The Polish national 'brand'

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Sep 30, 10, 13:15 #1

What is Poland's 'brand' -- the distinguishing feature, that immediate association, that reputation, the thing that immediately rings a bell when the word Poland, Pole or Polish is heard world-wide? For the Italians it is art treasures, opera, Mediterranean cuisine, Roman ruins and (on the downside) possibly the Mafia conenction. For the Germans it could be philosophy, scholarship, precision engineering, beer, oom-pa-pa folk music in Lederhosen, the Oktoberfest, the 'Ordnung muß sein' obsession and maybe vague reminiscences of the Heil Hitler period. Long before Amsterdam became synonymous with debauchery and international drug smuggling, Holland was thought of mainly in terms of the old Ducth Masters (painters), obsessive cleanliness (scrubbed streets), windmills, tulips and wooden shoes....
What do you see as the positive hallmarks of the 'Polish national brand'? (There's enough negativity on PF, so let's just stick to the positive this time.)
If you landed a fat contract to create the proper PR, what would you focus on? What would be the easiest to sell?

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Sep 30, 10, 14:05 #2

First of all:
-we should fight associating us with EASTERN EUROPE. Poland is a CENTRAL EUROPEAN state which belongs to the WESTERN WORLD (EU, NATO, OECD, Catholicism, Indo-European roots). This could stop common certainty that Poland = Soviet State
-we should abandon pan-slavism because it's harmful for Poland to be associated with Russia, Ukraine or Bulgaria. Poland is just Poland, not a part of mysterious "Slavia" or other ****. Politicians should stop using the term "slav"

This 2 things are a good start for us

As for PR slogans:

Pope, Solidarność, Vodka, Beer, Pierogi, Sausage, Mead, Chopin, Uprisings, Few important historic events - stopping Mongols, Turks and Bolsheviks, good parts of PRL (places like Nowa Huta are a magnet for tourists), Our regional folk, Moustache, Tatry, Masuria, Bisons, Jewish/Christian orthodox heritage, Magnateria mansions

How should Polish nation be presented?

As conservative patriotic educated people. We have to avoid Western Europe mistakes with being associated with liberalism and socialist ideology

smigly wilno

Sep 30, 10, 14:27 #3

A simple slogan wouldn't hurt either:

"Make a friend of Poland and you have a friend for life."

(and of course...."Make Poland your enemy, and we will never forget.")

"Poland - The ideal lives."

or something a little more defensive...

"Empires couldn't pull us apart. What makes you think you can?"

And, please, these are light-hearted suggestions. Nothing here means I want Poles to start harming anyone. But, the strength of Poland has always been its ability to come together, fight the common foe, and to support friends.)

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Sep 30, 10, 14:27 #4

Makes sense. The Europeanisers would like Poland to be melted down in a uniform, nondescript ragoût. But there will never be a Polish brand based on uniformity, nothingness and a alck of distinctness. The main problem is that other countries first engaged in widespread cultural sharing and image-building in the 19th and 20th centuries when Poland was partitioned and fully independent for only 40 of the past some 240 years.
Besides the Soviet image which Russia has yet to live down, in the 19th century it became famous for its ballet, vodka, caviare, composers and novelists.
The bottom line is that makinmg up for lost time will be extremely difficult when we live in an era marked by widespread aping of America's cheap and tacky popculture scene.

TeffleThreads: 28 Posts: 2,105 Joined: Aug 26, 10 ♂	Sep 30, 10, 14:36 #5
smigly wilno: "Empires couldn't pull us apart. What makes you think you can?" LOL - I'd love to see this on a T-shirt!

loco polacoThreads: 3 Posts: 421 Joined: Aug 5, 08 ♂	Sep 30, 10, 14:39 #6
Kielbasa4every1

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Edited by: richasis Sep 30, 10, 14:41 #7

wildeckirenegat:

How should Polish nation be presented?
As conservative patriotic educated people. We have to avoid Western Europe mistakes with being associated with liberalism and socialist ideology

Polonius3:

The bottom line is that makinmg up for lost time will be extremely difficult when we live in an era marked by widespread aping of America's cheap and tacky popculture scene.

Again, as a Polish-American, I cannot agree more or add anything else to this. My wish is that Poland realizes her greatness in her own light.

Teffle:

smigly wilno:
"Empires couldn't pull us apart. What makes you think you can?"

LOL - I'd love to see this on a T-shirt!

Yeah, that really DOES have a certain ring to it :)

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Edited by: Plastic Pole52 Sep 30, 10, 15:08 #8

wildeckirenegat:

-we should fight associating us with EASTERN EUROPE. Poland is a CENTRAL EUROPEAN state which belongs to the WESTERN WORLD (EU, NATO, OECD

Why?Does it even matter if it's eastern,western or whatever Europe?I don't think so.What important is what Poland is and how Poles live there, not how someone calls it.I have no problem whatsoever with being Eastern European.Matter of fact when asked I like to say I am EASTERN European and people make faces like they expected some two headed monster.So,lets not be oversensitive about it and just do whatever we can to make Poland a better place regardless the geographical location.Does it make any sense what I am saying?

wildeckirenegat:

As conservative patriotic

And not every Pole is conservative.Some are libertarians like myself.

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Sep 30, 10, 15:15 #9

Plastic Pole52:

Does it even matter if it's eastern,western or whatever Europe?

Yes. Eastern Europe has a bad rep in the world. If we want to improve our PR we have to show what we are in reality not by some silly cold war definition

Besides Eastern Europe = Eastern Orthodox christianity

It's just silly to call Slovenia or Czech Republic Eastern Europe if these countries were highly influenced by Germany and Austria

Plastic Pole52Threads: - Posts: 112 Joined: Sep 18, 10 ♂	Edited by: Plastic Pole52 Sep 30, 10, 15:28 #10
wildeckirenegat: If we want to improve our PR we have to show what we are in reality not by some silly cold war definition Why would we even care?Personally I don't give a flying phuck about what foraigners say about Poland as long as Poles in Poland are happy.The thing is that most is not.

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Edited by: wildeckirenegat Sep 30, 10, 15:29 #11

It must be added that PR in Poland is rather decentralized. For example city of Poznań has their own trademark used everywhere (attached pic) and promotes itself on its own. Look here:
watch?v=a3FGKqvsW4s << youtube reference because I can't post links yet because of anti spamming system

The same goes for every other major city like Wrocław, Kraków, Warszawa, Gdańsk itd.

Even on the ITB in Berlin Poland has always multiple stalls presenting every region/city autonomously

Plastic Pole52:

I don't give a flying phuck about what foraigners say about Poland as long as Poles in Poland are happy.

PR is what brings tourists and investors to Poland which means a lot of money. Money usually makes people happy

FUZZYWICKETSThreads: 12 Posts: 1,999 Joined: Nov 3, 09 ♂	Sep 30, 10, 15:41 #12
wildeckerenegat wrote: We have to avoid Western Europe mistakes with being associated with liberalism and socialist ideology I pay 800zl every month to an organization I simply have no use for but have no choice in the matter. How's that for socialist ideology. Oh, and believe me, nobody sees Poland as liberal.

TeffleThreads: 28 Posts: 2,105 Joined: Aug 26, 10 ♂	Sep 30, 10, 15:48 #13
wildeckirenegat: ...Polish mistakes with being associated with conservatism There you go, fixed that for you ; )

convexThreads: 46 Posts: 7,185 Joined: Nov 25, 09 ♂	Sep 30, 10, 16:07 #14
Socially conservative, fiscally borderline socialist. Worst of both worlds.

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Sep 30, 10, 16:38 #15

Personally I believe Poland would do best to focus on its natural wealth and traditions to create a distinct national brand that would set it apart from others. This might include emphasising:
PRISTINE NATURE: Białowieża and bison, (back-bred) tarpans, wolves and bear roaming at liberty in their natural habitat would surely be a feather in the nation's cap. Other nature resources such as the Biebrza and Warta wetlands, the rugged Bieszczady Mts, etc. are also worth promoting. (The downside of this is that too much tourism brings in the cash but also tramples the natural habitat.)
FOLK CULURE: The folklore to some extent that has preserved itself in various Polish enclaves is an alternative to the ubiquitous industrially produced global popculture that surrounds us. Corpus Christi processions in Łowicz and elsewhere, Palm Sunday contests in the Łomża area, and the highlander lore of the Tatras are but a few examples.
TRADITIONAL FOOD: Traditional food -- breadstuff, sausages and cured meats, pickles, cheeses, cakes -- produced the time-honoured way using natural ingredients is a pleasant change from the pre-packaged, chemically treated fake food that abounds nowadays. (I am fully aware that Polish supermarkets are full of the gorący kubek type crap one finds everywhere these days, so this is just a suggestion as to the components that could go to create an attractive national brand.)
FAMILY AND RELGIOUS VALUES: Strong family and religious values would also be a welcome change to many. Warsaw, Kraków and Poznań could not outdrug and ourdebuach Berlin, Amsterdam and London even if they wanted to so why even try. At best they would be poor imitations.
CULTURE: The Land of the Winged Horseman exhibition (on Poland's Sarmatian Baroque period) that toured the US in the 1990s made a huge impression on those who viewed it, but such events are few and far between. Chopin Year activates are another positive example exploited at the Shanghai Expo and elsewhere. Due to today's prevalence of popular culture, a greater effort should be made to create and export music, videos, films and other art forms enjoying mass appeals that could easily catch on world-wide.

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Edited by: Bratwurst Boy Sep 30, 10, 17:26 #16

Believe it or not...the Football EC will be Polands biggest chance to make a brand name for itself.
Hopefully the polish PR-manager know this.

Show the media what a nice country you are, advertise tourism to get known...every tourist is a multiplier because he is telling at home about it...and you will make changes big time in the minds of the world.

For Germany in 2006 it worked fantastically!
It didn't happen accidentally...

http://www.brandsandbranding-online.co.za/how-germany-won-the-world-cu p-of-nation-branding-and-how-south-africa-may-clinch-the-title-in-2010 -dr-nikolaus-eberl/

...
What happened in Germany during those ominous four weeks from 9 June to 9 July 2006, was an Ovation of Brand Germany, with such overwhelming success that the latest Nation Brand Index (Anholt- GMI Q4/2007) lists Germany as the most admired country brand, unemployment has dropped by 29 percent, tourism bookings have increased by nearly one third, investors confidence has surged to an all time high, exports are up 14 percent and TIME Magazine recently titled their edition ‘Germany revs up’, as economists are talking about ‘Wirtschaftswunder 2.0’ – The Second Economic Miracle.

Apart from soccer, the 2006 FIFA World Cup™ transformed Brand Germany from the old archetype of the Ruler, effective and efficient, yet cold, unfriendly and at times bully; to the newfound archetype of the Lover, fun loving, welcoming, modern and creative. In a few weeks’ time, it had done something to the German psyche that no politician had ever achieved; it had imbued the nation with a sense of pride and common destiny. On the day after the final, Britain’s Times, not known for being pro-German, ran the headline ‘Never mind the Finals, the true Winners are Germany!’
...

Poland could achieve the same turnaround!

Polonius3Threads: 1,005 Posts: 4,835 Joined: Apr 11, 08 ♂	Sep 30, 10, 17:29 #17
I ageree that in terms of a one-off evnet the EC presents Poladn wtih a unique opportunity. Tell us how the World Cup changed Germany. Did tourism soar? Did export orders increase or what?

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Edited by: Bratwurst Boy Sep 30, 10, 17:40 #18

This world cup changed Germany and the impression of it greatly.
It's now talked about as the "Wunder von Bern", the "Wirtschaftswunder" and even the re-unification.

You can kind of pin it on the invention and development of the Fan fests...Germany opening the games from the closed stadiums to all fans and their families who wanted to come to the party but couldn't get a ticket..putting up fanmiles and big screens everywhere.
For four weeks it was just a happy party with happy people under a blue sky. Millions of people could watch it on TV world wide, Germany in the midst of Europe got "invaded" by millions of Europeans many of whom could take a look for themselves at the new, modern Germany and all that changed the perceptions greatly and in the long term.

During and after the games Germany led all popularity polls...the power of images full at work here!
And yes tourism soared during and afterwards..

I don't see why Poland can't achieve the same..you are practically in the same situation (for other reasons) as Germany was till shortly before the games. Searching for yourself and your place in Europe.

But you can bust this chance too...South Africa wanted to achieve the same...they studied all what Germany did, they spoke with german experts etc...but we can now already say that South Africa did not make the best of this opportunity.

wildeckirenegatThreads: - Posts: 18 Joined: Sep 30, 10 ♂	Sep 30, 10, 17:42 #19
Polonius3 - I agree with your post but I''d add to this history Bratwurst Boy - Unfortunately our promotion at Euro 2012 will be spoiled by Ukraine. But I hope European fans aren't that ignorant that they don't see the difference between Poland and Ukraine

Polonius3Threads: 1,005 Posts: 4,835 Joined: Apr 11, 08 ♂	Sep 30, 10, 17:50 #20
I wonder if the Poles in charge of 2012 are doing their homework. Everything in Poland these days seems to ultinatley boil down to brak środków (a lack of resources meaning ZŁ).

wildeckirenegatThreads: - Posts: 18 Joined: Sep 30, 10 ♂	Sep 30, 10, 17:57 #21
Lack of funding? I don't think so. We're the biggest beneficiary from EU. Problem is with beaurocratic processes like tenders, appeals and other things which waste time Also the company responsible for organizing Euro2012 wastes money on outsourcing services which could be done by the workers of this company

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