Branding Kosovo: The young Europeans

Branding Kosovo: The young Europeans

Countries spend alot of money on branding these days; you've probably seen those lavish advertisements on television, for "Incredible India" or "Magical Kenya".

Less celebrated countries, like Kazakhstan, Armenia and Montenegro have got in on the act, trying to throw off negative stereotypes, and project images of beautiful, sun-kissed lands, rich in heritage, with friendly people who are eager to greet visiting tourists and businessmen.  

Now, Kosovo has done the same, with a well-produced 60 second film, coming soon to a television screen near you.

If you can't wait, here it is:

At the launch in Pristina, Kosovo's Prime Minister, Hashim Thaci, said that since Kosovo unilaterally declared independence from Serbia last year, it had become internationally known as  "democratic, peaceful and progressive".

Mr Thaci is being disingenuous. The unfair truth is that what little the rest of the world knows about Kosovo is that there was a brutal war there not long ago, and that its declaration of independence is supported by the ethnic Albanian majority but fiercely disputed by Serbia.  Which, of course, is precisely why the Kosovan government has paid Saatchi and Saatchi millions of dollars to come up with a more positive image.  So now we have a young, vibrant nation, full of beautiful people.

The Kosovo government hopes the campaign will help to break down ignorance and prejudice, and increase international recognition of Kosovo's sovereignty.  One website, set up by Kosovan volunteers, keeps track of which countries have taken the plunge, and formally recognised Kosovo.

Kosovo can certainly point to successes; the United States and most of the European Union heavyweights are firmly on its side. But most countries across the world have, so far, decided not to recognise it. This includes Russia, China, and, perhaps surprisingly, many Islamic states.  Serbia, and its energetic foreign minister, Vuk Jeremic,  is working hard to convince countries not to recognise Kosovo, at least until the International Court of Justice makes a ruling.

So, it will be interesting to see whether this rebranding exercise makes a difference.