Branding Revisited

I’ve thrown up a few posts on here in regards to branding. As to how Korea should improve its global campaign initiatives has been a pretty popular topic as of late. But the reality remains that it just won’t happen over night. Sunny Lee made a good point in yesterday’s Korea Times:

At the end of the day, once Korea commits itself to becoming a global player and cares about how it is seen in the eyes of others in an effort to boost its international image, it needs to learn to appreciate the perspectives the expatriate community brings. They are from different cultures. And they will tell you what strikes them unusual, good, bad, impressive and lacking in Korea.

On a positive note, it does seem more and more like organizations are taking action by targeting the foreign community – namely bloggers – to get feedback. The Korea Tourism Organization, for starters, has been doing a considerable amount of legwork in roping in foreigners that administer blogs to get a sense of what’s out there. Definitely a big step in the right direction. But it is just a step. Other measures must also be carried out. I agree with Roboseyo:

If Korea really wants to be a world class country, work on the people and the institutions that form the foundation of the society; the rest will follow, naturally enough.

Korea doesn’t necessarily have to go back to the drawing board, it simply has to work with what it already has. That is something that’s seriously lost on those in charge. This whole idea about branding has been blown out of proportion. Branding involves providing a promise to people, an image that visitors can warm to or relate to on some level. In order for that to work effectively, it requires a great deal of investment – creative investment – and the collective involvement of expats and Koreans alike, not simply the ones with titles to flaunt.