‘Branding a nation requires more than global media campaign’
Branding is about image perception; it is about how others perceive that image. This is critical to the wellbeing either of a product, an individual, a service or a nation. In this illuminating interview, ANOTE AJELUOROU engages a brand specialist and Fellow of Institute of Brand Management of Nigeria, Mr. KEN EBBI, who makes it clear that Nigerian has got it all wrong in the most critical areas of nation branding. He asserts that Nigeria has failed to act decisively in most areas of national life that matter in projecting a positive image
BRANDING is the sum total of the perception of people about a product, person, destination or nation. When we consider the fact that most decisions are based on perception, managing those perceptions become pivotal to the nation’s overall wellbeing. However, it is important to note here that nation branding, if at all there is anything like that, is not running a communication campaign on global media. In fact, nothing is more deluding than to believe that a country’s overall perception index can be influenced by a communication campaign.
There are several touch points presented by multiplicity stakeholders, all having farreaching effect on the image of a nation. Every event that occurs in a nation impacts on the perception index of that nation. Therefore, it is a herculean task to manage the perception index of a nation. However, nothing can be more rewarding for a nation as a healthy perception index; it affects every aspect of the society.
There are several indices of “nation brand- ing” but we will consider some of the key ones.
Governance: One of the key indicators of nation brand index is the quality of governance and political stability. Though democracy is highly rated globally, it is not the only system of governance acceptable in nation branding. What is key to most people will be the level of transparency exhibited and the management of subjects like human rights protection, the rule of law, equity, justice, corruption and national social responsibility, etc. These subjects are all important in deter- mining the reputation of a nation as far as governance is concerned in the global purview. Countries that are serious about global issues such as the environment, preservation of the eco-system, fight against terrorism, gender parity, labour rights and so on are usually highly rated.
Culture: Culture’s evolutionary trends suggest that there should be adjustments in the belief systems upheld by a nation in order to line them up with global best practices. Flexibility is the key word. Dubai could not have assumed its ratings without flexibility in religious practices, which fundamentally constitutes the core culture of the Emirates. In fact Britain plays a prominent role in the development of real estate in Dubai. Tourism: The aim of branding is to move target further away from rational decisions and more towards emotional decisions. Therefore, soft themes are a fantastic way of selling a nation brand. That is why tourism is usually the first point of attraction as far as
concerned. The vibrancy of a nation’s tourism sector can almost accurately measure its perception index.
Exports: The country of origin brands is another key indicator of nation brand reputation. The quality of goods and services exported by a country can influence the perception index a great deal. There is no doubt that the quality of medical and IT services exported by India in recent times have greatly impacted on their reputation. Countries like U.S., Germany, U.K. and other European countries have all used country of origin products and services to boost their perception index.
This is why I think Innoson Motors should be encouraged in everyway possible to grow its automobile brand. We all witnessed the emergence of Kia and Hyundai cars. These brands received massive patronage from their country and over the years they have cut a place for themselves in the international market. Today, these automobile brands have boosted the country of origin profile of South Korea.
Other service brands like Zenith Bank, UBA, Ecobank, GTB, Glo, Pan African University, etc are all emerging global brands and it is in the best interest of Nigeria to support and protect these brands.
Immigration: Naturally, immigrants gravitate towards destinations with good Liveability index. One of the key objectives of governments around the world is enhancement of living standards within their territories. The quantity and quality of people seeking to migrate into a country and the price they are willing to pay say a lot about the nation’s perception index.
Investment: Economic viability, transparency and the ease of doing business are key image indicators for any nation. A situation where global brands shut down their production line in Nigeria and re-invest in other climes within Africa is a dangerous trend for our image. When I hear government officials boast of investments flooding the country, I am bewildered at their claims. Most of these investments are “Hot Money” and we know that such investments are not quality investments; they take flight at the slightest downturn. We should aim at attracting and keeping big industries.
People: One of the greatest assets of any nation is its people. Even when all else fails, people can change the narrative. This is why it is crucial for nations to invest heavily on its citizenry, education being the most important sector.