Need to drive brand Malta 'fanatically'

An aggressive internal branding campaign for Malta should kick off in about two weeks when the local advertising agency to be entrusted with the job is selected, the Malta Tourism Authority's international branding consultant Christian Sinding said, stressing the importance of promoting the Malta brand domestically and having the support of the Maltese.

"We would not succeed in re-branding the island if we do not have the Maltese on our side," he said, insisting on the importance of getting all stakeholders on board - "strong brands being built from the inside out".

Meetings were being held with about seven local agencies, he said, adding that the branding message had to be spread throughout the island in what would be an ongoing process, via radio, TV, magazines and newspapers.

It would be a thorough campaign, he said, explaining what a brand is, what brand Malta and its vision are, and the list of the core values, using "people language".

Mr Sinding was speaking at a media briefing - one in a series of meetings being held with over 40 stakeholders.

He was hired by the MTA about a year ago to work on the branding of Malta, and has already visited the island about 11 times.

"You are sitting on a goldmine," he said of the island's assets and potential.

Mr Sinding said he had drawn up an extensive list in a very short space of time of all the activities he could do within half an hour from his hotel room - and any hotel room for that matter - and was truly impressed. This was not possible elsewhere, he said. The government has allocated Lm500,000 to the re-branding of Malta internally and externally, and Mr Sinding wished there was another zero added to the figure. He augured that a bigger budget would be allocated in 2007, saying that branding required time and money.

Branding was the creation of value, and it was measurable, he explained, although its effects would not be seen before the next two to three years.

The vision of brand Malta - to enrich people's lives - and the core values of hospitality, heritage and diversity had been tested and the results were "very encouraging", Mr Sinding said.

"The idea is to place Malta in the minds of those in a position to travel in such a way that it pops up again and again and is associated with a set of values."

Mr Sinding said the UK was a particular market, and a strategic issue the MTA had to face. It had to phase out its older tourist base, creating and attracting one similar to those in central Europe.

Meanwhile, at the end of the week, a CNN crew will be coming over to Malta again to film the fourth advert, to be aired on the top news channel by around September. Feedback on the effects of the first three adverts will be received from CNN in September, Mr Sinding said.

Malta had to be tough and smarter in its branding exercise due to its small size. Like all brands, brand Malta must be driven "fanatically", he said.

It was important to get the right international agency on board - a lengthy process - for the international branding exercise to put forward the core values, he said.