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Protecting treasures inherent in national brands
2006-07-26 10:06:52
By Mireny john
An African saying goes as follows: The emptiness of a mad-person is not his or hers, but that of his brother or sister who sees no need to cover it.
This proverb reminds me of a shocking life-time event way back in 1998 while on a working visit in California, USA. I was studying how privatization works in the US economy and one evening we met with a group of Black American investment and international trade consultants.
During the rounds of introductions, each of us had to provide a brief economic profile of ones own country.
Coming from Tanzania, I didn’t hesitate to mention tourism as one of Tanzania’s foreign cash spinner, with yet unexploited immense potential.
Among the numerous tourist attraction I mentioned, I remember to have poetically described Mount Kilimanjaro as the roof of Africa, the only place across the globe where snow and glaciers are found close to the Equator.
That way I opened a can of worms as each member of the audience sought going for the jugular.
In a few words, they said, judging from international advertisements on televisions and world class tourism fairs, Americans happen to know that Mount Kilimanjaro is found in Africa, but located in Kenya.
I was shown a flier claiming that the best view of the Kilimanjaro is perennially obtained from Amboseli in Kenya.
Well, I had to use recent maps and history to prove their belief was probably based prejudice or just from unperceived campaign of misinformation.
To blame anybody as to why should a ’national brand’ like the Kilimanjaro has been dislocated in promoting a neighbour’s tourism trade is like teaching a grandmother how to suck eggs.
We can for instance pretend that 1998 was a date when, probably, Tanzania was in an unfortunate siesta: Yet, to-date, tanzanite, the gemstone exclusively found in northern Tanzania’s Manyara Region, is polished and cut, then exported from South Africa, without naming the genuine country of origin.
These two scenarios raise a number of business challenges, in particular, the quality of national branding policies (if any in place), as well as the commitment to market national brands overseas.
Elsewhere, protection of national brands is a matter of priority—going beyond mere advertisements to implementing policies which ensure that branding is an integral requirement for doing business in a particular country.
In South Africa for instance, importation of ready-made vehicles is prohibited: If the multinational Toyota feels like selling its products on its market, it is supposed by regulations to relocate itself there.
In addition, it must ensure that 80 percent of raw materials and parts, including labour are drawn from that country.
Then it will sell Toyota cars ’manufactured in South Africa’, may be as Toyota South Africa.
By extension, mineral authorities in Tanzania could have declared a deadline for exportation of raw tanzanite, cutting and polishing would have been done right here, with no possibility of cheating on branding.
In addition, we would have retained the precious process of adding value, which in turn boosts national income and jobs.
Tanzania Tourist Board (TTB) has proved it can be done. Is various international promotional activities over the last five years has for instance, achieved to ’re-brand’ Kilimanjaro’s proper location.
At an International Scientific Conference in Montreal Canada 2004, even foreigners comfortably referred to the Mountain’s location as Tanzania.
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