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New Britain, new branding
June 25, 1998
Is national branding useful to British companies? By Jack Yan
L A S T Y E A R, CAP analysed the branding of Britain in one of our most popular columns. National branding efforts can impart certain qualities to products made in or associated with that nation. And we were left in two minds: Mary Quant and the Beatles have been and gone and Britain still had an old-fashioned image tied to the black cab and Big Ben. Alternatively, Britain could rebrand itself as British Airways would do the following month, showing its adventurous, high-tech side. Tony Blair's government quickly hopped on the "Cool Britannia" bandwagon, setting up a committee to create a new image for the nation, with such high-profile Brits as fashion designer Stella McArtney.
According to Dragon research in Leeds and London, Britons are not cynical towards the branding of Britain. "New Britain" had positive connotations which appealed to Dragon's focus groups and were cautiously optimistic. The Cool Britannia tag, however, was judged as mere hype.
Non-UK readers of CAP may be astonished to find that New Britain is associated with cutting-edge, global, provocative, creative and confident. Yet the reality of many UK firms reflect these adjectives. Tesco, The Body Shop and others have no association with the images of old. British ad agencies continuously push the envelope. They are, instead, innovative. The important ingredient, said Dragon founder Dorothy MacKenzie, was trust. British consumers have little problem determining which brands were "new Britain" and which were "old Britain".
The Dragon research is useful if taken in full. And they should also be considered in the export context - which was the background against which the whole discussion of branding Britain arose.
The idea behind any identity task or rebranding is differentiation. Focusing solely on trust, design and innovation does not help any company trying to make use of a national image - because there are millions of other companies using the same adjectives in other countries. Nations like Ireland, which has a clean, green image, may be astonished to find that Sweden and New Zealand try to use the same for their exporting efforts, at least in the primary sector.
Can the five adjectives work? Surely there are companies so trapped in the past, or continue to make use of the traditional ideas of Britain? Companies like Rover keep showing us the wood and leather of their automobiles. Land Rover advertisements always show the company's royal warrants. That is fine to me - because they are differentiating themselves in their markets. They play on the export markets' existing idea of Britain, as slightly old-fashioned and quirky. Men apparently still dress like Patrick Macnee did in The Avengers and travel on double-decker buses to the City.
What about the "new Britain" company where a global, cutting-edge strategy has been decided upon? Certainly it faces an uphill battle in trying to convert overseas consumers' ideas of merrie old England? Experience shows that if the marketing communications effort is consistent, then the national brand becomes less of an issue. Jaguar, for instance, plays on its past glories in the styling of its automobiles - but it does not play on notions of Empire. There is no mention of Britain in its advertising, anywhere, which instead looks at the power of its V8 engines and the ownership experience. There's no denying, however, that Jaguar is a British company to the everyday consumer. The identity, branding efforts and Jaguar's own history are so solid that it masks the fact that Jaguar is American-owned, and indeed, future Jaguars will share their platforms with Fords and Lincolns.
BT is a global telecommunications player which also does not play on its Britishness: it is an international company with headquarters in Britain and divisions and JVs worldwide.
Strangely enough, the word 'global' is one description Dragon's research has uncovered. In that case, one would think that a global company need not play on any one nation. It can be cutting-edge, provocative, creative and different without being British. It has the will to be global so it comes up with its own set of adjectives.
Yes, it is useful in making use of a national image. If you are a small company, chances are a well-defined national image would be incredibly useful. But generally, you would not be in a position to steer the national image single-handedly by creating your own set of values. Thus, taking advantage of the national image depends a great deal on your audience's existing notions of your country. In some cases it may be wholly inappropriate. In other words: don't get caught up in the hype. Think whether the national brand, whether of new or old Britain, works with your long-term strategy. Most Britons' attitude of cautious optimism should be wisely observed.  Jack Yan
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