The value of sports when it comes to brand

As a sports enthusiast and passionate about Place Branding, I do follow special events and actions that put both together. Sports is a key player of our society, as far as it hosts the essential values of human kind. The local and external projection of sports, both similar and different at the same time, can bring huge benefits to the development of a country.

For less developed countries and emerging nations, sports are a direct way to many destinies. Sports educate, bring together, set a solid community base through very special values, teach about effort, commitment, group and determination.

Today, I finally found a couple of hours to enjoy Invictus, a film by Clint Eastwood based on John Grisham´s book The human factor. A true story, part of the history of a country.

I really enjoyed watching the film, not about its face, but about its concept. Invictus goes beyond a story of conciliation between whites and blacks in South Africa. Through a too simple structure and presentation, Invictus shows us how Mandela saw in rugby the way to  end up with the historic Blacks vs Whites of his country.

I missed a deepest consideration of Mandela´s personality and strategic sense. Yes, he is a perfect strategist. He analyzed what rugby meant in that society and decided to turn it into the key tool to brand South Africa internally and launch a new image to the Public Opinion.

I felt the film had a wide lack of crucial issues. The human factor book took us first through the tough years Mandela suffered struggling as a lawyer against apartheid´s rules and those he spent in jail.

If better structured and shown, Invictus could be a basic manual of Place Branding through Sports. It tried to and, in fact, it was launched few months before de Football World Championship that was to be held in South Africa. But one could say the echo it provoked was far from the original target.

Sports and Entertainment (cinema) as key players for a country branding plan.

Two (very) different worlds

Some important issues of this global life separate the world into two: Latin world and Anglo-Saxon one. This is a question I have observed for years, and the first and clearest proof of it I found was the internal wars both sides are fighting into the International Olympic Committee since the 80s´.

Olympic Movement keeps on moving from side to side. An Olympic site is elected after strong internal disputes that do not arise to the general public.

When I began my research on Place Branding, I soon realized it was a matter of the Anglo-Saxon world. I admire their way of approaching communications, their ability to create such practical disciplines to manage the world. But I am convinced they do it their way, and that means they do not mind the rest or, simply, they do not understand that another world is possible.

Place Branding concepts, country branding indexes, best cities rankings, they are all made in English. The more I go through one of these rankings, the less I feel they reflect reality.

It can be a personal perception, but I am sure it is not. I have researched a lot on this and found too many unfortunate conceptions of what Latin world is. Being Latin world Latin America and Spain.

I have to recognize we Latins have a very short knowledge of what Anglo-Saxon world means. It is a matter of understanding that another way of thinking and acting shares the planet with us. Both cultures are too self-feeding.

Well, we´d better talk about British plus American plus northern Europe worlds, all together. But, to the issue we are in, I have to remark the role of British and Americans.

Latins have not developed their own Place Branding criteria and techniques, relying on British gurus the task of shaping their global identity. Why admitting they are on the right path? I doubt an Anglo-Saxon company can carry out a consistent and coherent Branding Plan for a Latin nation. And I have put myself on the shoes of Mexicans, Chileans, Peruvians, Dominicans or Colombians. I firmly believe both cultures are so different to each other they do not even understand what is the other really about.

Let´s think of Latin American people voting for the best countries in the world to live in. Would they choose New Zealand? And let´s think of English speaking world selecting the city with the best cultural and social life. Would they even think of Madrid?

World places rankings are rather difficult to make. We should take the perfect mixture of nationalities to build the right ones. It sounds a strong task, and even each question to ask should have rather different meanings: Which country would you choose to work in? Which to enjoy? Which to live in? Obviously, the quality of life concept of a British differs a lot from the one of a Mexican. The thing is concepts are not the same.