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/ Asia United States Japan Europe
Country
Activity,
Big nature, Fun, diversity, Surprise, relaxation,
Australia’s intriguing,
outdoors, city active, undiscovered,
Attributes life adventure, live culture, lifestyle enriching,
it diverse,
powerful,
memories

Campaign “Let the magic “Holiday” “Country of “The sooner you

begin” surprises” go the longer
the memories…”

Message Excitement, Take a break Fast-paced, Emotional,

shopping, from work and sophisticated, appealing,
nightlife discover people cosmopolitan, unique, travel
and islands modern 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 Cities History Education
Etiquette

Character
Nature Geography People Culture

Nation
Brands
Resources

Culture Economy Politics Soc. System

Education Industries Economy 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

Positive Negative
• Associated with a successful • Ignorance
transformation of the • Corruption
political system • Crime
• Thorough and courageous • Cunningness
reforms • Crudeness
• Developing democracy • Dishonesty
• Membership of NATO and
the EU 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

Relevant industries
Natural
Historical (e.g.. Aluminum works,
monuments
places, sites but also amber jewelry)
Raw
and building materials

Natural
Resources Extreme sports
(canoeing trips,
Hospitality
Nature, natural, climbing)
naturalistic, naturalism
Restaurants Hobbies
Professional
(hunting,
Rituals products
gliding,
Tourism Tradition Natural (boats,
sailing, etc.)
Cultural environment bicycles)
Events
Traditional foods Nature
Folklore Health
Polish sausage, reserves
bigos, Bison Nature trails
Handicrafts,
vodka) Agrotourism
Fashion arts and
crafts Resorts, spas
Natural foods
Commercial
products: Health
furniture, specialists Traditional foods (Polish
ceramics 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-Soviet-
client 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