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MarketingMix 
STRATEGIC MARKETING INSIGHT
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Vol 25 Issue No. 3/4
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R25.00 incl. vat
 
CONTENTS
Vol 25 No. 3/4 I MarketingMix
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MarketingMix
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02
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Book Review
Simon Anholt’s
Competitive Identity 
deals with the issue of nationbranding
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04
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Ed’s note
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06
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The DMA
Find out more about the DMA’s OptOut Register
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08
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News
All the latest gossip in the wonderfulworld of the marketing mix
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14
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Expert Opinion:Richard Duncan
Richard explores the good, the bad,and the ugly entrepreneurs
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16
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Brand Anatomy
Neotel built a brand completely fromscratch – here’s how
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18
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Expert Opinion:Helen McIntee
Helen McIntee tells us why ‘glocal’ islekker
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7 Day [B]itch
Joy Turnbull, deputy MD, Net#workBBDO, takes us on a guided tour ofher frenetic week
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20
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Product Placement
How to make product integrationwork for your brand
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24
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New Media
Are you ready for the future ofmedia? Do you know enough aboutblogs, vlogs and mobisodes?
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30
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Personalised Printing
How to really impress your clients ina few easy steps throughpersonalisation
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32
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Database BestPractices
Are you getting the most out of yourdatabase and data?
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35
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Expert Opinion:Nici Stathacopoulos
Nici reports back from the ProximityWorldwide Conference
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38
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ExperientialMarketing
Are you really connecting your brandwith your customer? Experientialmarketing provides the coolest wayto do it
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42
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POPAI SA
We take a closer look at consumerpreferences and Point of Salemarketing
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44
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SalesPromotions Critique
Our panel of experts looks at a fewof the latest, greatest sales promos
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46
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Top PrintPerformers
A close look at last year’s ABC resultsto find out which publications arereally making the grade
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56
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Law Mix
Dr Wim Alberts looks at the impactof geography on trademark laws
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MarketingMix I Vol 25 No. 3/4
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by michelle sturmanBOOK REVIEW
Competitive
Identity
Some of you may recognise Simon
Anholt’s name. While he is a governmentadvisor, he is also the father of ‘nationbranding,’ a term he coined over 10 yearsago. In his latest book,
Competitive Identity 
,Anholt explains the evolution of nationbranding into competitive identity. Hedescribes this progression as moving fromnation branding: ‘the reputations of coun-tries are rather like the brand images ofcompanies and products, and equally impor-tant…’ to competitive identity (CI): ‘becauseit has more to do with national identity andthe politics and economics of competitive-ness than with branding as it is usuallyunderstood.’ He dives straight into illumi-nating the impact of globalisation, arguingthat sub-consciously everyone has an imageof a place (people, culture, economy) whichdirectly influences their behaviour towardsthat nation or city. Globalisation also meansthat countries, regions and cities competewith each other in terms of tourists, busi-ness, investments and events etc.Unfortunately, even when countries engagein nation branding, it’s very difficult tochange perceptions, especially when variousbodies fail to promote a cohesive version ofthe place in question. This is where CI fits in.It is ‘the synthesis of brand managementwith public diplomacy and trade, invest-ment, tourism and export promotion. CI is anew model for enhanced national competi-tiveness in a global world…’Anholt states that the biggest and mostvital component of CI is creating ‘benignnationalism amongst the populace.’ Heexplains the channels through which anational reputation is created and how it islost. CI is not about putting up a prettywebsite or about having glossy brochuresfor the wealthy foreigners to ‘oh’ and ‘ah’over. CI ‘is about government, companiesand people learning to channel their behav-iour in a common direction that’s positiveand productive for the country’s reputation,so they can start to earn the reputation theyneed and deserve.’ In order to do this weneed to understand the way in which per-ceptions are formed. We also need to realisethat they cannot be changed by traditionalmarketing methods. Anholt explains how touse marketing and media and when topromote CI: it is 80 per cent innovation,15 per cent coordination and only five percent communication.Then there is the Nation Brands Index,which studies peoples’ perceptions of coun-tries. In the 2005 (Q4) Nation Brands Index,South Africa was rated 32 out of 35although South Africans rated themselves as6th. The first (recently conducted) CityBrands Index placed Johannesburg at 27 outof 30. Visit www.nationbrandindex.com formore information.Since there is no predictable formulaavailable for CI, countries, regions and citiesshould work on different aspects to improvetheir current image. The first step of CI is toestablish exactly what needs to be workedon and why it needs to be changed.Anholt provides the following assessment:
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If a place is unknown, it needs to beintroduced
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Some places are known to the wrongaudience. Target the right market
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Some places are known for the wrongreasons. There are four different typesof incorrect image: If associations arepositive but limited, the image needs tobe expanded. If there is a vague aware-ness, the image needs to be enhanced,especially to differentiate it from compe-tition. Associations that are outdatedneed to be updated and revitalised.Associations that are negative need tobe improved and perceptions need tobe shiftedIn order to get a CI strategy to work,Anholt suggests that the following six pointsmust be adhered to: creative, ownable,sharp, motivating, relevant and elemental.Using a great idea attached or associatedwith a place or event is a fruitful exercisewhen it comes to promoting positive per-ceptions. Throughout the book Anholt usesmany examples that illustrate the reinforce-ment of both positive and negative percep-tions related to various places (includingSouth Africa and Africa), which makes forvery interesting reading.
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The New Brand Management for Nations, Cities and Regions
Marketing Mix 
caught up with Simon Anholt to find outhis view on South Africa’s competitive identity:
When the image and reputation of a country is stable such as Canada, it doesn’treally make a difference whether there are positive or negative stories abound.However, with a country such as South Africa, the image is on the move and the fileis marked ‘changing’ in people’s minds.It is understood that corruption and instability are part of SA’s image and it’s not asafe and perfect country – the most important factor is that it is moving in the rightdirection. Therefore, the recent headlines in the international media regarding mem-bers of the SA government are not going to destroy the country although it mustkeep a steady flow of positive stories coming out too, especially those involvinginnovative policies and behaviour. What needs to be remembered is that the externalimage of a country moves much slower than the internal one. While it’s enormouslyhard for countries to improve their reputation it has to be achieved with internalbuy-in. The government must take this seriously and not just for domestic purposesbut for the country’s international reputation.
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