Colombia is most famous for drug trafficking, rightist guerrillas, extortions and corruption. This industry and economy of evil once made the country one of the most feared, and at times dangerous country in the Southern Hemisphere. However, in recent years Colombia has reached a stage of development and security which allows the country to attract…
We have refered on some occasion about Iraq’s inmense nation branding potential. Last week, a story on ForeignPolicy.com compared the tourist brand of Iraq with that of Colombia, and how the Middle Eastern country could learn off Colombia’s improvement in reputation and attractiveness. Three years ago, Colombia launched a nation branding campaign, “Colombia is passion,”…
Felipe Estefan, a Colombian journalist in New York, has written an interesting piece on his thoughts about the Branding Colombia initiative. The “Colombia is Passion” slogan, coined for Colombia by US nation branding expert David Lightle, appears not distinctive enough to Estefan, who also doubts about the efficacy of this “nation branding” campaign, since Colombia’s…
In 1996, when a Colombian government official first approached marketing consultant David Lightle about a campaign to improve the nation’s image, Mr. Lightle looked around Bogota and told him the truth: “Don’t waste your money,” he recalls saying. The country, he says, “was a mess.” Colombia was convulsed by violence from leftist guerrillas, and its…
