Nation Branding As A Model Of Managing The National Image

Nation Branding as a Model of Managing the National Image 8/28/2009 8:10:04 PM

Nation Branding as a Model of Managing the National Image By: Rommey Hassman Excerpt from Brand Israel Research Paper School of Government & Policy, Tel Aviv University 8/28/2009 10:01:18 PM What is branding Branding is a management tool, which businesses use to manage their network of connections in the internal and external organizational environments. It would be erroneous to state that branding begins and ends with a name, a logo, a slogan or TV commercials. Rather, it is a complex, structured process that not only manipulates the characteristics of a business’s image, but also is essential to its process of strategic planning. To illustrate: when a large corporate entity is sold among investors, it is priced not only based on its actual assets, but also based on its brand value. An outstanding example of this is the 2005 sale of Gillette to Proctor and Gamble for the sum of $57 billion. Why brand a nation The theory of branding is no longer the sole province of inventors and marketers of consumer goods and services. Branding theory has been inculcated into the world of sports (e.g., the NBA, Michael Jordan, David Beckham); cinema (“The Matrix” and “The Lord of the Rings” film series, Tom Cruise); literature (the “Harry Potter” books); music (Madonna, Britney Spears); politics (Bill Clinton, Tony Blair); and social action (Greenpeace, the struggle to save the planet’s environment). No field has not been penetrated by branding. In recent years, the idea of branding has also filtered into the management of nations. For example, the US is very concerned about its image in the Muslim world – especially how a problematic image might be impeding the US government’s global war on terror. Many other countries, as well, are beginning to think seriously about this issue. Is branding Israel the right thing to do Many will claim that the State of Israel cannot be managed as a brand – chiefly those on the radical left. They will say that Israel’s image will not change until it engages in an appropriate political process involving concessions. In contrast, those on the radical right may say: “What do we care what the goyim (non-Jews) think? – we must keep faith with our heritage”. Yet even a storm-tossed ship needs someone to man the helm and prevent shipwreck. Even in time of media crisis, even when there is protracted political conflict, optimal management can ameliorate outcomes. A well-managed crisis does not make headlines.

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Nation Branding as a Model of Managing the National Image 8/28/2009 8:10:04 PM

What can we learn from nation branding According to researchers, support and preference for a nation brand can be measured by six parameters: (1) a country’s attractiveness as a tourist destination; (2) the perceived quality of its industrial exports; (3) the image of its government and administration; (4) its ability to attract investments and immigrants; (5) its culture and heritage; and (6) the overseas image of its inhabitants. What can we assume about the Israel brand Israel has never been considered an attractive tourist destination. Even in the 1990s, a time of record tourist entries, fewer tourists than expected came from the country’s natural market share of global tourism. Israel was unsuccessful in competing against neighboring countries like Greece, Turkey, Egypt and Tunisia. There was nothing unique about Israel’s tourist brand, despite the country’s wealth of natural assets: the Dead Sea, the Mediterranean shore, archaeological and historic sites. To illustrate, over the years, Eilat has learned to market itself abroad as if it were unrelated to Israel. Israel’s hotels have always been too expensive. Taxi drivers are rude to foreigners. Tight border controls and painstaking, comprehensive security checks are a deterrent. When people hear “Israel”, they think of Jerusalem and its golden Dome of the Rock. Ironically, of course, the Mosque of Omar is not part of Israel’s heritage. Once upon a time, Jaffa oranges were Israel’s prime agricultural export; today, young people abroad may never have heard of them. Foreigners know little about Israeli industry, although the country’s hi-tech sector has emitted a few sparks of brilliance. However, many hi-tech companies have wisely dissociated themselves from Israel’s problematic image, as witnessed by their names – which are not in Hebrew. Some of those that are about to be traded on NASDAQ have even relocated beyond Israel’s borders. Israel’s government administration receives an ever-increasing number of bad headlines. Clearly, the Palestinians and the Arab states have succeeded in equating Zionism with racism, showing the Israeli tank looming over the Palestinian child, describing the IDF as an occupying army and, most recently, portraying Israel as an apartheid state. These depictions have penetrated the world’s consciousness. Even being the only democracy in the Middle East no longer stands to Israel’s credit. The assets ascribed to Israel at its establishment seem to have vanished. Disengagement from the Gaza Strip aroused the expectation that Israel’s international image would improve. However, as marketing research has shown, negative messages are far more potent than positive ones.

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Nation Branding as a Model of Managing the National Image 8/28/2009 8:10:04 PM

Israel does not easily attract foreign investments, because international experts assume that a country at the mercy of terrorist attacks and security problems is not a good bet for investors seeking a safe haven for their money. Moreover, especially in the hi-tech sector, Israel faces tough competition for investments from India, whose highly professional engineers can be paid comparatively low salaries. Furthermore, no real effort has been made to promote Israeli cinema, theater, literature, music, dance or art. Israel’s sports successes have been limited. Neither has it broken any boundaries in culinary arts or fashion. As for Israel’s residents, the sabra’s image as being “prickly on the outside and soft on the inside” is not much help. Moreover, it is usually the “ugly Israeli” who is encountered abroad. Lastly, the image of the Israeli soldier – applicable to almost everyone, given Israel’s citizens’ army – is hardly pristine.

Download Research Paper: http://www.pdfcoke.com/doc/11314593/BRAND-ISRAEL-Research-Paper-English Website: www.mindspace.co.il Contact: [email protected]

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