traditional foods
Polish sausage,
bigos, Bison
vodka)
Relevant industries
(e.g.. Aluminum works,
but also amber jewelry)
Natural
monuments
Cultural
Events
Folklore
Fashion
Natural
environment
Health
Handicrafts,
arts and
crafts
Extreme sports
(canoeing trips,
climbing)
Hobbies
(hunting,
gliding,
sailing, etc.)
Professional
products
(boats,
bicycles)
Nature
reserves
Nature trails
Agrotourism
Resorts, spas
Natural foods
Commercial
products:
furniture,
ceramics
Health
specialists
Traditional foods (Polish
sausage, Bison, vodka)
The Poland Brand –
Issues & Challenges
• The most important challenge is the fulfillment of
the Poland brand by the people of the country
• Specialists can work out the brand concept, but in
this instance, it is the Poles who have to make it
work (hosts)
• An important assignment for the brand therefore
will be the shaping of a strong identity from within
and its changes inward
Polish Conclusion
• History has proven that Poles
are ambitious and able to meet
national challenges
• The actual timing of Poland’s
entry to the EU is particularly
propitious for a change in the
country’s brand image, because
Poland for many no longer
belongs to ‘them’ on the
fringe, outside the Union, but
advance to ‘us,’ a member of
the European family
The Republic of Armenia,
as a Case in Point
Introduction
Armenia’s ‘place branding’
means requalifying the
habitat and designing a
distinct country image,
replacing the popular
perception of its remote and
trouble-prone ex-Sovietclient status and making a
clear case for its distinctive
qualities, human capital,
landscape, and cultural
heritage
Armenia = Negative Images
• Little land-locked country in a rugged high plateau
prone to earthquakes
• A weak and marginalized player in the geopolitical
game
– No petroleum reserves, exclusion from the Caspian pipeline
routes
• A young state with fragile democratic institutions
• An ancient Central Asian Christian nation nearly
encircled by large Islamic countries and prone to
inter-ethnic tensions
• The debris of defunct Soviet-era industrial plants
• Tense relations with Turkey
Armenia’s Options
• Unlike much of the rest of the Tran Caucasus region, Armenia enjoys
a high level of social stability and internal cohesion, attributable in
particular to its educated population and ethno-linguistic
homogeneity
• For the world market, most of what Armenia has to offer consists of
materials that become unprofitable if transported over long
distances (or even shorter distances) if done exclusively by aircrafts:
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
Tuff and other useful stones
Machinery components
Art and crafts
Some mineral and metal products
Food Products
Bottled water
Wine and liqueurs
Armenia’s Options
• Exporting and Importing
is not as simple of a
strategy as it is thought
to be because:
– There are no good links
with two major
neighboring markets
(Turkey and Azerbaijan)
due to poor inter-state
relations (ethno-territorial
disputes, historical
antagonism and
resentment)
Armenian Conclusion
• Armenia’s success (perhaps even survival) in the global market is
guaranteed by enhancing the quality and value of local production
and, at the same time, by protecting its environmental resources
• In Armenia’s case the environment, landscape and identity represent
the attractions
– Otherwise, Armenia is no match for the mass holiday resorts which trade
in climate, fun and comfort
• ‘Place branding’ for Armenia means requalifying the habitat
and the human capital through comprehensive environmental
and social policies (and investments) with a clear design in
order to achieve a high ranking in the world in environmental
health, quality of life
• and sustainability
• Resolving its conflicts with Turkey on a the pattern with
German-French friendship
Branding African Countries,
as a Case in Point
Introduction
• People’s perceptions of African countries derive from media
news as civil wars, malnourished child asking for aid, AIDs
epidemic, starvation, drought, famine, and genocide
• African countries lag in the pursuit of investment, tourism,
exports and human capital
– They have to find a way to attract FDI competitively
– Country branding is now a necessity rather than a choice; it is
‘about making people want to pay attention to a country’s
achievements and believe in its qualities
The Case to brand
African Countries
• African countries suffer
from ‘continent brand
defect,’ where the entire
continent is considered as a
single brand
• The need for African
countries is to escape that
image and get a separate
perception that is
recognized
• Mauritius, as a Case in Point
Why Brand African Countries?
• Africa is widely perceived as a large homogeneous mass,
hence the negative issues such as Aids, civil wars,
genocide, drought, famine, and political corruption are
too often considered to be applicable to the entire
continent
• If African countries are able to carve strong brand
identities, thereby differentiating themselves, African
countries will also improve their creditworthiness
– Which will, as a consequence, stimulate an increase in
international relations, tourism, exports and investments
Rationale for Branding Africa
• The initiative should be led and driven by the head
of the state
• Noble Laureate, Dr. Nelson Mandela, African
statesman, as a Case in Point
• A working party composed of representatives of
culture, industries, education and the media, etc.,
should also be in place, along with the brand owners
in the private sector who will play a key role in the
making of the brand
Advantages of Branding
• Tourism
– Branding African countries, global tourists would be alerted
about the existing attributes, tangible and intangible
• Investment
– African countries are realizing that they cannot develop and
become competitive while relying solely on donor aid
• Diaspora
– Brain drain is putting a strain on the continent. Greatly needed
skilled professionals, such as scientists, engineers, doctors, IT
specialists and university professors have exited the continent
in search of greener pastures in the West
CRM in Africa
Does CRM have a role in branding
African countries?
In order for CRM to work efficiently and help African
countries in becoming competitive, ‘visionary
leaders’ need to be targeted constantly…
CRM in Africa
• The government involved should act as
a corporation, aiming to manage
relationships with selected target
groups
–
–
–
–
Investors
The Diaspora
Tourists
Foreign Talent
African Conclusion
• Once an African country
has an attractive image,
it will also inspire the
Diaspora to speak of their
country with pride as well
as help to engage them
with the country’s
development
• South Africa, as a Case in
Point
Branding of a Nation Conclusion
• A nation’s brand to a large extent is shaped
by its history, culture, heritage, location,
customs, achievements of its citizens and
vision of its leaders ….;
• A nation needs to compete over its
customers’ hearts and minds inside the
country, regionally, continentally and
globally
Branding of a Nation Conclusion
• Due to the complexity and
sophistication of competition between
nations, mostly derived from
globalization, countries are tirelessly
leveraging their desired brand images
through communicating their
advantages, attitudes, history, culture
endowments and assets
Branding of Rwanda???
Q&A