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'Brand Armenia': Promoting Armenia's Image in the 21st Century
Tuesday, July 22nd, 2014
http://asbarez.com/125212/%E2%80%98brand-armenia%E2%80%99-promoting-armenia%E2%80%99s-image-in-the-21st-century/
A view of Khor Virap monastery with Mt. Ararat in the background
BY VASKEN KALAYJIAN
The Republic of Armenia, and by extension its worldwide diaspora, is
at an exciting crossroad between the past and future. What road it
will take in the coming critical years depends largely on Armenia's
ability grow its economy. Tourism and foreign investment are important
factors in reaching this key goal.
Unlike other nations pursuing similar objectives, Armenia has been
late to the party in terms of actively marketing its brand assets in
today's competitive global economy. But thanks to a groundbreaking
initiative, recently launched by the Armenian government, this is
about to change.
The Armenian National Competitiveness Foundation, working in close
cooperation with the Embassy of the United States in Armenia, has been
tasked by Armenia's government to market Armenia and its people under
the assignment's banner "Brand Armenia."
Brand Armenia is a project driven by original research that explores
the ways and means to properly showcase Armenia and its people on the
world stage.
It begins with asking a range of stakeholders and knowledgeable
observers some fundamental questions like: What unites Armenians
worldwide as a people? How do Armenians see themselves as a unique
identity relative to other nations? What are Armenia's greatest
strengths and weaknesses? And most important, how would the "ideal"
Armenia be defined in next 20 years?
Armenia is a Case Study in Contradictions and Complexities
Trying to brand a place like Armenia is both challenging and
inspiring. Ideally, a country's essence, assets and allure should be
summed up in few words and images. Yet Armenia's image is difficult to
wrap a cohesive strategy around for multiple reasons.
First, Armenia represents a history steeped in Christianity, yet it is
undeniably influenced by the Ottoman and Soviet empires under which
historical Armenia was subjugated until recently.
Today's Armenia is known to lack natural commodities for export and
trade, yet it is very rich in human brainpower. It's an ancient
civilization, yet a relatively young and newly independent state. It
boasts a mountainous climate with breathtaking vistas, yet it's
landlocked and surrounded by historical enemies, thereby creating
barriers to trade and commerce.
Most of all, although Armenia's population is extremely homogenous,
its national identity is fragmented into hybrid identities resulting
from its worldwide diaspora--French-Armenians, American-Armenians,
Latin-American Armenians, Middle Eastern-Armenians,
Australian-Armenians and Russian-Armenians. Each lays claim to Armenia
as its ancestral homeland, so depending on who's looking, Armenia is a
mirror upon which to reflect a kaleidoscope of traits rather than as a
window into the quintessential Armenian soul.
Brand Armenia is all about changing this outworn narrative, so that
today's Armenia can project itself as a modern, progressive nation
with key cultural, social and business-friendly attributes that appeal
to tourists and investors alike.
The Principles and Processes of Country Branding
People unfamiliar with the nuances of marketing may see branding as
simply the presentation of a logo or design that can be instantly
associated with a product or service. Clear examples of this are the
Nike swoosh and the unmistakable penmanship of Coca-Cola's signature,
which has been used by the company since its inception. Also, few
realize the psychological and emotional elements employed to construct
a solid, loyal customer base that an effective brand campaign can
generate.
GK Tribe Global country branding specialists are able to tap into
individual and collective archetypes, emotions and values when
branding products and companies. The same applies to place and country
branding--forming a connection based on values and ideals.
As the CEO and Brand Architect of GK Tribe Global, the New York-based
branding firm contracted to lead the Brand Armenia initiative in
partnership with other Tribe Global office in Canada, Cundari Group.
"I believe that a strong country brand enhances a nation's cultural
and political influence. And a country's reputation is based on
intangible assets built on actions and achievements that are highly
tangible."
Places are some of the most interesting things to brand. The
initiative is often labeled "place branding," "geo-branding" and
"destination branding." The most important activity in this process is
identifying the most powerful strategy and unique positioning for the
place--the "brand position."
Establishing a signature visual and raising awareness of the brand are
the next most important phases. Both involve conducting proper,
relevant research with the various key stakeholders. Those audiences
can include residents, businesses, tourists and visitors, meeting and
event planners (including convention planners and major sporting event
organizers), travelers and corporate commercial traffic.
It means surveying and interviewing people across the spectrum of
society, from the heads of state to all levels of community, villages,
various regions, artists and doctors, teachers and business leaders,
religious leaders, political parties, the media, various diasporans
around the world and non-Armenians in 36 different countries.
Each of these audiences has its own distinct issues and needs, and
specialized place-based organizations market to meet such needs, such
as visitor and convention bureaus, economic development councils and
business improvement districts. The stakeholder groups multiply into a
large mix of potentially competing points of view. This may include
mayoral offices, county, provincial, state and regional entity
executives and business, cultural institutions and sports team
leaders.
A carefully orchestrated branding project seeks to gain a consensus
across divergent stakeholder groups. That is another reason why a
place-branding effort often takes much longer than does a product or
corporate branding effort.
Some attributes that are important target audiences for place-branding
can include good job opportunities, low crime, good medical care,
affordable housing, scenic beauty, friendly people, tours to unique
local sights and activities, abundant cultural opportunities, low cost
of living, good restaurants and an environment for future growth and
market competition.
Does Armenia possess enough of these qualities to gain stature on the
world stage? Brand Armenia is ready to find out. Here's how we will
work to connect the dots in developing a cohesive and compelling brand
image for Armenia and its people.
* Employ a consensus building process.
* Assess Armenia's strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats
based on in-depth market research.
* Select the most important assets around which a unique value
proposition and marketing campaign will be built--one that appeals to
residents, businesses and tourists alike.
* Tailor messages for each group.
* Create a tagline and master image that not only looks and sounds
appealing, but also powerfully communicates Armenia's unique value
proposition at a glance.
Brand Armenia will present its brand strategy by the end of this year
with the intention of launching the new brand in 2015. Stay tuned for
updates of each leg of this exciting journey.
Tuesday, July 22nd, 2014
http://asbarez.com/125212/%E2%80%98brand-armenia%E2%80%99-promoting-armenia%E2%80%99s-image-in-the-21st-century/
A view of Khor Virap monastery with Mt. Ararat in the background
BY VASKEN KALAYJIAN
The Republic of Armenia, and by extension its worldwide diaspora, is
at an exciting crossroad between the past and future. What road it
will take in the coming critical years depends largely on Armenia's
ability grow its economy. Tourism and foreign investment are important
factors in reaching this key goal.
Unlike other nations pursuing similar objectives, Armenia has been
late to the party in terms of actively marketing its brand assets in
today's competitive global economy. But thanks to a groundbreaking
initiative, recently launched by the Armenian government, this is
about to change.
The Armenian National Competitiveness Foundation, working in close
cooperation with the Embassy of the United States in Armenia, has been
tasked by Armenia's government to market Armenia and its people under
the assignment's banner "Brand Armenia."
Brand Armenia is a project driven by original research that explores
the ways and means to properly showcase Armenia and its people on the
world stage.
It begins with asking a range of stakeholders and knowledgeable
observers some fundamental questions like: What unites Armenians
worldwide as a people? How do Armenians see themselves as a unique
identity relative to other nations? What are Armenia's greatest
strengths and weaknesses? And most important, how would the "ideal"
Armenia be defined in next 20 years?
Armenia is a Case Study in Contradictions and Complexities
Trying to brand a place like Armenia is both challenging and
inspiring. Ideally, a country's essence, assets and allure should be
summed up in few words and images. Yet Armenia's image is difficult to
wrap a cohesive strategy around for multiple reasons.
First, Armenia represents a history steeped in Christianity, yet it is
undeniably influenced by the Ottoman and Soviet empires under which
historical Armenia was subjugated until recently.
Today's Armenia is known to lack natural commodities for export and
trade, yet it is very rich in human brainpower. It's an ancient
civilization, yet a relatively young and newly independent state. It
boasts a mountainous climate with breathtaking vistas, yet it's
landlocked and surrounded by historical enemies, thereby creating
barriers to trade and commerce.
Most of all, although Armenia's population is extremely homogenous,
its national identity is fragmented into hybrid identities resulting
from its worldwide diaspora--French-Armenians, American-Armenians,
Latin-American Armenians, Middle Eastern-Armenians,
Australian-Armenians and Russian-Armenians. Each lays claim to Armenia
as its ancestral homeland, so depending on who's looking, Armenia is a
mirror upon which to reflect a kaleidoscope of traits rather than as a
window into the quintessential Armenian soul.
Brand Armenia is all about changing this outworn narrative, so that
today's Armenia can project itself as a modern, progressive nation
with key cultural, social and business-friendly attributes that appeal
to tourists and investors alike.
The Principles and Processes of Country Branding
People unfamiliar with the nuances of marketing may see branding as
simply the presentation of a logo or design that can be instantly
associated with a product or service. Clear examples of this are the
Nike swoosh and the unmistakable penmanship of Coca-Cola's signature,
which has been used by the company since its inception. Also, few
realize the psychological and emotional elements employed to construct
a solid, loyal customer base that an effective brand campaign can
generate.
GK Tribe Global country branding specialists are able to tap into
individual and collective archetypes, emotions and values when
branding products and companies. The same applies to place and country
branding--forming a connection based on values and ideals.
As the CEO and Brand Architect of GK Tribe Global, the New York-based
branding firm contracted to lead the Brand Armenia initiative in
partnership with other Tribe Global office in Canada, Cundari Group.
"I believe that a strong country brand enhances a nation's cultural
and political influence. And a country's reputation is based on
intangible assets built on actions and achievements that are highly
tangible."
Places are some of the most interesting things to brand. The
initiative is often labeled "place branding," "geo-branding" and
"destination branding." The most important activity in this process is
identifying the most powerful strategy and unique positioning for the
place--the "brand position."
Establishing a signature visual and raising awareness of the brand are
the next most important phases. Both involve conducting proper,
relevant research with the various key stakeholders. Those audiences
can include residents, businesses, tourists and visitors, meeting and
event planners (including convention planners and major sporting event
organizers), travelers and corporate commercial traffic.
It means surveying and interviewing people across the spectrum of
society, from the heads of state to all levels of community, villages,
various regions, artists and doctors, teachers and business leaders,
religious leaders, political parties, the media, various diasporans
around the world and non-Armenians in 36 different countries.
Each of these audiences has its own distinct issues and needs, and
specialized place-based organizations market to meet such needs, such
as visitor and convention bureaus, economic development councils and
business improvement districts. The stakeholder groups multiply into a
large mix of potentially competing points of view. This may include
mayoral offices, county, provincial, state and regional entity
executives and business, cultural institutions and sports team
leaders.
A carefully orchestrated branding project seeks to gain a consensus
across divergent stakeholder groups. That is another reason why a
place-branding effort often takes much longer than does a product or
corporate branding effort.
Some attributes that are important target audiences for place-branding
can include good job opportunities, low crime, good medical care,
affordable housing, scenic beauty, friendly people, tours to unique
local sights and activities, abundant cultural opportunities, low cost
of living, good restaurants and an environment for future growth and
market competition.
Does Armenia possess enough of these qualities to gain stature on the
world stage? Brand Armenia is ready to find out. Here's how we will
work to connect the dots in developing a cohesive and compelling brand
image for Armenia and its people.
* Employ a consensus building process.
* Assess Armenia's strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats
based on in-depth market research.
* Select the most important assets around which a unique value
proposition and marketing campaign will be built--one that appeals to
residents, businesses and tourists alike.
* Tailor messages for each group.
* Create a tagline and master image that not only looks and sounds
appealing, but also powerfully communicates Armenia's unique value
proposition at a glance.
Brand Armenia will present its brand strategy by the end of this year
with the intention of launching the new brand in 2015. Stay tuned for
updates of each leg of this exciting journey.