Jeremy Hildreth: Presentation at "Image and Identity" Conference (2006, Hungary)

An introduction to robust national branding (including a case study of Poland) Jeremy Hildreth Budapest, 28 November 2006

Today
national branding: a primer
our work in Poland: the Polska national reputation and branding programme
some advice for Hungary

At its best, a national brand:
helps people understand the nation.
provides a ‘headline’ (or headlines) for a number of attractive stories.
works for multiple audiences and economic sectors (not just tourism).
has emotion—and truth—behind it.

many national brands today are not really brands, just the trappings of brands.

brand > logo

brand > tourism slogan

‘ Discover ________’

Quebec Jamaica Turkey Iceland Brazil Chile Papua New Guinea Mexico Indonesia Japan Australia Dubai Portugal Nicaragua Latvia Ecuador Southeast Crete Zimbabwe Eastern Sierra Kenya The United States Guatemala Bihar (India) Ethiopia Bahrain Nepal Namibia Morocco Tibet Rajasthan South Korea Britain Brittany Normandy Venezuela Pakistan San Bernadino County (Calif.) Murcia (Spain) Finland Kosovo Bhutan Italy Norway Spain The Pyrenees Tashkent (Uzbekistan) 69+ Texas (US) Mozambique Kansas (US) Idaho (US) The Middle East Urumqi (China) Iran Malta South Africa Thailand India Cornwall (England) Scotland Russia Costa Rica Tunisia Israel Egypt Alaska Mali Northern Sweden Vietnam Canada Or would you like to be a ‘land of contrasts’?

‘ The essence of Europe’
‘ In the heart of Europe’
‘ A cool country with a warm heart’
‘ A small country with a big heart’
‘ The green piece of Europe’
‘ Centre of Europe’
Czech Republic Estonia Slovenia Hungary Lithuania Slovakia

brand > free kurtoskalacs

strong nation brands stand for something

brand export public diplomacy tourism investment nation

brand export public diplomacy tourism investment idea

For maximum effectiveness…
How a nation talks and behaves in terms of:
tourism
investment
brand export
public diplomacy
should be interrelated

getting it right:
Norway

core idea:
nature and harmony

‘ Any decent doctor would prescribe Norway ’

a strong national brand stands for something
and does it with:
authenticity
distinctiveness
style
emotion
and coordination

Today

create a national brand for Poland.

research how Poland is presented and perceived internally and externally journey what's remarkable, what's new, what's unknown interviews inside and outside Poland upwards of 110 in about 10 countries what we did: investigation (2004)

our mission:
gather material to create a brand for Poland embracing the nation’s unique qualities—
a core idea

the view from outside 2004

What is the population of Poland? Name four Polish cities? Name a Polish writer? A film-maker? A composer? A poet? What religious beliefs? What political system? Name a Polish politician? What sort of industries? Name a Polish product? Would you consider a holiday in Poland? What is the climate like? Is Poland big or small? Is it a member of the European Union? Who is currently the world’s most famous Pole?

where are you from? from Poland wow, Holland, I was there! no, I’m not from Holland I’m from Poland ...oh

They don’t know about Poland.

3. The nation brand

specific national perceptions

older Germans are disdainful of Poles
Polnische Wirtschaft
“ vacation in Poland, your car’s already there”
a threat to jobs
in Germany

Polish/French historical ties
Polish intelligentsia and romantic perceptions of 19th century
emotional ties, lots of people of Polish descent
in France

the view from inside 2004

the older generation pessimism a historic nation messianic people defensive, protective inferiority complex traditional culture and values dichotomy romanticism/positivism conflicted national consciousness

the younger generation Europeans, like the rest permeate the EU a contemporary nation market economy generation patriotism is not a big issue anti-establishment optimistic uncertainty

lack of self-esteem
undervalued
misunderstood
short-termism
westernism
gloominess
individualism resourcefulness imaginativeness resilience nonconformism openness common traits + —

our view 2004

Poland is unique for its dualities
East and West
regional strengths and national pride
passion and practicality
ambition and acceptance
patience and restlessness
tumult and achievement
folk art and high culture
religious fervour and scepticism
being of today and respecting yesterday
charm and toughness
right brain flair and left brain pragmatism

what we did next: feedback and idea development reviewed our findings with opinion leaders identified key concepts examined potential problem areas developed and articulated a single core idea

work on both an emotional and a rational level
be big enough to accommodate Poland's long-term ambitions
have something for each audience
be easy to explain and understand
gain commitment from all parties
and above all…
the core idea should

be unique to Poland – and true

core idea for Poland: creative tension

Poland draws its personality, power and perpetual motion from a wealth of apparently opposing characteristics.
These tensions create a restlessness unsatisfied with the status quo, and a boisterousness that’s always stimulating and often astonishing.
This creative tension is why Poland produces so many entrepreneurs, artists and sportspeople; it’s why Poland is constantly evolving, sometimes tumultuously; and it’s why Poles have always tried to achieve the seemingly impossible—and often succeeded.
creative tension

tourism
foreign direct investment
public diplomacy
export
communications/media
and many others
we discussed the core idea exhaustively with

broad support.

epitomizes Polish “ paradoxicality ”
encompasses “ contrasting nature ” of Poland
allows “ wide scope of themes ”
offers “ something for everyone ”
they liked it because it

“ Poland is X” “ but Poland is also Y”

EXPLANATORY ASPIRATIONAL

it explains.
it teaches.
it helps people understand Poland.
it sets expectations and manages them.
and it works for all four vectors…

brand export public diplomacy tourism investment idea

what comes next (2007) expressing the brand visually, verbally, experientially coordinating what others are doing Tourism, investment, foreign affairs, regional development, the cities, Expo bids creating a ‘Brand Polska’ network Task forces, brand champions and other interested parties— to swap ideas and take the programme inward, outward, onward and upward

Today

a strong national brand can elevate Hungary from being ‘just ano ther former Eastern Bloc country’ to being some particular kind of special, intriguing, desirable place to be .

a strong national brand will give Hungary credit for its achievements and recognition for what it can contribute to the world.

a strong national brand will allow people to see ‘Hungarian-ness’, to know what that means, and to value it.

the task is:
to work out what is special and interesting about Hungary.
and then: convey that – visually, verbally, experientially – so that people understand Hungary and are attracted to it.

and it must be more than a destination brand – it must be a national brand why?

there is only one Hungary .

whether you say:
have a holiday here
invest here
base your business here
buy things made here
it is always the same here .
it is always Hungary.

So…stand for something
and convey that with:
authenticity
distinctiveness
style
emotion
and coordination

how do you do it?

set up the administration
explore and research
define the brand idea (and the ways it may be modulated to serve different interests)
gather ideas for articulation and expression
build domestic support for the programme
stage 1 – development of the brand: Timescale: about three months

robust, more-than-cosmetic expression
visually – a symbol, colours, image style
verbally – straplines, stories, talking points
experientially – ‘touchpoints’ including environments (e.g., arrival halls, embassies, tourism bureaus abroad)
stage 2 – articulation of the brand: Timescale: another three months

figure out what the main authorities will do to launch the brand (including attending to hygiene factors and devising brand-centric projects)
establish task forces and brand champions
‘ seed’ the brand through training and collaboration
involve as many constituencies as possible
stage 3 – pre-launch of the brand: Timescale: about two months

support independent initiatives
coordinate and influence ‘every’ activity that bears on Hungary’s image
search for potential flagship brands
stage 3 – pre-launch (con’t): Timescale: about two months

launch it
nurture it
monitor it (track the results)
benchmark it
be patient
stage 4 – launching and sustaining the brand: Timescale: ad infinitum

important : the brand can only be made to work by convincing people that it’s to their advantage to use it.

co-ordination.
support.
involvement.
not arm twisting.

a national brand must belong to the citizens.
if it works for them
then it will work.

time scale
20 years plus

Thank you. K öszönöm .

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Jeremy Hildreth: Presentation at "Image and Identity" Conference (2006, Hungary)

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Jeremy Hildreth: Presentation at "Image and Identity" Conference (2006, Hungary) — Presentation Transcript