“A Colombian person can be described as someone who thinks like a European, speaks like an indigenous and dances like a black person”
William Ospina
“Nation brand” as a marketing term was coined in 1996 by Simon Anholt, a British policy adviser. Since then the term, and the marketing theories behind it, has become part of the lexicon of government officials looking to change the images of their nations. The annual report edited by Anholt, Anholt Nation Brand Index, has become an important measure of a county’s international image. There are six elements that are taken into account: Export, Governance, Culture and Heritage, People, Tourism, Investment and Immigration. Colombia is not rated in the Index, unlike other like Latin American countries such as Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Cuba, Ecuador, Mexico, and Peru. Nevertheless, Colombia has been extremely active in promoting the “Colombian brand”.
In 1996 the government of then President Ernesto Samper contacted a prestigious marketing consultant, David Lightle, in order to improve the image of the country. Given the realities at the time that included a president accused of receiving money from drug cartels and the bloody violence from paramilitaries and the guerrilla, Lightle turned down the offer. When he was contacted again in 2004, the country had showed considerable improvement in important areas such as security. Since then the government has been committed at promoting the Colombian brand in the hope of changing the deserved image of violence, drugs, kidnappings, poverty, displacement, and corruption.
“Colombian is passion” is the slogan that the Colombian government at the helm of pro-export chose to brand the nation. The aim was to bring the continued negative perception about the country closer to reality, at least the reality that the government thought they had achieved. The actions taken to promote the “brand” have been unprecedented: from licensing the “Colombia is passion” keys chains to over 250 companies to flooding Washington’s and New York’s downtowns with fiberglass heart sculptures. The heart exhibition, according to the General Manager of the branding program, María Claudia Lacouture, received over 750,000 visitors in both cities.
These marketing efforts, however, have not gone without criticisms. Critics argue that the slogan, “Colombia is passion” is not representative enough, and that the marketing strategy is an oversimplification of the Colombian realities that only does a disservice to the country. Two of Colombian Reports’ columnists have ascribed to both views in previous articles. Felipe Estefan questioning the slogan wrote that, “if Colombians are, amongst other things passionate, couldn’t that also be a legitimate label for many other peoples, especially in Latin America?” While Pablo Rojas Mejia referring to the hearts in Washington D.C. argued that, “the current strategy of blinding policymakers with glowing hearts does little to alleviate their already crippling ignorance with regards to Colombia”.
These two views are strengthened when a more fundamental weakness in the marketing campaign is introduced. The best expositor of this weakness is Anholt himself who said that “Places can only change their images by changing the way they behave.”
The government’s marketing slogan is primarily focused on foreigners, thus leaving the Colombian people somewhat clueless to the campaign and thus losing some credibility. Moreover, in light of Felipe’s criticism is important to understand whether Colombians are really passionate, or more passionate than other cultures. Some cynics, for instance, may claim that Colombians can be passionate at massacring their compatriots. In terms of Pablo’s criticism, one needs to wonder whether Colombia is really ready to embark in this kind of branding expeditions given that many the problems that people feared in the late 1990’s have not ended, and in fact have been exacerbated.
To be fair, the creators of the slogan “Colombia is Passion” may have devised the slogan, with the help of the marketing company, to covey that Colombians are friendly, helpful, cheerful, and hard-working people. This may very well be what a tourist, a foreigner or a Colombian living in certain places of the country experiences. But this kind of passion is not what the millions of other Colombians have received. For instance, what is the kind of passion that 4.6 million internally displaced (mostly farmers), the 1,4 million indigenous, the inhabitants of the Choco region living in Sub-Saharan Africa-like conditions, the thousands killed and kidnapped by the FARC, the 24,000 thousand killed by the paramilitaries and the innocent civilians systematically killed by governments forces have received?
Although Colombia’s asset is on its people, there needs to be substantial improvement in the social relationship and standards of living of certain sectors of society before attempting to brand the country and its people. This is where Colombian poet and novelist William Ospina’s phrase is enlightening. He mentioned that Colombians think like Europeans. But more than thinking, Colombians attempt to act like Europeans/North Americans and believe that that means liking everything that is categorized as European/North American. And likewise, it means despising everything that is different to that artificial standard – paradoxically, Europeans/North Americans appreciate even more what Colombia has to offer than Colombians themselves.
But more importantly, Ospina reminds us that Colombia is a different Colombia to each and every ethnic group - let alone socio-economic status - that inhabits the land. The future of a person born into a “white” family is not the same as the fate of a person born into an indigenous or black family. In Colombia it is still a common insult calling someone black or indian. The stark difference of each of Colombia’s social groups (European-descendants, indigenous, afro-descendants, wealthy, poor…) can be regarded as causing Colombia’s conflict. Each group perceives their well-being as a zero-sum game, where a social group can only “win” at the expense of others.
The vagueness of the slogan “Colombia is passion” evidences the idiosyncrasies of the country. Attempting to impose a deluded and wishful conception of the country does nothing to further the image of Colombia. The degree of division along ethic lines highlights the difficulty and the danger in finding a homogeneous description. Perhaps this variety, when socially cohesive, can lead the way to finding a better brand slogan that actually characterizes the country. But at the moment there are starkly different Colombias .
gringomedeliin
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... I think you have what Nation brand is about wrong, it is about marketing the country to those outside the country not inside . While issues prior to 1996 remain effecting the daily lives of most Colombians it is those outside of Colombia that marketing is trying to change their view, Most people from Europe or North America hear Colombia SA, their first words will be drugs, violence, Medellin ,Pablo Escobar. The issues facing Colombia are vast and large, I do no tknow how much of Colombia's GDP is spent on marketing the country but I am sure what they receive in revenue is for more. It i smoney the country needs if it is ever going to reduce the size of it's issues. |
oblate
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... I totally agree with gringomedeliin. I don't know who William Ospina is but, using the language he uses shows only his complete ignorance of the issues. He is a racist and should be chastised rather than published. He obviously does not know Colombia or its people. Regardless of his intent he only displays his true social beleifs when he makes racits comment as well as losing all credibility. More than likely he is similar to many other clowns who think that by publishing an article or two they become a knowledgeable intellectual. I doubt if Ospina has ever been to Colombia or experienced life here each day. As an American I can tell you it is wonderful and I can do without the intolerance and racist remarks of this writer. |
Adriaan
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... ROFL, Oblate, how can you call someone ignorant when you admit to being ignorant of who he is? That's just hilarious. You don't know who, let alone what you're talking about  |
gringo michae
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... He is a poet, writer, writing a colum for El Espectador. he is also an active member of Alternative Democratic Pole, a political party of the left in Colombia. But more importantly, Ospina reminds us that Colombia is a different Colombia to each and every ethnic group - let alone socio-economic status - that inhabits the land. The future of a person born into a “white” family is not the same as the fate of a person born into an indigenous or black family this statment has more to do with the diversity of Colombia then the branding/marketing of Colombia it is also not something unique to Colombia but one can find through out Latin America the same results. In fact you can find the same even in the USA. I understand the writer feels strong about the injustices in Colombia , we see that in every op ed piece he writes, He is trying to tie two different tissues together in this article , but it miss the mark as they are vastly different. |
wildenbp
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... Colombia has come very far since the "Escobar" days, and while the journey ahead will experience good days and challenging days, it is nevertheless crucial that it projects an outward image to the world. Colombians exert "Passion" and I believe the title does merit in projecting our people. Sure you can argue that Latins in general are passionate people and you can argue about regional differences and internal conflicts but you have to start somewhere...Look at Las Vegas and the problems they are facing with unemployment and a bad image from dumb comments made by the US government, but that does not stop Vegas from promoting itself in terms of " What Happens in Vegas Stays in Vegas". As Colombians we need to rally around the great things that are happening. It is top in GDP growth next to Brazil as an example. Lets not waste time disecting the word PASSION but instead rally around it and how we can make it even better. |
Serge
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... I find it incredible how people seem to forget so easy. They seem to forget how before this president, Colombia practically had no tourism, how even those who live in Colombia could not even visit different parts of the country in fear of being kidnapped. Colombia still has many inequalities. There are still many people living in poverty, but you cannot solve all its problems in seven years. This campaign seems to be working. I have traveled to Medellin ten times this year and on every flight there and back you find tourist on the plane, something that was unheard of before. |
Bluebird
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... Serge, I agree with you......people forget very easily. As far as the piece written by this writer you have to remember that it is written by a member of the left and those articles will always point out what is wrong with Colombia but very rarely will they point out what is right with Colombia. The reasons for this are obvious so there is no need to point them out yet again. When I first started travelling to Medellin almost ten years ago I was always the only gringo on the plane but yes nowdays I see more. A few people are starting to overcome the fear they have of travelling to Colombia. These fears are still widespread among the general population in North America and that is why it is SO critical that a positive public relations campaign be mounted, maintained and expanded at every opportunity. Unfortunately, with the team of Cordoba/ Chavez/ FARC doing their utmost to foment social unrest, mass murder and anarchy, it will become more and more difficult to project a positive image of Colombia to the world. Que triste......... |
guaquero Sanchez
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... It saddens me so much to read the level of ignorance and cluelessness one demonstrates when submitting a comment like the one by Oblate. I can't express the shock i felt reading this comment, obviously about something and somebody he/she has absolutely no understanding of. Do you consider yourself an expert on Colombia? What, let me guess, you've lived in this country for a year or two? Do you consider yourself some sort of intellect; what are you an english teacher? Otro gringo, que se va a pagar por ser tan guache. For your information, William Ospina is one of Colombia's most respected, famous writers/poets/columnists. So, i guess the fact that you've lived in Colombia for a couple of years teaching english, makes you more knowledgeable than the average Colombian. What is it with you Americans? Why are so many so fucking ignorant? I guess it's what makes you so vulnerable, the fact you have no fucking clue of your own ignorance. Is it your educational system? Devuelvese a su pais. ps Is this a form for gringos that can't read Spanish, but consider themselves all-knowing about a country they have backpacked through for a couple of years? some of these comments are really sad. Parcero, pues devuelvete para su pais antes de que te encuentres en problemas severos. |
Sebastian
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... @ gringomedellin and Wildenbp, The value of marketing is in showing the truth about a product, which would be expected to be its most important asset. In the case of a nation this is even more important. A high GDP growth means nothing when the vast majority of people have not benefited. "trickle down economics" have not worked. The best example is the U.S. where "50 million people in the US – one in six of the population – were unable to afford to buy sufficient food to stay healthy at some point last year (2008 )," http://www.guardian.co.uk/worl...-us-report And this is the richest country on earth with a very high GDP per capita. @Oblate, William Ospina is a very important Colombian writer, who recently won the Romulo Gallego prize given to the Latin American writers. Mario Vargas Llosa (Peru), Gabriel Garcia Marquez (Colombia) and Carlos Fuentes (Mexico) have also received the prize. @Adriaan, LOL |
Sebastian
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... @Gringo michae and Bluebird, As its usual with most of your comments, dismissing a point of view out of hand because you characterize it as belonging to "left" or "far left" does nothing to nurture a productive discussion. @Serge, Medellin is not best of examples and right now it even undermines your argument. The realities in the rural areas where the majority of Colombians live is vastly different. @Guaquero Sanchez, Even though I agree with most of what you say, I don't share your last phrase. I would rather urge all foreigners (as well as Colombians) to visit those towns (not cities) where the real Colombia is found. Only then would they realize that Colombia and Colombia's unfortunate realities are not found in Bogota, Medellin, and Cartagena. The Choco region would be a good starting point. |
Adriaan
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... @ guaquero Sanchez, I am a gringo and am ignorant to a lot of things going on in Colombia. I misunderstand things, I find how things get lost in translation, but anyone, also gringos, whether they live here on not, have the right to their opinion. In many ways gringos can learn from Colombians and Colombians can learn from gringos. We should allow each other to make mistakes and help them move forward as brothers. Sending people to where they came from is never going to help us understand or respect each other. I mean, admit that among Colombians there's quite a few idiots too, this is not a gringo trait. @ Sebastian, Sending people to Chocó is a worse advise than sending us back home. It's almost like wishing us dead or depressed :-) |
Sebastian
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... @Adriaan, I'm sorry Adriaan, it was never my intention to make any gringo feel depressed ;-) |
Bluebird
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... Maybe this website would be better served if all of us ignorant gringos, who obviously suffer from having been subjected to an education system inferior to the one attended guaquero sanchez simply kept our inferior, uninformed opinions to ourselves.................eh guaquero???? |
Bluebird
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... @ guaquero..........oh yes I forgot........ F you too jackass. I have many Colombian friends in Medellin and here in EEUU as well. I would never dream of telling them to go back to their own country. |
Bluebird
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... @ Sebastian............ there is no other way to characterize your point of view...... your articles are almost always critical and rarely do they acknowledge any of the many positive things that are happening in Colombia . I realize that reporting on the positive aspects of Colombia does not fit your agenda so don't pretend that you approach your job without bias. |
Bluebird
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... oh yeah.... if any of you are interested in taking a quick look at the guardian source cited by Sebastian you will quickly understand the leftist/ socialist agenda of that website as well... |
Adriaan
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... Sebastian writes opinion articles. His task is to be critical, otherwise I wouldn't publish what he writes. That's the whole point of op-eds. But the Guardian having a socialist / leftist agenda is absurd. It is one of the best UK newspapers around. You can't just shout 'SOCIALIST' every time someone says something you dislike, it screws up your own credibility, man. |
Sebastian
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... @Bluebird, You're right, The Guardian is not the Wall Street Journal. But interestingly enough the WSJ also ran the same story!!! http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=t&ct2=us/0_0_s_25_0_t&usg=AFQjCNHJUbU28CWi0Qw9x5EXm0F-WuZS5g&sig2=7VhMp1_KhNiPHVzFA7ou5A&cid=1472036936&ei=LoUKS_C2J4jlkAWT_K5_&rt=STORY&vm=STANDARD&url=http://online.wsj.com/article/SB125839283643150795.html?mod=googlenews_wsj You may also want to check these other newspapers: http://www.abpnews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=4584&Itemid=53 http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/11/16/AR2009111601598.html http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=t&ct2=us/0_0_s_3_0_t&usg=AFQjCNGjDFy0-6o50CcbaUEteN2lQzPWCg&sig2=h_M7eX4wFue4oleQSjxWuA&cid=1472036936&ei=24QKS7HyKNaIkAWplMF_&rt=MORE_COVERAGE&vm=STANDARD&url=http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/localnews/stories/DN-hunger_18met.ART.State.Edition1.4b6e1b1.html http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=t&ct2=us/0_0_s_14_0_t&usg=AFQjCNESGBPkMwEEchz3Xnm4X7w170EldQ&sig2=WL7IEnZqwUN9D3RsexQhRQ&cid=1472036936&ei=LoUKS_C2J4jlkAWT_K5_&rt=STORY&vm=STANDARD&url=http://www.miamiherald.com/news/politics/AP/story/1336893.html http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/international-business/One-in-seven-US-households-hit-by-hunger-in-2008/articleshow/5239545.cms The list obviously continues Bluebird. |
Bluebird
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... I don't want to extend this thread further than it should be extended but I would like to say the Gaurdian, while it may be a top paper in the U.K, absolutely speaks from the left regardless of whether you are willing to admit that or not. |
Adriaan
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... OH BLUEBIRD! You and I are never going to agree, but we'd make a hell of a riot when debating over a drink  |
gringomedeliin
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... Seb Gringo michae and Bluebird, As its usual with most of your comments, dismissing a point of view out of hand because you characterize it as belonging to "left" or "far left" does nothing to nurture a productive discussion. One has to consider the source as the left. right have angenda so it is part of the debate , so yes I take other opinion with a grain of salt , consider where they are coming from and what their agenda is. you my personal not see it as something impotant belittle my my choice to take in to account a persons agenda when voicing thier opinion if you want doesn't change the fact it is part of debate. The value of marketing is in showing the truth about a product, How has what Colombia not show do be true of Colombia,f your basing your opinion because it doesn;t show povrty, poverty is not used in marketing unless your a NGO trying to raise funds, , |
gringomedeliin
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... And what does the Guardian story about 50 million americans at one point having trouble putting food on the table have to do with marketing? one the number is an estimate based on a survey which is not large scale to give a true picture of hungry in America, two their are many food pantries in the USA run by churches or private groups ,wgerey many could have gone to for help but many choice not to. America dumped trickle down once Regan was out of office, Not sure if you missed it but the world is in an economic crisis starting back in 2008 making such a survey results some what suspect. But your talking economics not marketing , Colombia is marketing the country to the outside world to show the world it is more then violence ,sex and drugs. As for traveling out side of the cities I have been to a number of rural towns, when in medellin I spend most of my time in the barrios on the mountain side Poblado I rarely every go ,only to visit a friend when he is working at a resturant ,as I personal don't care for Poblado, just not my cup of tea. The mountain sides are where I enjoy Colombia. |
gringo michae
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... @guaquero Sanchez you in your little rant are gulity of the very thing you acuse gringos of thus making you look like a hypocrite. |
gringo michae
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... @Seb the WSJ story talks about only 17 million having issue with food ,not 50 million as reported in the Guardian which would be more in line with higher unemployment numbers as result of the economic crisis going on. Bapist Press also uses 17 mill not 50 mill which then calls into question either the paper or the writer of the Guardian article intent to inflate the number by almost triple. angain I have to ask what that has to do with marketing which is selling something, in the case of Colombia is Passion and a few other campaigns , with the intent to show some of the positives of Colombia not just the negatives. Campaigns by the way that were successful in their purpose to boost investment and tourism. while the campaigns you propose would be successful and more than likey already being used by a number of NGO's to raise funds. |
