National brand for the Republic of Moldova Svetlana

National brand for the Republic of Moldova Svetlana MUNTEANU, State Agency on Intellectual Property of the Republic of Moldova (AGEPI), Diana VLASIUC, Moldovan Investment and Export Promotion Organization (MIEPO)

Republic of Moldova - an integral part of Europe Due to the restructuring process that started in the Central and Eastern Europe, in June 1990 Moldova proclaimed its sovereignty, and on August 27, 1991 – its State Independence. In March 2, 1992, the Republic of Moldova became a member of the United Nations, and on 13 July 1995 Moldova became a full-fl edged member of the Council of Europe. • • Location: in the central part of Europe Area: 33, 843 sq. Km Population: 4, 264, 300 inh. Capital: Chişinău 2

MOLDOVAN INVESTMENT AND EXPORT PROMOTION ORGANIZATION • WHY A BRANDING FOR MOLDOVA Developing a Branding for Moldova is the attempt to increase positive foreign awareness of the country and especially to improve trade and foreign direct Investment into Moldova. • SO WHAT IS BRANDING ABOUT? Its the translation of the identity and the direction of a country into visual communication which can be immediately understood by all recipients inside as well as outside of Moldova, by Moldovans as well as by foreigners. 3

THE BRAND ESSENCE • The brand essence is an engine that drives and embeds the brand strategy. Thus every narrative shall originate from it and represent the brand everywhere. The brand essence may be presented in two words: Quality driven Independence of the country, its diverse cultures and history, its geographical location and its size results in an open and international orientated society. This together with its extremely fertile geography distinguishes Moldova strongly from its neighbors and gives Moldova the basis to make quality its key driving factor in society, culture and economy. "Quality Driven" is the essence of Moldova's brand strategy that should be clearly transferred from inside to outside. 4

TRANSLATING THE BRAND STORIES FOR DIFFERENT AUDIENCES 5

The semantic box: • Different attributes of Moldova are organized in a semantic box. This allows to describe Moldova with a set of words in various combinations. • The semantic box is the essence of the branding of Moldova and allows consistent communication about Moldova in all kind of applications. It forms the basis for the brand development, but will also be used for any kind of briefing on communication materials or media campaign or investment events. 6

MOLDOVA (semantic box) 7

Brand direction On the basis of the semantic box the brand direction for Moldova was defined. The key attributes are: - Welcoming - Dynamic - Small & precious - Nature & natural - Independent - Energetic - International The visual solution is a three dimensional cube always used with the country name Moldova and with the claim “Discover us”. The cube symbolizes: Energy, Ownership, Preciousness, Independence, Nature, Warmth, Dynamics. 8

Cube development 9

THE CUBE: VISUALIZING THE BRAND STRATEGY • The cube represents best the key characteristics, benefits and brand essence of Moldova. • The relatively small size of Moldova, its geographical location and mix of culture create a high quality of nature and people for an unbeatable price. Characteristics Benefits Brand Essence Size Location Mix of cultures Nature People Quality 10

These key elements of Moldova are closely linked with each other and interrelate with each other: The cube represents best these interdependent features which form together one holistic, unique system of country elements that makes Moldova different to all other places. 11

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A treasure is our language that surges From deep shadows of the past, Chain of precious stones that scattered All over our ancient land. • A burning flame is our language Amidst a people waking From a deathly sleep, no warning, Like the brave man of the stories. Our language is more than holy, Words of homilies of old Wept and sung perpetually In the homesteads of our folks. A treasure will spring up swiftly From deep shadows of the past, Chain of precious stones that scattered All over our ancient land. 13

Brand evolution: I II 14

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Investing in Moldova “Great place to live and locate a business” Moldo-Czech Business Forum 05 October 2009, Prague 20