A consortium of economic development and branding experts are to spend the coming six months developing a detailed brand strategy and implementation plan for the roll-out of Botswana’s national brand. Officials from Debswana form part of the multi-stakeholder team to guide the branding process.
If developed and executed correctly, a national brand can provide a true basis of competitive advantage, change perceptions of internal and external audiences and therefore stimulate economic growth and diversification, and should therefore be seen as a core part of economic development.
Botswana has prioritized national branding in an effort to promote investment into industry diversification and build upon the principles of the country’s Vision 2016.
The national brand project will first assess the current economic realities, strategies and organisational capacities of Botswana together with understanding in detail the current perceptions within Botswana and internationally. The project team will then develop brand options and test these with key stakeholders and target audiences, resulting in a refined and fully-tested brand strategy. Finally, brand guidelines, an implementation plan and a brand monitoring framework will ensure that the project can move as smoothly and rapidly as possible towards implementation.
The brand strategy and implementation plan is scheduled to be completed by September 2006 in time for the 40th anniversary of independence celebrations.
