Flag brands as factor and results of a country identity and image: Polish experiences

Anna-Maria Nikodemska-Wolowik

Description

Abstract
This article discusses the issue of creating regional and country brands by enterprises and of establishing a national brand. The three mentioned flag brand categories have been described in detail and the relations between them have been indicated. The article also makes an attempt at analyzing the factors that form part of the brand identity focusing primarily on the consumer product brands. The identity and image concepts are presented also in a broader perspective as certain attributes that characterize the enterprise itself. The presented considerations refer mainly to Polish companies, but some examples of enterprises from highly developed countries, especially from the European Union, have also been added in order to provide this paper with more practical dimensions. Specific brands offered by national enterprises that may be called country and regional brands have been proposed. Some transformations of the market environment which imply branding activities of the companies have been identified, especially the antiglobalist movement which becomes more and more powerful and its activities directed against big concerns and omnipresent mass brands. Moreover, the consumer ethnocentrism and regional trends opposed to the globalization have been emphasized. Also the important rote of family businesses in developing flag brands has been made evident. The family companies may contribute to maintaining and reinforcing the Polish identity.
Resumen
El presente trabajo se ocupa de los aspectos referentes a la creación de marcas regionales y locales así como del establecimiento de una marca nacional. Las tres categorías de marcas de bandera se han caracterizado detalladamente y se indican las relaciones que existen entre ellas. También se intenta analizar los factores que forman parte de la identidad de marca, con especial atención a las marcas de productos de consumo. Se presentan los conceptos de identidad e imagen desde una perspectiva más amplia como atributos que caracterizan a la empresa. Las reflexiones presentadas se refieren, sobre todo, a las empresas polacas, pero también se citan algunos ejemplos de actividades de compañías localizadas en países altamente desarrollados, en concreto en la Unidad Europea, con el fin de otorgar al artículo una dimensión práctica. Se proponen marcas concretas que ofrecen empresas locales y que pueden denominarse como marcas nacionales o regionales. Se indican los cambios en el entorno del mercado que implican actividades de las empresas en el área de branding, y de modo especial se toma en consideración el cada vez más fuerte movimiento antiglobalizante y sus actividades dirigidas contra grandes consorcios y las omnipresentes marcas de masas. Además se pone de relieve el significado de etnocentrismo de tos consumidores y de las tendencias regionalistas opuestas a la globalización. Del mismo modo, se destaca el importante papel de las empresas familiares en el establecimiento de marcas de bandera. Las empresas familiares podrán contribuir a conservar y reforzar la identidad polaca

Sujets

• Identidad
• Imagén
• Identity
• Image
• Family business

Informations

• Publié par: erevistas
• Publié le: 01 janvier 2007
• Nombre de lectures: 11
• Langue: Español

Extrait

Pecvnia, 3 (2006), pp. 141-161
Flag brands as factor and result of a country
1
identity and image – Polish experiences
Anna Maria Nikodemska-Wolowik
El presente trabajo se ocupa de los aspectos This article discusses the issue of
referentes a la creación de marcas regionales y creating regional and country brands by
locales así como del establecimiento de una marca enterprises and of establishing a national brand.
nacional. Las tres categorías de marcas de bandera The three mentioned flag brand categories
se han caracterizado detalladamente y se indican las have been described in detail and the relations
relaciones que existen entre ellas. También se between them have been indicated. The article
intenta analizar los factores que forman parte de la also makes an attempt at analyzing the factors
identidad de marca, con especial atención a las that form part of the brand identity focusing
marcas de productos de consumo. Se presentan los primarily on the consumer product brands. The
conceptos de identidad e imagen desde una identity and image concepts are presented also
perspectiva más amplia como atributos que in a broader perspective as certain attributes
caracterizan a la empresa. Las reflexiones that characterize the enterprise itself. The
presentadas se refieren, sobre todo, a las empresas presented considerations refer mainly to Polish
polacas, pero también se citan algunos ejemplos companies, but some examples of enterprises
de actividades de compañías localizadas en países from highly developed countries, especially from
altamente desarrollados, en concreto en la Unidad the European Union, have also been added in
Europea, con el fin de otorgar al artículo una order to provide this paper with more practical
dimensión práctica. Se proponen marcas concretas dimensions. Specific brands offered by national

1
The paper was prepared owing to financial support from the University of
Gdansk for individual research project, nr. BW/3300-5-0114-6. 142 Flag brands as factor and result of a country
identity and image – Polish experiences
que ofrecen empresas locales y que pueden enterprises that may be called country and
denominarse como marcas nacionales o regionales. regional brands have been proposed. Some
Se indican los cambios en el entorno del mercado transformations of the market environment
que implican actividades de las empresas en el which imply branding activities of the companies
área de branding, y de modo especial se toma en have been identified, especially the antiglobalist
consideración el cada vez más fuerte movimiento movement which becomes more and more
antiglobalizante y sus actividades dirigidas contra powerful and its activities directed against big
grandes consorcios y las omnipresentes marcas de concerns and omnipresent mass brands.
masas. Además se pone de relieve el significado de Moreover, the consumer ethnocentrism and
etnocentrismo de los consumidores y de las regional trends opposed to the globalization
tendencias regionalistas opuestas a la globalización. have been emphasized. Also the important role
Del mismo modo, se destaca el importante papel of family businesses in developing flag brands
de las empresas familiares en el establecimiento de has been made evident. The family companies
marcas de bandera. Las empresas familiares podrán may contribute to maintaining and reinforcing
contribuir a conservar y reforzar la identidad polaca. the Polish identity.

Palabras clave: marcas de bandera, marca regional, Key words: flag brands, regional, home and
local y nacional, identidad, imagen, empresas national brand, identity, image, family
familiares. enterprise.

1. INTRODUCTION
In 2004 Poland, together with other nine post-communist
states became an integral part of the European Union, which may be
perceived as a symbolic crowning of a fifteen-year period of economic
transformation. Poland had endured one of the most traumatic ations in the region. The "curative" programme that was
launched in 1989 had touched off an economic revolution with its key
turnaround elements: explosion of private companies, vigorous border trade,
surging exports, trying to benchmark against Asian Tigers, restructuring
state corporations and attracting foreign investments. Since 1989 business
environment has undergone a substantial and rapid change which has
altered both the structure and the direction of a large number of
companies in Poland.
During these fifteen years of building the free market, the
majority of Polish state entrepreneurs was learning how to function in the
capitalist economy. On the other hand, private businessmen were able to
develop more freely the companies that they had established before the
transformation or they set up new companies. At the beginning of
privatization in Poland there were functioning 8500 state enterprises as
compared to only 417 such companies existing in 2004. After the years of
lost and regained national identity, which directly influenced domestic Anna Maria Nikodemska-Wolowik 143

economy, the issue of Polish identity, and creating strong brands, is gaining
significance.
Nowadays, Polish companies, similarly to many firms in the
EU countries or in other continents, perceive the sense of exposing the
identity of their products. Certainly it concerns selected categories of
products for which such activities are really beneficial. In this article the
author focused on the issue of creating brands offered by the enterprises
underlining the country of origin of their products. However, sometimes a
brand is perceived as produced in a given country and as a very typical
symbol for the state but in reality the brand belongs to a foreign investor
or international company. The article presents the role of brands
characteristic for a given country or region whose strong position ensures
them, nowadays or potentially, a crucial place in international markets.
The text also shows the very essence of a national brand, proving its
increasing significance in the conditions of international competitiveness
and the necessity to consciously and consistently shape an image of a
country. The author attempted to analyse the factors shaping the identity
of a brand, focusing mainly on brands of competitive products. The
analysis presented below mainly concerns Polish enterprises but it also
includes the activities of the companies from advanced countries, especially
from the EU. The author risks a thesis that the identity of Polish business,
and even more generally, the identity of a country's business can be
strengthened by powerful brands.

2. CONCEPT OF BRAND IDENTITY AND IMAGE
When it comes to identity and image, one should be
2initially focused on this issue in a wider context. According to Balmer ,
starting from the inside of a company, its identity must be considered
first. Corporate identity is the mix of elements which endows organizations
with their distinctiveness. Corporate identity is the accumulation of a
company's history and its strategies and constitutes the sense of selfhood.
Thus consequently it is unique, formed by organization's beliefs and
philosophy, the nature of its technology, its ownership, its people, the

2
J.M.T. Balmer (2001) "Corporate identity, corporate branding and corporate
marketing. Seeing through the fog", European Journal of Marketing, Vol. 35, No. 3/4, p. 248. 144 Flag brands as factor and result of a country
identity and image – Polish experiences
3personality of its leaders, its ethical and cultural values . Feelings of
identity and belonging are among the most profound manifestations of the
company condition —they are a binding and driving force that energizes
4the group and gives it a sense of uniqueness . On the other hand, corporate
image can be treated as the mental picture that people have of the
5company and a sort of collective experience of those who work for and
6deal with the organization . The term corporate image refers to three
different domains of reality: the external world, a consumer's mind, and
7textual intermediary between the two .
However, in this article the term brand identity is frequently
used, therefore it should be defined. Brand identity is treated as a group
of individual features connected to each other and typical of a given product
which are consciously exposed by a company (brand's owner). They may
be actual attributes of a specific good (e.g. A. Blikle's products – a
multigeneration tradition of Polish confectionery, Blue Mountain – Jamaican
coffee characterised by extraordinary flavour and taste as well as highest
quality in the world for connoisseurs) or features created by experts in
branding (e.g. Frugo soft drink – a "youth" product of new age type, Max
Factor cosmetics – necessary for professional make up used by celebrities).
It should be added that brand identity is highly influenced by the
corporate identity strategy implemented by a company (widely used
acronim: CI).