Branding a nation with international recognition

Prasanna Perera, Marketing and Management Consultant, Chartered Marketer,CIM, U.K.

The American Marketing Association defines a brand as a “name, term, sign, symbol, or design, or a combination of them, intended to identify the goods and services of one seller or group of sellers and to differentiate them from those of competitors.”

Hence the purpose of branding is two fold i.e. to provide a identity to a product and to differentiate the product from competitive offerings.

When applying the concept of a brand to nations rather than to mere products, there is an ethical obligation to do so in an honest, respectful manner and to acknowledge the limits of how appropriate it is to treat nations as brands.

Nations do not belong to brand managers or corporations ; indeed, if they “belong” to anyone, it is to the nation’s entire citizenry.

In simple terms, a nation-brand, is where the brand is a country, state or nation. A nation-brand can be defined as “the unique, multi dimensional blend of elements that provide the nation with culturally grounded differentiation and relevance for all of its target audiences.” (Keith Dinnie).

This definition acknowledges the multi-faceted nature of the nation-brand, together with the need to integrate national identity dimensions.

The application of branding techniques to nations is a relatively new phenomenon but one which is growing in relevance, given the increasing global competition that nations now face, in both their domestic and external markets.

Nations are making increasingly conscious efforts to enhance their country branding in recognition of the need to fulfil three major objectives :

- To attract tourists, to stimulate inward investment and to boost exports

All three objectives are extremely valid and important to Sri Lanka, and the country would do well to embrace the concept of nation-branding.

In addition to the stated objectives, countries also engage in nation-branding to increase currency stability, help restore international credibility and investor confidence, reverse international ratings downgrades, stimulate stronger international partnerships and enhance nation building (by nourishing confidence, pride, harmony, ambition, national resolve).

Whilst all these objectives are true for Sri Lanka, the aspect of nation building is probably critical. We need to consider ourselves as “Sri Lankans” and be proud of our citizenship and country. This is the only way to build a proud and united nation, which is a prerequisite for the development of a country.

Egypt - Egypt represents an interesting example of a country that has attempted to brand itself largely on the basis of one high quality product, Egyptian Cotton. Marketing the Middle East to Westerners constitutes an enormous test and the Egyptian Government is developing a campaign comprising global advertising, public relations, government relations, market research and event planning in order to raise the profile of Egyptian Cotton. Maybe Sri Lanka can take a cue and market Sri Lanka based on “Ceylon Tea”, which is considered world class.

South Korea - A huge amount of attention was focused upon South Korea through its co-hosting of the 2002 FIFA World Cup. The Government of South Korea announced an ambitious plan to raise the international recognition (and thereby boost the exports) of Korean brand name products.

Five strategies were worked out by the Government - to internationalize Korean brand names, strengthen corporate brand management, reinforce electronic brand marketing, expand the infrastructure for brand marketing and raise the nations image abroad. Perhaps most visionary in the long term, was the Korean Government’s plan to build up the nation’s brand infrastructure by opening a

“Brand Academy” to train specialists every year in brand management.

South Africa - In August 2000, the Government of South Africa established the International Marketing Council of South Africa (IMC), upon the realization that it was absolutely imperative to create a positive and compelling brand image for South Africa.

The mandate given to the IMC was to establish a compelling brand image for South Africa, which correctly positions the country in terms of its investment potential, credit worthiness, export opportunities, tourism potential and international relations.

Sri Lanka, although a small country has a high heritage and culture. Sri Lanka is world famous for tea, precious gemstones, cricket, coconut, rubber and garments : just to name a few. Have we utilized these USP’s (Unique Selling Propositions) to brand Sri Lanka appropriately? The answer is NO. Sri Lanka won the cricket world cup in 1996.

This would have been an ideal platform to position Sri Lanka as a youthful and sporty nation-brand.

Recently Sri Lanka also won the Asia Cup in Cricket for the fifth time. Shouldn’t we capitalize on this achievement to brand Sri Lanka? Nation-branding should not be confused with tourism marketing. In the case of Sri Lanka, due care must be exercised in this regard. Tourism can certainly be used as a platform for nation-branding. In the case of Sri Lanka, multi-faceted platforms are available to position and brand the country.