B Branding di a Nation N ti Yvonne Johnston International Marketing Council of South Africa
"Th most important "The i assets off any business b i (country) are intangibles: i company name, brand, its b d symbols and slogans, and their underlying associations, i ti perceived i d quality, lit name awareness, customer base, and proprietary resources such as patents patents, trademarks and channel relationships. The assets which comprise brand equity, equity are a primary source of competitive advantage and future earnings earnings." - David Aaker
What is a Brand? “Your brand is how a consumer feels about your product.� Charlotte Beers ((CEO, O&M))
What is a Brand ? “A distinguishing name, sign, symbol or design des g o or combination co b at o of o these t ese intended to identify the source of a p promise associated with the goods of one seller or group g p of sellers and to differentiate them from those of competitors.” p US Supreme Court
What is a Brand? A brand is a product which has been elevated to a higher worth than its physical (intrinsic) value by virtue of the addition of added value in the form of brand image (extrinsic).
This extrinsic value is detached from the product product, and resides in the consumer’s mind = brand positioning.
What is a Brand? perception, experience, beliefs, feelings, relationship of consequence. It is often summed upp in one word,, or a slogan g
The raw material that makes up a Brand: B d TANGIBLES
Colour Texture Value for money Competitors Share of voice Marketing material Crisis communications
Direct marketing Promotions Advertising Typeface Music Voice Media context
The raw material that makes up a Brand: B d INTANGIBLES How users approach the brand.
Their daily, weekly experiences of the brand
Thoughts Th ht and d feelings. f li Ideas
Attitudes. Needs and wants wants. Unconscious motives. Instinctive reaction
What does a Brand do? It creates a sense of belonging : It offers validity and validation - this is what I belong to/relate to The brand idea provides a platform of shared passion. It binds people together in a common spirit It becomes a common goal /crusade whereby every citizen can relate their effort to the overall effect effect. It says “I have a role to play”
What does a Brand do? A brand transforms : A brand is the most powerful change agent.
A brand creates perceptions : Every experience comes with a story story. Brand experiences are created through communication. Holistic sum of a myriad of experiences /anecdotes/ information Perception = reality
Nation Branding Nation branding is an important concept in today’s world. Globalisation means that countries compete with each other th for f the th attention, tt ti respectt and d trust t t off investors, i t tourists, consumers, donors, immigrants, the media and the governments of other nations; so a positive nation brand provides a crucial competitive advantage. It is essential for countries to understand how theyy are seen by publics around the world; how their achievements and failures, their assets and their liabilities, their people and d th their i products d t are reflected fl t d iin th their i b brand d iimage. - Simon Anholt
Can a Country be Branded? Sum total of its history history, its culture culture, its products or services, its people, its customers, its financials, its operations, and its leadership, then of course a country can be b ab brand d
Reflection of the VALUES of the country which should not change
The people deliver the brand - when they understand the values of the country and see the brand strategy being reflected in leadership behaviours, the gap between the actual brand promise and the perceived brand promise will close
Branding a Country This Thi iis nott a project j t th thatt mustt be b delivered d li d solely l l b by Government – there is a role and a responsibility for p living g in the country y to p play y their p part,, they y everyy person must be invited and inspired to do so.
The brand can create a rallying y gp point A nation is a work in progress - you cant wait till y g is right g before yyou start – but yyou cannot sell everything a bad product
On ggoingg buy-in y is required q
Branding a Country Thee bbrand a d gua guardian’s d a s tas task is s to make a e su sure e tthat at tthe e perceptions are correct and accurate If yyou do not activelyy position p yyour country, y then the international media will and are, according to their own agendas Negative perceptions about African countries have damaged our ability to compete at optimal capacity in world markets markets, to encourage investment investment, to create jobs jobs, or to attract tourists There is often a negative self-perception which is endorsed by many Africans themselves
Reputation management In an increasingly competitive marketplace. Although it is an intangible asset, a good reputation generates tangible results: premium price for products and services attract and retain mutually beneficial stakeholder relationships attract the best talent image resilience – negative developments and events are nott cataclysmic t l i to t the th brand b d Will help you gain favorable global recognition Will provide access and allow you to penetrate new markets
Countries and their Perceptions Britain
proud, civilised, cultured, cold, arrogant , witty (Notting Hill and Four weddings) – Traditional
Germany
efficient, industrious, rational, cold – engineering excellence - Quality
Japan
efficient, industrious, competitive and innovative – electronics specialist
US
US: Freedom, competitive, adventurous, sociable, fun-loving – strong in customer orientation and services, war mongers, arrogant
Australia
Free Spirited, p optimistic, p fun and liberated
Country product images Finland
Mobile Phone
Switzerland
Pharmaceuticals; Tourism; Chocolates Watches
Ireland
Wireless Technology
Scotland
Whisky; Biotechnology; Energy
India
Software; Entrepreneurial Talent
g Singapore
g Professional Services; Regional Financial Center
Source: Moving the Nation by Dr. Suvit Maesincee
A Nation’s Nation s Image Nations have images that differ in different parts of the world, what they think of you in India, may be completely different to what they think of you in the UK.
Even your own citizens will have very differing p of the brand. experiences
Achieving consistency may be difficult. The image of a nation varies with the receiver’s social and political leanings, personal experiences, and relationships between his/her nation and other nations.
Challenges and considerations in Nation Branding A nation’s image is influenced by a host of factors such as: Its current leader(s) and politics. Perceptions of business practices (such as corruption, monopolies, reliability, etc.) First-hand experiences with the country’s people, products and services. What the media says What the citizens say
Steps in Nation Branding Measure the country’s current image in different g different g groups. p countries and among
Do a SWOT analysis of the nation’s strengths, pp , and threats. weaknesses,, opportunities,
Develop a long range strategic plan for building the nation s economy – that is what makes the most nation’s difference.
Then communicate this consistently.
Steps in Nation Branding Develop a brand positioning plan acceptable to j constituencies. the major
Set up the agencies to carry out the various activities.
Promote the plan to the people in the country so that they will be inspired to deliver the plan.
The nation brand custodian does not own the brand.
Build a long g term plan p on how to make the Nation perceptions more attractive
As a place to invest in. in As a place to travel to. A a place As l tto workk in. i As a place whose products d t and d services i are worth buying.
Each of these will call for investments and repositioning.
Master the Brand-building communication tools Leverage visual symbols: China…Great Wall India…Taj Mahal Paris…Eiffel Tower Austria…mountains or Mozart Egypt…the pyramids Develop memorable slogans Promote a favourable product image: Belgian chocolates, Irish whiskey, Columbian coffee South coffee, So th African wine ine
Needed: balance Even though most branding aims to promulgate a single idea or positioning, the branding won’t work unless the nation has developed some balance among its attributes. For example: A friendly people cannot make up for poor infrastructure. Great ea ssights g s ca cannot o make a e up for o ccrime ea and d po pollution. u o G
How to Build a Strong Brand A strong brand is not built by just one clever marketing campaign. A strong brand b d iis b built il through h h a consistent i effort ff It is built by people,
by being consistent with the brand’s brand s image, image being creative and daring, knowing how to package the brand, supporting the brand’s integrity, great communication campaigns, transforming the brand into a powerful asset asset, and forming associations with other strong brands.
Strong g Brands are built by people A nation brand requires a strong vision from the President, P id t and d strong t b brand d advocates d t tto support the effort
The people of the nation need to be actively engaged – the most important target market
Why is consistency important?
cost efficiencies, ownership of the brand position, ownership of the brand identity symbol. It takes a long time to change perceptions It takes a long time to establish one brand thought
Strong g Brands start with a good product Nothing beats having a completely differentiated product. The famous adman David Ogilvy once said:
“G t advertising “Great d ti i can sellll a b bad d product d t only l once.””
Identifyy existingg strengths g and p promote them consistently. y
Strong g Brands support pp the product’s integrity If your product is only average and you think a big once-off once off PR splash will catapult it into the realm of stardom, you’ll get at best your “fifteen minutes of q the late Andyy Warhol. fame”,, to quote
If you are serious about building a brand, you must recognise that the product must deliver. deliver
Challenges and barriers to achieving success must be addressed.
Strong Brands expose their perceived i d difference diff Strong brands identify, build, and expose their unique g propositions – the benefit to the target g audience selling which is different from other brands, motivational and credible.
This perceived difference should expose two aspects of the brand: The intellectual component – what we know The emotional component – how we feel
Do you have a national goal? “A A very firm national goal is essential essential. You need something that every citizen citizen, every level of worker or executive can work towards. In most country country’ss cases, cases the goals are too fragmented to deliver any significant success ” success.
To sum up‌ Although Alth h the th benefits b fit off having h i a good d reputation t ti are many, they come down to one single element: a strong reputation creates a strategic advantage for a country.