15th November 2004
Friday, July 30th, 2010
No logo land
With the world's biggest showcase on national talent, Expo 2005, just five months away Poland still has no clear image or identity. Economists warn that projecting a poor profile could cost millions of z³oty in lost trade as business and tourists stay away. Will this cuddly bison help warm hearts at the international event or is re-branding Poland too big a job?
| Baby bison-but will he warm hearts in Japan? |
The countdown to Expo 2005 is well underway as the world's leading nations prepare to showcase their national talents in Aichi, Japan next March. Hundreds of exhibits will bombard national leaders, decision makers and VIPs with clear, focused messages as they tour the prestigious event.
There are fears, however, that Poland will miss a golden opportunity to present itself in the best possible light.
Pictures of peasantry
The Polish Tourism Organization (PTO) gives a startling insight into how many foreigners perceive Poland. "Foreigners think telephones are hardly accessible in this country," says PTO's director Jerzy Walasek. His agency on occasion has to convince travelers that ATMs exist and are operational here. "As a result of those stereotypes the well developed hotel and retail market in Warsaw is a shock to newcomers," adds Walasek.
The battle of the brand doesn't stop there. A survey by the Polish Institute of Public Affairs reveals that the French regard Poles as underdeveloped alcohol abusers, while Germans have coined the phrase "polonische wirtschaft" (polish economy), which is commonly used to describe chaos and lawlessness in business. The renowned branding specialist Wally Olins conducted an admittedly unrepresentative poll of tourism officials in Scotland. Olins found the managers-who might reasonably be expected to be well-informed-estimated Poland's population at between four to 10 million (30 million short).
Clearly the image falls very wide of the mark, and although it might be considered comic there is a financial price to pay for the country's lack of coherent image. Poland's exhibit at Expo 2005 is being prepared by the Polish Chamber of Commerce. The organization's Commissioner for Expo 2005 Marek K³oczko summarizes the difficulties he faces: "There is no uniform message, the image is diffused. The Japanese don't recognize Poland and Polish firms barely exist in Japan."
K³oczko says without a strong brand Poland will not attract investments or tourists, and that's bad news for entrepreneurs.
"In the modern world no product can achieve good prices if it originates from a country that is not well associated," says K³oczko.
There have been a number of initiatives aimed at addressing this deficiency. But the variety of previous projects and budget restrictions have meant that no uniform design has been adopted.
Battle of the brand
DBB Corporate Profiles and Brand Nature Access (BNA) created the "Polska" logo, however, it has not been widely adopted. BAN's creative director Wojciech Mirowski says that with no administrative act obliging institutions to carry the brand, its appearance at events, on websites or in publications depended on good will.
But there is some good news. Examples set by European competitors prove that righting a wronged image is possible-even though it takes time.
Ireland fought for 20
years against its image as a backward, peasant-ridden and Orthodox Catholic
country. Director of the Academy of Brands Office, Jacek Prze¶lakowski, says: "Convincing the world that Spain is much more than sea and beaches took Spaniards about 15 years," warning that nation branding will take Polish authorities no less time.
Wally Olins, who is well known for his successful cooperation with Spanish and Portuguese governments, wrote in Harvard Business Review Polska: "In order for your brands to succeed, the image of country must be changed."
Even if the direction of a branding project is clear, in Poland's case there is a considerable barrier of red tape to wade through. From a legal point of view the duty of national marketing lies within the responsibility of the Minister of Foreign Affairs W³odzimierz Cimoszewicz, who has ceded his charge to the Department of Promotion, which deals with at least a dozen different commercial and state entities on the matter. Due to this complicated structure, decision-making is often time-consuming and hardly ever final. "Even private companies have difficulty in assigning one brand manager. Imagine how hard it is in a state," explains Mirowski.
Polishing Poland
These structural problems are compounded by lack of finances. "A mid-sized country like Poland requires around $30 million annually. We have in total z³.15 million [$4.5 million]," says Walasek from Polish Tourist Organization. He says other CEE countries, such as Hungary and Czech Republic, can afford to launch expensive billboard campaigns, so why can't Poland?
The Polish Chamber of Commerce's K³oczko blames the tight state budget: "National marketing always looses during budget debate." He says at the moment politicians do not see a proper brand as a must-have. K³oczko's ambition is to bring about a re-think on investment in Poland's image. He was encouraged by the response he received when working with private sponsors to make up for the shortfall from the government in the Expo 2005 project.
The reality is, as a product, Poland is a very welcoming, beautiful and exciting place to do business. And, as Wally Olins makes clear, all that is required is realigning the existing image of Poland with reality.
From Warsaw Business Journal by B³a¿ej Karwowski
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