Here’s an interesting thought for all destinations currently writing or reviewing their long term brand plans. Despite the global economic meltdown, the SARS issue, Terrorist bombings in Bali, Spain, NYC and other places, the UN World Tourism Organisation writes that, “in spite of occasional shocks, international tourist arrivals have shown virtually uninterrupted growth: from 25 … Continue reading »
Filed under nation branding …
Simon Anholt comments on the Public Relations efforts of Malaysia
Simon Anholt, the originator of the term nation brand and for many years an authority on managing national identity was interviewed by BFM radio in Kuala Lumpur recently. You can hear the interview here. The interview was also covered by the online media and you can read about it here. My thoughts on this issue … Continue reading »
What Malaysia must do to build a Nation Brand
Traditionally, Tourism Malaysia has had the responsibility of raising the awareness and promotion of Malaysia. And Tourism Malaysia has worked hard to build awareness of the country as a tourist destination and on the whole, it has been reasonably successful. But in an increasingly competitive world, Malaysia is not just in a global competition to … Continue reading »
Australia Unlimited. Genius or Garbage?
Someone sent me this link about the plans for the Australian government to use a new tagline to sell Australia Inc to the world. I’m sure you guys have lots to say and I welcome your thoughts on the article. To get the ball rolling here are a couple of thought starters. 1) Australia Unlimited … Continue reading »
Nation Branding and Social Media
A key element of a successful nation branding initiative depends on how well your audience absorbs, understands, adopts and redistributes the message based on their requirements for value. Back in the day this was done at a coffee shop, sundry store, mosque, church, football club or where ever else consumers congregated. Today those same people … Continue reading »
Negative brand association, real world examples
In October of last year, I wrote a piece on my blog about negative brand association. You can read the short post here David Ansett of Storm in Australia approached the subject from a different angle and you can read his piece here Essentially, my attitude is that if the concept of positioning a product … Continue reading »
Case study: Use research to form the foundations of a tourism brand strategy
A powerful country brand developed from a meticulously planned strategy that has at its heart the concept of providing specific value to specific identified segments and meticulously executed and measured can yield massive benefits for investment, domestic industries and culture. And for most South East Asian countries, tourism will have a prominent role to play … Continue reading »
What is the impact of the mosques referendum on the Swiss brand?
Last month a much reported public referendum in Switzerland voted to implement a complete ban on the construction of minarets in the country. The referendum, sponsored by the right-wing Swiss People’s Party sparked numerous national debates and 57.5% of the electorate voted in favour of the ban. This despite the protestations of the ruling pary … Continue reading »
Principles of Nation Branding
Here are my eight key principles for a strategic Nation branding initiative. Having said that, I also believe these principles should be applied to government ministries, departments, agencies and the private sector as well. What do you think? 1) Research and data are fundamental: Qualitative and quantitative research is essential to data-driven branding (see below) … Continue reading »
