Branding Kyrgyzstan
Branding Kyrgyzstan
A new plan to attract investment to Kyrgyzstan by establishing the country as a brand has won some praise, but it could falter because of the underlying problems such as the lack of infrastructure and well-developed industries on which to pin the image.
On August 9, Prime Minister Almazbek Atambaev ordered a special working group to draft proposals for a Kyrgyz national brand.
Representatives from various ministries, businesses and public institutions have joined the group, which is headed by deputy economic development and trade minister Sanjar Mukanbetov.
The idea is for the brand to use a unique and recognisable image of the country to attract investment and promote economic development, identifying the country as a tourist hub, a financial centre or a quality supplier, for example.
Economist Orozbek Duysheev says that used properly, a corporate-style national brand will improve Kyrgyzstan’s economy and image.
“A national brand is especially important for developing countries with limited resources,” he said.
NBCentralAsia observers say the branding strategy will need to identify industries which have the capacity to become internationally competitive and could be promoted as part of the image.
Economist Jyldyz Sarybaeva thinks the government should base the brand on economic sectors with the best potential to sell themselves in the international marketplace.
“It is important to identify what the Kyrgyz brand should focus on, and then develop, market and sell that sector and its products on foreign markets,” he said.
Some commentators say the image should be based on Kyrgyzstan’s mountainous landscapes and clean environment, which have obvious potential for eco-tourism.
“One of the main objectives behind establishing a national brand has to be advertising Kyrgyzstan as a tourist destination,” said Turusbek Mamashov, the director of the State Agency for Developing Tourism.
However, political analyst Marat Kazabaev, doubts that even the cleverest branding will make much of a difference to Kyrgyzstan’s economy, given that there are no strong, competitive industries on which to base it.
“World practice is to use national brands to symbolise a country through identifiable trademarked products, but Kyrgyzstan doesn’t have industries or companies that could represent it in this way,” he said.
Economic observer Sapar Orozbakov agrees that the country’s lack of infrastructure, modern technology and developed industry makes it very difficult to put together an effective commercial or trade brand.
“It would be good to have a national brand, but its impact on the economy will not be substantial in Kyrgyzstan,” he said.
(News Briefing Central Asia draws comment and analysis from a broad range of political observers across the region.)
On August 9, Prime Minister Almazbek Atambaev ordered a special working group to draft proposals for a Kyrgyz national brand.
Representatives from various ministries, businesses and public institutions have joined the group, which is headed by deputy economic development and trade minister Sanjar Mukanbetov.
The idea is for the brand to use a unique and recognisable image of the country to attract investment and promote economic development, identifying the country as a tourist hub, a financial centre or a quality supplier, for example.
Economist Orozbek Duysheev says that used properly, a corporate-style national brand will improve Kyrgyzstan’s economy and image.
“A national brand is especially important for developing countries with limited resources,” he said.
NBCentralAsia observers say the branding strategy will need to identify industries which have the capacity to become internationally competitive and could be promoted as part of the image.
Economist Jyldyz Sarybaeva thinks the government should base the brand on economic sectors with the best potential to sell themselves in the international marketplace.
“It is important to identify what the Kyrgyz brand should focus on, and then develop, market and sell that sector and its products on foreign markets,” he said.
Some commentators say the image should be based on Kyrgyzstan’s mountainous landscapes and clean environment, which have obvious potential for eco-tourism.
“One of the main objectives behind establishing a national brand has to be advertising Kyrgyzstan as a tourist destination,” said Turusbek Mamashov, the director of the State Agency for Developing Tourism.
However, political analyst Marat Kazabaev, doubts that even the cleverest branding will make much of a difference to Kyrgyzstan’s economy, given that there are no strong, competitive industries on which to base it.
“World practice is to use national brands to symbolise a country through identifiable trademarked products, but Kyrgyzstan doesn’t have industries or companies that could represent it in this way,” he said.
Economic observer Sapar Orozbakov agrees that the country’s lack of infrastructure, modern technology and developed industry makes it very difficult to put together an effective commercial or trade brand.
“It would be good to have a national brand, but its impact on the economy will not be substantial in Kyrgyzstan,” he said.
(News Briefing Central Asia draws comment and analysis from a broad range of political observers across the region.)
