Нов български университет

Боряна Гошева, докторант, департамент „Масови комуникации“, НБУ

"В свят на постоянно нарастващата конкуренция, ролята на добрата бранд репутация става все по-решаваща. Неоспорим е фактът, че един силен национален бранд може да донесе милиарди в държавния бюджет, особено в днешния хипер-конкурентен свят. Всяка една страна трябва активно да управлява своя национален бранд, за да има той стойност. Тазгодишният победител в класацията Country Brand Index за първи път e Япония, налагайки нови критерии за „стойност“ и „сила“ на националния бранд. Ето защо, днес повече от всякога, от решаващо значение за всеки национален бранд е да намери най-подходящите за него бранд адвокати. A kой е по-активен, „сподялящ“ и „бранд-фокусиран“ от младите хора, или т.н. „поколението на ховото хилядолетие“?

#Националнбрандинг, бранд адвокати, младеж, млади хора, поколение на ховото хилядолетие, споделяне

 

“In a world of ever increasing competition brand reputation has become a crucial differentiator. There is no doubt that strong country branding can add billions to national wealth in a hyper competitive world. All countries should be actively managing their nation brands to gain value. Japan tops this year’s ranking for the first time, setting a new benchmark for country brand strength. That’s why, now more ever it’s crucial for each brand nation to find his best brand advocates. Who is more active, sharing and highly brand-focused than the young people, or the millennials and Gen Z generations?

#Brandnation, brand advocates, youth, young people, millennials, sharing

The fact is that the fate of nations doesn't only depend on their relationships with the governments of other nations: it depends more than ever before on their relationships with international publics. Being admired by ordinary people in other countries makes a world of difference to a country, city or region, just as it does for companies and their products. That’s why the expressions which Simon Anholt [1] first coined more than ten years ago – „nation brand“, „city brand“ and „place brand“ – are heard so often. But the similarities end there. Places can’t construct or manipulate their images only with advertising or PR, slogans or logos – and although some governments spend large amounts of money trying to do just that, there is absolutely no proof that it works. As Simon Anholt often says: “The only remaining superpower is public opinion - and we are all, in one way or another, talking about effective diplomacy with that superpower.” [2]

The only sure way places can change their images is by changing the way they behave: they need to focus on the things they make and do, not the things they say. Each country can and should earn a better and stronger reputation in the following ways:

·     through courageous and enlightened social, economic, environmental and foreign     policies;

·     through the dynamic development of tourism, foreign investment and exports;

·     through carefully chosen international cultural, sporting and political events;

·     through improved cultural and academic relations with other countries;

·     through a strategic commitment to international development and poverty reduction;

·     through productive engagement with multilateral institutions, regional organisations and with NGOs at home and abroad;

·     through effective coordination between government, industry and civil society;

·     through enhanced public and private diplomacy overseas;

·     through a visionary long-term approach to innovation, investment and education.

Countries can usefully be understood as the sum of their identity and reputation. And, just like brands, strength or weakness of perception of a country can influence people’s decisions to choose them as places to visit, live or invest in. This was assumed to provide a competitive advantage in a global market for tourism, education and investment, and built evidence for proactive country brand management.

This is not least because strong brands associated with a country make a significant contribution to perceptions of it, but also because people actively prefer products and services when they are from specific countries. Which means every time they buy a car, eat a type of food or wear a clothing brand, they can be consciously consuming an aspect of the country that made them.

Countries that do not benefit from these “Made In” associations are at a measurable disadvantage to their peers. Not just that, but we should pay attention at the relationship between perception strength and behaviour when it comes to country brand measurement. In other words, strong perceptions lead to decisions to visit, recommend and do business with a country.

But who’s the winner of the Country brand Index [3] 2014-2015? Japan tops the ranking for the first time, setting a new benchmark for country brand strength. It enjoys a top five ranking in the Heritage & Culture and Tourism dimensions and leads perception strength in Business Potential and the newly created “Made In” dimension. More than 65% of the respondents would consider visiting the country in the next five years and 90% would recommend it to family and friends. Nearly nine out of ten of those asked think Japan is a good country to do business with and 63% are prepared to buy its products and services compared to the “countries” average - 20%. While Japan has always enjoyed strong perceptions in the minds of international travellers, these results secure its place as the strongest “country brand”. It is joined by other strong Asian country brands in the top 20 including South Korea and Singapore, each of which show perception strength in the Business Potential dimension, but are given particular credit against the “advanced technology” attribute.

Otherwise, the top twenty is dominated by European country brands, led by Switzerland and Germany but supported, as in previous years, by Scandinavia. It’s interesting to see that the addition of the “Made In” dimension has bolstered the relative performance of countries like Japan within the top 20 and introduced new middle eastern leaders like UAE, but the members of that group remain fairly stable year on year even if rank positions change slightly.

So, if the brand nation is so important, which will be our most precious target, or who will be our brand advocates? The most talked about brands are those that create a special connection with their customers and promote brand advocacy. The best advocacy programs enable customers to hold the image of a brand in their own hands. They empower company’s or country’s fans, turning a one-way marketing channel into multiple promotional conversations. And still who would be our best brand advocates? Who is more active, sharing and highly brand-focused than the young people, or the millennials [4] and Gen Z generations [5].

Yes, young people are the age group most plugged in to brands. Also, we can say that rebellion and revolution have given way to maker culture [6]. Digital strategic arsenals help them to navigate the social waters, because every brand can - and should be a tech brand.

Their strength is in their “sharing”. Sharing is their new having. 68% /age 16-34/ claim that “We would have a better society if people shared more and owned less”. [7] Or, 51% /age 16-34/ claim that “I prefer to share things rather than own them”. [8] So we cannot expect them to consume as much as their parents. The result of that is more equal balance of power. Yes, the brands paid en essential role in their life, but it’s also true that they have the power to help a brand succeed or fail. So it’s time for brand nations to redefine their relationship with young people. Yesterday, brands connected with youth by playing up the generation gap. But there is a new reality. What used to be considered “youth” values are now mainstream societal values, like freedom, friendship, creativity, party, seduction, etc. The result is that “brands” standing for youth values can now appeal to anyone. Talking to young people is no longer about values, it’s about engagement and utility. Because what sets the youth apart today is less what they think and more the tools they use. That refers more than ever for brand nations. To be successful, brand nations should stay plugged in to the young’s people ways of life and preferred communication channels.

Being constantly looked and judged in the new social sphere put enormous pressure on youth. And so social network become a strategic arsenal. Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Ask.fm, Twitter, Whatsapp, Vine, Secret and new one all the time…

How should brand nations take part in this social universe? Every country should find smart way to help young people navigate their daily lives, while also standing out among their peers.

The good news is that today we see brand nations that already have an “in”. And not just Japan is among them. And they are valued as sources of shareable content. Every country should give them unique experiences and they will share, every country should give them plenty of opportunities to connect and to tag and they will share.

Brand nations should use young people’s tools. Smartphones are among their first tools. And the tech brands follow them anywhere. No matter you share your opinion for a restaurant on Foursquare, or write a review on TripAdvisor, helping someone to plan and book his own perfect trip, you are acting like a brand advocate for this place, region, country. We can say that tech brand nations reinvent their social bonds, symbolize the future and embody innovation. Put his all together, what do we get. Young people most beloved brand nations.

We shouldn’t forget that young people are driving the sharing economy, the sharing tourism. Have you ever heard about Airbnb? You should have to. Young people expect to belong to a number of sharing services – home exchange, university exchange, travel exchange, etc. There are a few aspect of New Consumerism, which appeal most to youth, that brand nations must respect. The first one is saving money. Young people are smart buyers and builders of circular economy. Not to mention Ebay, Homeexchange, etc. Airbnb, Couchsurfing, VRBO have turned inexpensive alternatives to traditional hotels into something “cool”, not cheap.

The second one and I think the more important is meeting people and accumulating experiences. Because “sharing” brings unexpected moments. That’s really convenient for brand nations, that experience is more valuable that possession. 47% /age 16-34/ share that they would rather spend money on an experience /travel, concert, etc./, than on a product /clothes, game, etc./

What did London about it? City of London /London municipality/ together with Red Bull have become a specialist in organizing sensational events, from extreme sports to music. In 2013, they organized an exclusive night of parties entitled “Red Bull revolutions in sound” within the 30 cabins of the London eye.

There are plenty of examples. Again The City of London together with House of Vans London, organized an underground skate park /and event destination/ under Waterloo Station. The site used to host free house parties, featuring live music, art and film screenings.

So, what can I share like closing thoughts? It’s no longer sufficient for a brand, even a brand nation to provide products and services to young people. Brand nations must be partners in building lifestyles and developing personas. It’s not about telling youth who/what to be, but about helping them to be a better version of their authentic selves.

The most vital brands will infuse themselves throughout daily life - by contributing to the

social experience online, by interacting through technology in helpful and imaginative ways. The goal is no longer to be a brand nation for everyone, but to be a brand nation for each one.