Deploying The Power Of Internal Branding Through Sports
Tosin Omoyajowo
The wait is closing up on us, as we draw near to the hosting of two important sporting tournaments in Africa, nay three The SA 2010 (for the bigger boys), Nigeria 2009 (U 17 World Cup) and Angola 2010. The fourth – SA 2009 confederation Cup is almost like the SA 2010. These events offer great opportunities for Branding. Let me share with you one important case study from Germany.
How did Germany win the world cup of internal branding?
Before I continue, let me digress a little to salute the passion and followership spirit of Africans, especially West Africans, when it comes to Soccer it has become larger than life, a religion of immense and gigantic proportion, that sometimes get me scared. I often wish people could see the force behind soccer and what the feelings will be during top matches in the stadium. Soccer-passionate crazy Africans are warming up to the unleashing of the greatest; I mean that the mother of all passion is about to be released during these soccer events. This is just by the way.
Internal branding is what we need and now is the time to seize a great opportunity to do that. An international brand leadership expert examined the internal branding program that Germany applied to turn a nation of brand pessimists into a team of brand evangelists.
“From Humourless to Carefree: Transforming 82 Million in 31 Days” – The 2006 FIFA World Cup changed both the image and the character of brand Germany.
TIME Magazine then titled their edition “Germany Revs Up” and economists are talking about ‘Wirtschaftswunder 2.0′ (Second Economic Miracle).
In re-creating and enlivening the Brand Germany through the powerful tool of internal branding program, Germany applied this tool to turn a nation of brand pessimists into a team of brand evangelists – with such overwhelming success. As a result, Germany
Holds the most valuable country brand in the Nation Brand Index (NBI);
Consumer confidence was at a 27-year high;
Foreign tourism bookings have increased by nearly one third;
Unemployment has dropped by 29%;
Exports grew 14% year-on-year;
The German Chancellor, Angela Merkel’s, approval ratings increased
Investors confidence has surged to an all-time high are the highest of any German Chancellor since the war.
The Key lessons From This
The transformation of Germany’s brand image: From ruler to lover;
Turning “collective depression” into the second most valuable nation brand;
The internal branding formula of brand Germany: Competing on Greattitude (Great attitude);
Delivering the 2006 brand promise: Converting citizens to brand ambassadors;
Germany’s friendliness campaign: Training 100,000 service champions;
Germany as a tourist destination: Facts and figures on Germany’s tourism brand;
Multiplying the reach of the FIFA World Cup: The fan festival phenomenon;
Making the World Cup sustainable: ‘Germany was cashing in on Knutmania’ (the story of a twin polar bear that became an animal superstar in Berlin Zoo, with lots of tourist interest).
I think there are lots of lessons for us to learn in Africa from the Germany internal branding, most especially now that we are in the years of SOCCER.
We need to build strong brand advocacy and internally mobilise our people and create the much needed perceptual change for Africa and Africans as the world is planning to visit us. This is our chance for a change!
A Close Look At Nigeria
Let us take a close look at Nigeria. The government of Nigeria and Nigerians, both within and in the Diaspora, desire internal re-branding for this great Nation. The ignominy is enormous. The kind of negative treatment and perception that is out in the world for Nigeria is alarming. You can not re-brand the Nation without the people. It’s not a change of name like some people are suggesting or change of the flag or colours of our International passport that will deliver the goods. It is about people, and the service offered by the people, which is largely character-driven. Our attitude will determine our altitude in our quest for a “New Nigeria” or a New Naija.
Firstly, the people must be internally stimulated and inspired for a change. It has to be a genuine heart-seated crave; a resolve that must be largely collective, an inward emancipation and a common and new yearning for a new nation. We must aim for change and then the “look and feel” can follow to show the newness.
Imagine the drive, the inner passion expressed for our dear nation to win during a huge football match – the patriotic or nationalistic nostalgia that is exhibited before the game. Can you beat that? When we win, everyone displays unbelievable euphoria. Sometimes the excitement could be at a neck-breaking pace. Such is the power of football; we need to see the game of football beyond the game. It is much more a far reaching tool for internal branding. If a whole nation like Germany can ride on it, then we can. The issue is: how do we leverage on this huge opportunity in our own time.
Another Look At Germany
Permit me to deviate again. If you recall our Germany case study from above, Germany had a need for perceptual change in some areas: let us re examine two of them.
1. The need or objective of transforming “Brand Germany” from the Negative Rulership image to a Lover image (I think it’s a near global perception that Germans like to rule others. The goal of the internal re-branding was to change from “Rulers to Lovers perception or imagery.” As the world planned visiting them for the FIFA World Cup – Germany 2006, it was critical for them to re-brand and re-sell a new perceptual value in that regard. They sell themselves as lovers or a Loving Brand
2. The Brand Germany employ A Friendliness Campaign leveraging on FIFA World Cup 2006, where they mobilised and engaged 100,000 citizens as campaign ambassadors. They need to be perceived as being friendly. I have had people express Germans as being unfriendly. They knew this and decided to work on that by leveraging on Germany 2006 internal branding programmes.
A Clear Internal Branding Model
In marketing communications there are two realities The Actual Reality i.e. what a brand is and the Perceived Reality what the target or customer believe the brand is. Oftentimes there are perceptual gaps that need to be managed. However, the truth is that perceived reality is stronger because that is what the people or the world believes; that is what determines the future of the brand. One of the challenges of brand managers is to bridge the gap and make the desire or actual reality be the perceived reality which is what the people or buyers hold, especially if the perception is not desirable to the promoters. That is the dream of the brand promoters. In retrospect, we do not require a scientific proof to show that there are very good, law abiding and excellent Nigerians in Nigeria and abroad. There are so many of us all over the world. There are also very bad ones, just like there are many good and bad Europeans, Americans, Asians etc world over.
The question is: Who engineers perception for a Nation the Citizen within, the citizen in the Diaspora, the Media both local & international, and, most especially, the Leadership (Government), who are to offer direction for the people.
Talking about Internal Branding Model for Nigeria using International Sporting tournaments, I sincerely think the job is two fold:
1. Internal branding of Nigeria with Nigerians living in Nigeria
2. Internal branding with Nigerian in the Diaspora.
I believe this model calls for Brand Nigeria to develop a strategic document with key needs and deliverables, and work with experts to develop touch points both internally and externally.
