10 things Greece should do

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Greece’s nation brand image is suffering badly from the Greek government’s debt crisis, and the country has to do something about it urgently. To improve its nation brand, Greece could and should some of these 10 things:

  1. First of all, say ‘Thank you’ to Europe. All decent citizens say so when they’re helped by their neighbours. Greece is a country that is polite enough to say ‘Thank you’. Launch a government-run website admitting the mistakes done.  No kidding here, it’s important to say so. It can shift the way Greeks are portrayed these days.
  2. Make it clear that it hasn’t been ‘the Greeks’ who made the mistakes – it was the Greek government, the Greek State, the Greek Administration. They were the ones who spent more than they had and the ones who lied to Eurostat about their figures, it wasn’t the Greek people who did this.
  3. Say that before European tax payers, it’s the Greek tax payers who will the first to pay and the ones who will pay more. Tell the real story as it is: it’s not the Europeans helping the Greeks, it’s the European peoples (including the Greeks) helping the Greek government.
  4. Bring strict transparency to the funds received – and show online and live how they are being used – to be accountable by all Eurozone tax payers (including both Greeks and Germans, and the other contributors)
  5. Invite European citizens to visit the country and re-meet the real Greek reality and the true Greek spirit beyond paper and TV headlines. Use the attention (while it’s there) to get the message across. Say it through the Prime Minister (and/or sportsmen), not through advertising.
  6. No lavish tourism campaign this year – Greece has had more than enough media exposure this season. Greece is already on people’s shortlist this year, so for once there’s no need for expensive advertising.
  7. Needless to say, no Eurovision this year. It would be a public suicide for Greece’s credibility to take part in this expensive and dispensable show. It would be a waste of money and an insult to Greek and fellow European tax payers.
  8. Deliver a groundbreaking, aggressive and media-candy plan to boost FDI. For example, develop a program providing free for the next 25 years real estate to foreign companies moving to Greece.
  9. Meet an agreement with Turkey based upon good neighbourhood and agree to mutually relax military spendings. The only ones gaining off this outdated tension relationship are the ones who sell the weapons – among them large German, French and American industries. Greeks need that money to re-construct their State’s economy from the ground up.
  10. Champion the popular backlash against obscure rating agencies and billionaire speculators. Launch innovative regulation measures and gain the respect of the world as a modern Thermopylae – a bastion where a small nation stands against the new, almighty Xerxes – those figures in the dark who are so powerful that they can turn a whole country’s economy down.

Today, all of these initiatives could hit world headlines and make a valuable favor to Greece’s reputation and improve Greece’s brand image. Use the attention while it’s there, Greeks!