Everyone and everything is a brand, part of many brands including the main brand which is the national brand.
As Zimbabweans we must recognize and comprehend that for us to better ourselves in preparation of the promise of a better country. There is no such greater joy than having a nation filled with people that are aware that they are part and parcel of contributing to the country’s development. You do not need to be a politician, or to chant a party slogan, to be a big business firm to contribute to the branding of the country.
From Greek mythology to French panache and Russian roulette, from German engineering and Japanese technology to British rock and Brazilian soccer, and from Brussels lace to Hollywood movies, references to countries and places are everywhere around us in our daily life, social interaction and work. These are all sub brands (sectors) of different countries that we all have all subscribed to one way or the other because they are not mediocre but are the best.
Every sector in Zimbabwe is a pot of tasty exclusive, rare and authentic ingredients waiting for us to cook and serve the world, leaving each consumer nourished and fully satisfied. But over the years we just haven’t noticed what else to do to boost every economic sector, not just pumping in resources to increase capacity, but to enhance, quality, global reach and introduce new innovations. As I once said that the world is one huge supermarket and even if a country puts terrible products on the market, there will always be a buyer but then again a huge steep compromise on the branding of the country. Whatever we have been selling from tourism, investment, exports, culture etc, let’s start to brand it better and systematically, remaking it for a better brand promise when we deploy it on the market.
The Sectors in the socioeconomic structure of Zimbabwe are basically what I call Sub Brands and they require attention in terms of Brand Making, Branding Promotion and Brand Management. 12 of the many Examples of Sub Brands (sectors) are
- Tourism
- Trade
- Culture
- Infrastructure
- Business / Investment
- Manufacturing
- Entertainment
- Food
- Human Capital / Talent
- Customer Service
- Higher Learning – Education
- Governance / Political
Looking at the above, we have a lot of wonders to do in creating the best brands ever for our own benefit… As it stands we have become reluctant as almost the majority of products and services in the country are no longer about quality and excellence but just presence , at times in short supply, most of the times malfunction and always substandard.
My solution is , lets brand our country focusing on sectors ( Sub Brands ) and each sector following a branding manual , which will lead it into competitive advantages on the world market . Branding is clearly a path of fulfilling a brand promise in exchange for revenue, and I believe that if we upgrade that we can become known for many things that will put on the world market as Giant
Tare Munzara is a Country Branding Expert and the CEO for Destination Marketing International. For Feedback please do contact Email on ceo@destinationmarketinginternational.co.zw or taremunzara@citybrandingummit.co.zw Phone: 0774 817 440
