Finest Of Kenya

Branding & Marketing Your County

(Creating a Positive Perception Around a Place) We judge ourselves by our intentions, others judge us by our actions .
By Victor Ndiema FinestOfKenya.com A Destination Management Consulting Company

What is a Place Brand?

It is the places reputation or image or impression or perception among those people that care about it, such as citizens, potential investors and visitors

Perception

=
Reality

A Place Brand?
BRAND PROMISE
what your county commits to the people who interact with it its a mission; its how the county creates and delivers value

EXPECTATION YOUR BRAND

What is it for me (wiifm)? Does the brand care about my needs? Does the brand promise deliver?

A brand is an experience living at the intersection of promise & expectation

A place Brand is something that resides in the minds of its stakeholders eg Visitors, residents, business community etc. 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 (county)

Why Brand a Place?

The key to branding is that consumers perceive differences among brands in a product category Accordingly, COUNTIES 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

Why Brand Your County?

Cities, Counties, regions, and countries are now actively promoted through advertising, word-of-mouth, 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

Mission To ATTRACT

Attracting new investments has become more strategic. Investors want to know the strengths and opportunities in your community before speaking to you.

Examples of Branded nations/places

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/ County Perceived Attributes Nairobi Mombasa Lamu Nakuru
Activity, relaxation, intriguing, enriching, diverse, powerful, memories County of surprises

Big nature, outdoors, city life

Fun, diversity, active, adventure, live it

Surprise, undiscovered, culture, lifestyle

Campaign

Let the magic begin

Holiday

The sooner you go the longer the memories

Message

Excitement, shopping, nightlife

Take a break from work and discover people and islands

Emotional, appealing, unique, travel now

Fast-paced, sophisticated, cosmopolitan, modern

Branding Philosophies

DNA of BrandingA Places Intellectual Architecture

Tourism

People

Exports

NATIONS Brand

Culture & Heritage Investment & Immigration

Governance

A places intellectual architecture has been a critical element in constructing the brand of a place (e.g., Germany)

Branding Philosophies- How A Brand Value Is Influenced

The living brand enhances the perception that community members, investors, and potential tourists, have of the place Any strategy to manage a places brand must also manage its intellectual architecture BRAND VALUE How we are perceived

What we do

What we say

What we think

FOUNDATION:
Intellectual Architectural Elements

Branding PhilosophiesPlace Brand Strategy

A strategy is knowing where you want to play and how you want to win. A brand strategy is playing in the right customers mind, and winning with a brand promise, personality and position that are compelling, credible and competitive Rather than artificially branding a city or county, 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

County Branding Influential Map

Natural Resources

Urban Centres

History

Education

Etiquette Character

Nature

Geography

People

Culture

Resources

County Brands

Culture Education

Economy Industries

Politics Economy

Soc. System Political Structure

Rwanda, as a Case in Point 1994-2010

1994 Genocide Ends

1998 Regional Instability

2002 Reforms

2006 Integration into regional trading blocs

2010 Leading Investment Destination in Africa

2014 Continued Stability

Introduction
In the case of Rwanda 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 Rwanda brand by the people of the country

Why Does Rwanda Need a Brand?

Globalization of the economy Challenges relating to Rwandas accession to the East African Community(EAC) & COMESA Growing competition primarily from neighbors in the region and the related need for Rwandan companies, people and products to be competitive

Positive & Negative Stereotypes

Common Image
Rwandans being stubborn and suffering people throughout history After Branding Positive
Associated with a successful transformation of the political system Thorough and courageous reforms Developing democracy & Good Governance structures Membership of EAC, Common Wealth and COMESA

Before Branding Negative

Ignorance Corruption Crime Cunningness Crudeness Dishonesty Poor Lazy

Elements of the Rwanda Brand

In searching for sources of Rwanda brand identity it is necessary to analyze hitherto perceptions of Rwanda and Rwandans (as well as neighboring countries) to find out what will constitute the key to the nature of the brand Rwanda is a country that is relatively small in size, Agriculture being the main economic activity with many attractive areas of nature, some of which are exceptional and not available across other African countries

The Core Brand Identity of Brand Poland and the Possibilities over which it could be extended
Tourism Historical places, sites and building Natural monuments Raw materials Natural Resources Hospitality Restaurants Tourism Tradition Cultural Events Folklore Handicrafts, arts and crafts Commercial products: furniture, ceramics Extreme sports (canoeing trips, climbing) Hobbies (hunting, gliding, sailing, etc.) Nature reserves Professional products (boats, bicycles) Relevant industries (e.g.. Agri-industries)

Nature, natural, naturalistic, naturalism

Rituals Natural environment Health

Traditional foods

Nature trails
Agrotourism Resorts, spas Natural foods Health specialists

Dances

Traditional foods

The Rwanda Brand Issues & Challenges

The most important challenge was the fulfillment of the Rwanda brand by the people of the country Specialists can work out the brand concept, but in this instance, it is the Rwanda who had to make it work (hosts) An important assignment for the brand ,therefore was the shaping of a strong identity from within and its changes inward

Rwandan Brand Conclusion

History has proven that Rwandans are ambitious and able to meet national challenges The actual timing of Rwandas entry to the EAC, Common Wealth & COMESA was particularly propitious for a change in the countrys brand image, because Rwanda for many no longer belonged to them on the fringe, outside these blocs, but advanced to us, a member of the *EAC, COMESA, Common Wealth ] family

The Republic of Armenia, as a Case in Point

Introduction
Armenias 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

Armenias 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

Armenias 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 interstate relations (ethnoterritorial disputes, historical antagonism and resentment)

Armenian Conclusion

Armenias 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 Armenias 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 GermanFrench friendship

Branding of Your County???

Q&A