Since launching the “Malaysia, Truly Asia” campaign in 1999, Tourism Malaysia has won over 20 top international awards. The success of branding Malaysia as “truly Asia” is seen in the ambitious targets that the government has set for the sector: RM168 billion in earnings by 2020, and tourism becoming the main revenue earner. Currently, tourism, which brought in revenue of RM56.4 billion last year, comes fifth after oil and gas, palm oil, manufacturing, and retail.

Other nations are following suit in ramping up their nation-branding. In early November, the tourism-dependent island nation of Maldives in the Indian Ocean unveiled its new nation brand with the tagline “Always Natural” and a logo of a thumbprint.

Last year, tourism contributed 36% of Maldives’ GDP. According to Maldives’ Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture, tourist arrivals to Maldives have been increasing at an average rate of 15% over the last five years. Last year, Maldives, which has a population of about 314,000, received almost 792,000 tourists. The World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) forecasts international tourist arrivals to Maldives to grow between 4% and 5% this year.

“While the mark and tagline speak clearly of the natural beauty of the islands and will appeal to tourists around the world, the new identity has also been created for investors interested in the drive towards sustainability, and those drawn to conduct business with a country of unique natural characteristics. The new brand offers unique cross-marketing possibilities,” said David Keen, the CEO of QUO Keen, the specialist agency for the travel, tourism and hospitality industries, in November.

QUO Keen worked closely with Maldives Marketing and PR Corporation (MMPRC) among other public and private bodies to conceptualise the nation’s new brand, logo and tagline which drew upon the country’s topography, culture and people. In an email interview with The Edge Financial Daily, Bangkok-based Keen talked about the importance of nation-branding, the difference between tourism destination taglines and nation brands, and the Maldives nation-branding exercise.

Can a nation be branded?
Any entity, large or small, can be branded. Branding is about forming a multi-dimensional culture that forms the structure of that identity. A noodle shop on a street corner can be branded for the quality of its noodles (product), the way the staff interact with the guests (behaviour), or the way the restaurant presents itself (design). These elements form the brand.

What is nation-branding, and why brand a nation?
Nations brand themselves whether they like it or not. What I am trying to achieve is the harnessing of that understanding and present it with clarity, resonance and as a beacon of intense pride for the majority of its people. I don’t believe nation-branding is an engine of change. However, nations fundamentally change with the evolution of their political and economic systems. These changes should be illustrated in the brand.

How should a nation brand itself?
A nation cannot suddenly change by creating a brand. Any brand is only successful if it accurately reflects the truth presented by the behaviour of its people, natural resources, economics, productivity and political culture. A nation needs to have a clear perception of its own soul when it begins a journey to brand itself. It is that soul that we bring to the fore with the brand.

What is the role of the concept of nation-branding in current times?
It is a vehicle by which a nation can present itself, in totality, to its own people and to the outside world.

Using Maldives as an example, what were the processes, strategies and thoughts that QUO went through to conceptualise and come up with its brand identity?
Maldives is a fascinating example. QUO Keen’s mission was to change the perception of the country from being a tourist destination to a nation brand. In Asia, most of the existing country perceptions are external perceptions to try and attract more visitors. Amazing Thailand, Truly Asia, Incredible India are all monikers designed to lure more visitors. There’s nothing wrong with this, but they are not nation brands as they do not reflect the multi-dimensionality of these nations.

For Maldives, we were contracted by the government to retain the country’s extraordinary allure as a tourist destination and extend it to reflect the many other wonderful traits endemic to the Maldives and its people.

Our brief was to retrain the high-end allure critical to tourism’s appeal and to extend that appeal to embrace different tourism market segments such as family, MICE and different source markets. Today, visitors to Maldives are just as likely to come from Asia as from Europe.

We conducted research identifying the perceptions of visitors to the country and perceptions of Maldivians of their own country. We worked with multiple stakeholders to ascertain their wishes for the perception of the brand. The research was then collated to form a strategic platform to launch the ultimate brand culture that will form the essence of the nation’s brand.

It became clear that the natural resources of the country were fundamental to tourism, to the people, to industry and, critically, to energy. The ultimate logo and tagline of ‘Always Natural’ was driven from this strategic direction.

Why is it important for nations to brand themselves?
I believe it is fundamental for a nation to present itself with clarity and truth. This will bring unity, better self-understanding and a far more compelling proposition to the outside world.

Could you share other nation-branding projects that QUO has taken on? What makes a successful nation brand?
We created the nation brand of Brunei some years ago (Brunei: A Kingdom of Unexpected Treasures) — the identity still holds true today. It talked to heritage, nature, contemporary Asia and the people of Brunei. The brand talks to the fundamental traits that are still there. Most visitors to Brunei had no idea it was so modern, with solid infrastructure.

You’ve said that ‘the new identity has also been created for investors interested in the drive towards sustainability, and those drawn to conduct business with a country of unique natural characteristics. The new brand offers unique cross-marketing possibilities.’ Could you elaborate?
A successful and true nation brand should resonate across sectors — for example, not just in tourism but in finance, industry, education, and so on. That’s when you get unity and synergies start to work. It’s like people of different backgrounds all cheering passionately for the same football team. A brand is both a promise and a willingness to do things a certain way.

So you are saying that a nation-branding exercise helps a nation sell itself, not only in tourism but in exports and foreign investments?
If you take ‘Always Natural’ as an example, you can see that it has real potential for tourism (beaches, translucent water, forests), fisheries (a natural commitment to sustainable practices), business (services delivered with a ‘natural’ disposition towards service and a ‘can do’ attitude), education (a modern system that builds on the ‘natural’ knowledge and folk wisdom of the Maldivian people). Most importantly, “Always Natural” talks to the sustainability and energy policies initiated by the government.

How can a country like Malaysia brand itself? What steps must it take?
Malaysia needs a personality; a character that can be embraced by visitors, investors and the population alike. ‘Truly Asia’ does not represent the country’s extraordinary character. It only acts as a banner to attract foreign tourists. Having said this, the government has invested vast capital in ‘Truly Asia’ and it would take a brave and visionary politician to suggest change.

The country has magnificent resources; extraordinary human capital and a misunderstood perception by the outside world. It would require a comprehensive internal research and analysis and a honing of these assets before forming a strategic platform to create a nation brand.

It is a complex task, but doable. It would require commitment from the political establishment as well as multiple stakeholders in tourism, business, education, and other sectors.

This article appeared on the Media & advertising page, The Edge Financial Daily, Jan 5, 2012