Pot of gold at the end of the rainbow

If we were to attempt to define Brand South Africa as a personality (and heaven knows it could do with some) we might summon up descriptors like: entrepreneurial, charming, exciting, friendly, sociable, creative, style leaders - things like that...Unpacking ZA’s presence at the Shanghai World Expo 2010.

I suppose you have noticed in the months subsequent to the footie World Cup, how thrilled everyone has been with how the perceptions of Brand ZA have been positively managed due to our 9/10 grade as a host nation.

A flurry of social media initiatives aiming to fan the flames of our recently rekindled patriotism have followed. Among these are Keep Flying, Primedia SA's Lead-SA initiative and Brand SA's www.itstartswithyou.co.za, whereby the well-intentioned can say via uplifting/inspiring multimedia messages and heartfelt "Let's get it on"-style Facebook entries, how keen they are to be involved in making SA the nation, everything it can and should be.

Headlines similar to that of JSE chairman, Humphrey Borkum's, "We showed the world, but must do it for ourselves now", (BR Column August 4 2010), have abounded. As solutions, most such articles offer the tried and trusted - tourism, the JSE Big 5 (mining/banking/sugar etc) while pointing out how important socially and sustainable responsible initiatives will be in the future, without actually identifying any. Finance Minister Pravin Gordon's warning last week (CT Sept 2, 2010) that “the need to achieve a consistent 7% growth rate for the next 20-30 years will require "a humungous national effort", should be a clarion call for us to find ways of converting some of the intangible post-WC benefits listed on Brand SA's website such as "positive publicity" and "consolidated brand image", into real terms.

Their presence at the current Shanghai World Expo has not really capitalised on the above kinds of PR puff. Seems like while we might be brilliant at building iconic stadia and street parties back home, we don't exactly rock the world when compared with other countries at these type of showcase events.

See all the glorious 2010 Shanghai World Expo Pavilions. Find Brand SA sandwiched between Singapore and Spain.

Is it just me or is there a creative dissonance between the admittedly arbitrary themed Skyscraper City pavilion and its contents - assorted bric-a-brac such as wire chickens, a life-size Zakumi figure (for whom, correct me if I’m wrong, we do not even have the rights) and some beaded Xhosa pipes? Is this really how we intended meet our objectives as “potential global strategic partners”?

If not, here are some heartfelt tips for Brand SA going forward:

Clearly define Brand SA personality

Although it seems to be a technique rarely undertaken nowadays, defining a brand's personality is a solid old-school technique for getting one's bearings in a sea of marketing possibilities. For example, if we were to attempt to define Brand South Africa as a personality (and heaven knows it could do with some) we might summon up descriptors like: entrepreneurial, charming, exciting, friendly, sociable, creative, style leaders - things like that.

We could then measure whether a particular Pavilion proposal was “on brand” by evaluating how well it expressed any of the desired personality traits, or not.

Telling a brand story

If great brands tell stories, we need to find ways of communicating the essence of what seduced visitors to our country earlier this year. Our story has emerged - we are hip, hot and saleable, connected and consistently capable of achieving miracles. There must be some mistake, because I'm absolutely certain that a gaudy array of primary coloured clip art that portrayed our country on the Shanghai Expo pavilion, bears absolutely no relation to any of these truths. Whoever designed it does not understand patriotism a bit.

Define scale

What can make a difference is scale. Remember how much coverage the giant Hyundai vuvuzela received around the world? People love the size surprise - very big or very small, things that are supposed to be one size transformed into another. Notice the big bunny ears sticking out of the top of the Macau Pavilion. If, as the ZA Shanghai Expo installation seems to demonstrate, the resourcefulness of our wire and beaded curio style merchandise is still currently what we're most proud of, scale with regard to the Pavilion might have included wrapping the whole thing with oversized graphics of these, promising what was within, helping attract interest and perhaps providing a bit of WOW factor.

Differentiate

If nothing else putting uniquely African graphics on the exterior of our pavilion, such as those that can be seen in local retail outlets such as http://www.heartworks.co.za/blog/, would have succeeded in creating impact by clearly differentiating us from any other country. Differentiation is a massive part of branding.

Be authentic

As I see it, the problem was that the chosen theme of Skyscraper City, is not really a true reflection of what we collectively aspire to in the age where everyone is talking about sustainability. Sending a team of street crafters to build a pavilion out of the mountains of Asian digital waste might even have been more relevant. At least that would have made a statement about our resourcefulness, while sending an environmental message as well. Marketing, in case no one's picked this up recently - is about being talked about.

But there's even more to creating a national brand story.

Create a new iconography

What might it look like if we set ourselves the task of visually expressing some of the national personality traits we identified earlier such as sociability and hospitality? Nothing said ZA hospitality like the "Soccer City" stadium, evoking a full-bodied, abundance via its warm colours and sensual "potjie"-shape. Perhaps our pavilion could have been similarly shaped; perhaps it could have been painted gold?

Engage metaphorical/lateral thing

Just because a theme is Skyscraper City does not mean it has to depict ladders, upward facing arrows and skyscraper-shaped motifs. Other kinds of more engaging imagery could have been used to express the sound infrastructural aspects of the ZA national landscape. Thinking laterally instead of literally, we might have arrived at the more engaging solution of decorating our pavilion with the words Hello and Welcome in all our multi-hued official languages or of embroidering our skyscraper motifs - communicating both a real aspect of our personality and that we understand the saleable nature of our resources.

Promote natural resources

Speaking of natural resources, it is clear that while the WC 2010 put us on the map, our challenge going forward is not to fall off again. Do you not find it unusual that in a country that is supposed to be the breadbasket of Africa, we did not have any natural food products on display in Shanghai? Surely in the Skyscraper City of the future, ±4billion Asians will be in the market for our wholesome products such as Baobab oils, canned fruit, juices and grains - all beautifully packaged to reflect national pride, ingenuity and newly created job opportunities? Surely a better option than watching the family silver being carried off to Durban Harbour on the next Chinese-funded high speed train.

Grow manufacturing

One thing I also still can't really figure is why with people dying for jobs, we need to limit our job creation opportunities to a) the oft-quoted construction sector or b) one-by-one-off handcrafted items. With regard to manufacturing - we can punch, extrude, die cut and mould with the best of 'em - and in pursuit of that elusive 7%, it's time we figured out the "what". It's no secret that I'm a fan of pop art as a untapped resource in Africa - think Mickey Mouse, Hello Kitty the Rolling Stones' tongue - as icons that have spawned multi-million dollar empires and we can see why applying the same cute-approach to our economy might be worth considering. Maybe this kind of thinking would lead us to ways of capitalising on our status as the Cradle of Mankind - a range of covetable Australopithicus Sedibae merchandise maybe or Afrobaby dolls (Barbie hasn’t done too badly). Yes, when it comes to creating value with what you have - Italy (pasta, oil), America (fantasy figures and toys), Japan (manga culture) - it pays to dig deep.

Capitalise on interface opportunities

As marketers know, every interface with the customer is an opportunity to communicate brand values and we cannot afford to miss any more. Why have British gyms, Swiss Chocolate, Asian comics and Irish bars [ at our airports!], when we have a deep, rich design vernacular in of our own. Where are our uniquely African global franchise ideas? Why do I still always have to feel so damn colonised?!

From the editorial column of www.sagoodnews.co.za (03/10/2010), Steuart Pennington informs us that at a recent breakfast meet entitled "South Africa's economic prospects post 2010", keynote speaker Clem Sunter had warned of 'red flags' that could move us towards a ‘failed state’" namely:

• Violence
• Threats to media freedom
• Land
• Mines nationalisation [sic]

I'd like to add a 5th:

Inferior marketing, design thinking and execution

Taking into consideration everything we have going for us, I can’t see how we can even think of promoting ourselves under a banana hued barn ever again. My only wish is that when the next world expo opps, present themselves in Yeosu, South Korea 2012 and Milan 2015 *sigh*, we commit to playing with an A-team.

Consulting local designers the calibre of Heath Nash, Peet Pienaar, Mokena Makeka, www.amicollective.com or any of the local ad and design agencies that have repeatedly proved themselves capable of being able to produce things that excite people, will go a long way to helping Brand SA play their vital role in helping us in the “humungous” drive to locating those pots of gees at the end of our rainbows.