RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Chile was for the first time the host of the pre-forum of the Ibero-American Council of Country Brands (CIMAP), held in parallel to the Chile Image 2022 Meeting, both organized by the Imagen de Chile Foundation. On occasion, CIMAP member countries reflected on the current scenario, digital positioning, and issues that unite Latin American countries. Here is the meeting analysis by the director of Marca País Esencial Costa Rica (“Country Brand Essential Costa Rica”), Daniel Valverde.
Just as each individual has a personality, countries also have a character and a seal. That is called “Country Brand“, and it is the image that we transmit to the whole world and with which we become attractive. “This should be seen and understood as much more than a logo; it is a promotion and positioning strategy that encompasses actions, activities, and public policies based on the central idea of a country,” explains Daniel Valverde, one of the guests at the Chile 2022 Image Meeting.
The meeting, held between March 1 and 4 in Santiago, brought together the member countries of the Ibero-American Country Brand Council to strengthen ties and define the themes of the next Ibero-American Forum.
“For Costa Rica, giving continuity to the Ibero-American Country Brand Council (CIMAP) has always been a crucial issue. That is why, despite the pandemic and to maintain the continuity of the Council, ‘Esencial Costa Rica’ requested the Presidency, achieving the continuity of the group and urging members to maintain an active participation,” says Valverde.
At the pre-forum, says the Costa Rican expert, important issues were resolved, such as the entry of six new members to the Council and the incorporation of Barcelona as a city brand. In addition, some topics of interest were defined, such as the importance of the use of campaigns and data to promote the country image; the relationship between country brands, sectoral brands, and territorial brands; the institutional framework, structure, and financing of the entities; and the evolution of the Argentina and Barcelona brands.
DEFINING WHO WE ARE
Daniel Valverde is a marketing strategist and has been building Costa Rica’s country brand for fourteen years. He says that the first efforts focused on a territorial branding strategy that lasted more than 16 years and that today they are working on strengthening it. “Nine years ago, we launched a strategy with a comprehensive approach that we named ‘Esencial Costa Rica’. It was established under the promise that Costa Rica offers the world added value and specialization in its products and services through its human talent”.
To reach the positioning that Costa Rica has today, the expert maintains that they had to work in four stages: construction supported by international and local studies (2008-2012), launch (2013 – 2014), citizen engagement (2015-2016), strategic reinforcement and international projection (2017). “In the case of ‘Esencial Costa Rica’, its construction is based on five values highly appreciated by our target audiences: Excellence, Sustainability, Innovation, Social Progress, and Costa Rican Bonding.”
Regarding the brand building of our country and the ‘Chile Creando Futuro’ (“Chile Creating Future”) strategy, the strategist says: “Chile represents one of the strongest country brands that make up CIMAP. As well exemplified during the last forum, the strategy ‘Chile Creando Futuro’ provides an important tool in promoting exports, foreign direct investment, and tourism, based on the culture and idiosyncrasy of the country, with a vision and purpose for the future. They established themselves nationally and internationally based on a central idea that comes from the country itself, its reputation and positioning”.
The constant redefinition of what a country wants to show outside its borders is one factor that matters when defining a Country Brand. So believes Valverde, who shares that “the pandemic made us return to our homes, value our essence more, and rethink how our country brands will continue to project their value in a world that has seen changes that hardly anyone would have imagined would happen”.
Fortunately, adds the expert, better times are on the horizon for Latin America, a region whose banner has always been resilience. However, for Valverde, there are some aspects that Latin American countries have to consider. “These are: that smaller territorial brands are becoming more relevant; the linkage and conciliation of the private and public sectors for the development of new territorial and sectorial brands; and the communication and conversation of the CIMAP member countries to transcend governments in favor of these strategic projects of territorial positioning whose results are evident in the long term”.
With information from La Tercera
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