“ARMENIA REWARDS THE BOLD”
March 2, 2015 15:27
The task force developing Armenia’s branding strategy has already
defined the main idea and has devised the overall concept of the
country’s branding and promises to introduce it this year.
Vasken Kalayjian, CEO of GK Brand developing Armenia’s competitive
branding strategy and program, wrote about it in his “Country Branding
Armenia: How National Character Becomes a Brand Icon” article.
We present passages from Vasken Kalayjian’s article:
Now that the Armenia Country Branding team has completed the discovery,
analytic and strategic phases of building a brand for Armenia, it
is working full speed ahead to put a face on it. This is where the
creative process takes center stage.
However daunting this may sound, our discovery phase has uncovered a
goldmine of compelling material to work with. The real challenge is
to identify which of Armenia’s many national attributes best resonate
with key stakeholders and primary audiences.
Another important factor is launching Armenia’s brand in a marketplace
that abounds with mature country brands that enjoy high recognition
and popular appeal–the likes of Great Britain, France, Brazil and
Spain, to name but a few.
Secondarily, regional competitors, such as Turkey, Georgia, Russia and
other post-soviet states are vying for the attentions of travelers
seeking new experiences and investors scouting for emerging growth
markets. Armenia needs to stand out by virtue of its unique assets
rather than leverage any similarities to its neighbors.
Defining the central idea
The first step in our creative exploratory is establishing the
central idea. This is the articulation of the primary behaviors,
principles and pragmatic approaches that keep a country brand on
course in realizing its vision.
In the case of Armenia, the central idea has several crosscurrents
running through it. At once, it inspires the mind and the heart,
yet it pursues success based on new knowledge. At the same time,
it preserves rich cultural traditions as it aspires to greatness as
a modern nation state.
The Country Brand team has translated each of these dimensions into
concrete proof points for Armenia. When it comes to inspiring the mind,
for example, Armenia’s complex history, ingenious architecture and
world domination in chess are crystalizing examples of the intellectual
legacy that drives Armenian innovation and invention.
As for speaking to the heart, Armenia’s early Christian roots
and emphasis on family life appeal to those seeking spiritual
fulfillment or, for Diaspora Armenians, the emotional tug of ancestry
and identity. In contrast, the pursuit of success is suggested by
Armenia’s growing entrepreneurial sector and the presence of global
companies seeking new markets in the region. And, surely, the emphasis
on new knowledge has sharpened Armenia’s competitive edge in high
tech, science and medicine. Yet tradition remains intricately woven
into the fabric of Armenian society–from holidays and weddings to
folk dances and mystical chants.
Ultimately, each component of the central idea helps inform national
strategies for raising Armenia’s potential for greatness in this
decade and beyond. This, in turn, helps drive the unifying concept
for the brand.
The unifying concept in action
The unifying concept works to motivate everyone up and down the
chain of society and ranks of government to keep strategies, efforts
and resources focused on the central idea. For Armenia, the Country
Branding team has put the unifying concept into one simple sentence:
Armenia rewards the bold. This is not a slogan or tagline. It serves
as the spirit behind the idea, thereby urging everyone to rally behind
and uphold Armenia’s national brand.
Armenia’s brand values
Brand values helps shape attitudes about what the country will do to
live up to its brand, how it will do it and who will serve as Armenia’s
“brand ambassadors”. The Country Branding team has identified four
brand values for Armenia.
1. Everything should inspire a conversation. That means that
communications should spark curiosity, engagement, and insert the
Armenian point of view across a variety of categories, from fashion,
music and science to economic development. The more relevant Armenia
can be to cultural trends of the time, the higher its profile in
traditional and social media, not to mention positive word of mouth.
2. Take short-term actions that lead to long-term value. This value
will build brand equity over the long term, as well as compound the
value of investment year over year and formalize responsible planning.
3. Fortune favors the bold. Linking back to the unifying concept,
this brand value speaks to Armenia’s points of difference and inspires
innovation, vision and originality.
4. Every relationship is an opportunity. This enshrines the brand
in a customer-centric philosophy. For economic growth, cultivating
long term partnerships with high potential for a steady return on
investment makes sense. For tourists, it means not just thinking
about the guest’s first visit, but the next one.
The big-idea: Armenia is an eternal source of inspiration
As mentioned earlier, Armenia has abundant material from which to build
a winning brand. But for those who come to know the Armenian story of
survival and transcendence invariably come away truly inspired. So it’s
no wonder that inspiration is intrinsic to Armenia’s brand positioning.
Armenia’s brand positioning statement
With the central idea, unifying concept, brand values and big idea in
place, the Country Branding Team is ready for the next critical step:
formulating the brand positioning statement–the master “narrative”
about Armenia, both in long and short form.
“Armenia is a symbol of tradition, innovation and perseverance. It’s a
place in which a vibrant cultural and spiritual heritage bridge past
and future. It’s a country that excels because the ability to adapt,
create and invent are part of the national character. And no matter
where on earth or at what point in time, the people thrive knowing
they will always be a part of an irrepressible, passionate nation.
Thus, the impression of Armenia is eternal.”
Condensing these thoughts down to what marketers call the “elevator
pitch” isn’t easy, but here is what the team was able to boil it
down to: “Armenia is eternal. Culture thrives everywhere. The people
are united by faith and a passion for prosperity. No matter where on
earth or at what point in time, the people thrive knowing they are
part of an irrepressible, passionate nation.”
Armenia as archetype
Another worthy exercise in the creative process is to reduce the
“narrative” to its most elemental and nonverbal form: a human
archetype. For example, Father, Mother, Sage, Hero, Eternal Youth
(Peter Pan) are all archetypical characters. For Armenia, the team
concluded that its primary archetype is the Creator. Its secondary
archetype is Explorer.
The rationales for these archetypes are powerful: the quintessential
Armenian driveto build (therefore create) and to learn (therefore
explore) has served the Armenian Nation well for millennia. There’s
no reason to stop now.
Armenia in the world context
Despite all the allure that Armenia holds for travelers and businesses,
making Armenia’s “face” stand out in a crowd of formidable competitors,
both regionally and internationally, is key to a successful launch
of a branded tourism and economic development campaign for Armenia.
To this end, our researchers have conducted a competitive audit of
branding and tourism campaigns for 80 countries. They concluded that
Armenia’s brand theme should be expressed as what marketers call a
“high-order” descriptor, meaning that it would express a feeling or
idea, rather than “physical assets”, such as Egypt has, with its
pyramids along the Nile. Nor should it focus on emotion, such as
lively Jamaica and colorful Spain, nor as a call to action, such as
the USA and France. Another descriptor that wouldn’t make sense for
Armenia is proximity, which is used by Belize and the Bahamas.
Later this year, the final execution of that brand in the form of
a logo and tagline will be unveiled in the media and launched in
marketplace for all to experience for themselves. Stay tuned.
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