Polish Media Seek UK "Ekspert" Advice on Branding a Country

Royal Leamington Spa, United Kingdom, February 13, 2009 --(PR.com)-- During coffee break at a recent Marketing Masterclass UK marketing “ekspert”, Stefan Drew was surprised by a telephone call seeking his advice. The call was from Poland where a reporter wished to interview him about how countries like Poland, Namibia and China can brand themselves.

Stefan Drew commented, “It was a total coincidence really. I’d been explaining to my audience how they are all experts in their field and how this is beneficial to their customers and will sometimes attract attention worldwide. We stopped for coffee and as I checked my phone fro messages it rang and a Polish reporter asked me if, as a marketing and branding expert, she could interview me about how countries were increasingly looking to marketing consultants with a view to branding.

The enquiry came about after Romanian bank, Alpha, appointed Saatchi as their PR consultants. Recognising that after all the bad press banks had recently attracted they were seeking to rebrand, the Poles wondered if whole countries could be rebranded.”

He continued, “I was able to point out that some countries had been very successful in rebranding themselves. Namibia is a prime example; for over 20 years the country, which is the second least populated country in the world, was war torn as a war of independence was fought. Today it is one of the most stable countries in Africa and has a thriving tourist industry. People now think of it as rugged, picturesque, soulful and inviting. This has all happened in the 18 years since independence.

Conversely, despite the Olympics, for many China is still perceived as a closed society and Tiananmen Square is still fresh in the memory. In time China can be rebranded but we are probably talking about the process taking several generations.”

Confirmation that UK “ekspert” opinion was sought came when a Polish website carried the interview.

The Masterclass where this all happened was run at Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce and drew attendees from as far away as Yorkshire and Berkshire.

Commenting on the Masterclass Dorcas Eatch said, “Stefan gets to the nitty-gritty of marketing without you realising how much you have taken in. He gave every one equal interest and attention to our different marketing strategies in a very knowledgeable yet 'easy on the ear' way.

I'd hit a bit of a block with my website, www.fotodayz.co.uk , but with Stefan's help I have been able to kick start the interest and am really looking forward to the rest of the year. Stefan is definitely my 'Marketing Magician'.

A big thank you, Stefan, for all your help and I am glad I battled through the fog to meet you".

Notes to Editors

The Marketing Masterclass was held at Coventry & Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce Conference Centre

Stefan is a member of Coventry & Warwickshire Chamber as well as Birmingham Chamber of Commerce where he is a Council Member and their SME Ambassador

Previously Head of Press, Publicity and Marketing at the Contributions Agency Stefan also directed marketing for a number of large colleges before opening Stefan Drew Associates in 2005. Despite spending little money on marketing his business has grown rapidly year on year; a fact Stefan puts down to implementing his own advice.

Having advised businesses on both sides of the Atlantic, in Africa, Asia and Australia Stefan's work has been published in over 50 countries and he has subscribers to his regular Marketing Newsletter on every continent except Antarctica.

Stefan's clients range from sole traders and SMEs to corporates and include household names in the public and private sector.

Stefan recommends businesses use the hundreds of free and low cost marketing methods available to businesses of all sizes; these include free advertising, Google Maps, search engines, free directories, subscription newsletters and SEO etc.

Stefan Drew is a Fellow of the Institute of Business Consultants.

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