Alastair Campbell, Tony Blair’s former communications chief, said today that Malta had a good image and brand which it needed to market more forcefully.

“The future depends on the questions you ask about your role in the world. It is all about asking the right questions, it is the same for governments, businesses and brands,” he said.

“The questions you ask are as important as the answers, he said. The value comes less from the replies but more from those pointing to the right direction.”.

Speaking at a conference hosted by Ernst and Young about Malta’s investment attractiveness, he said that following his questions on Malta, the replies he got were that Malta was not known well enough abroad. Knowledge was restricted to sun and sea. Promotion was not being done well enough. He viewed it as lacking cohesion and a consistent brand.

Prime Minister Joseph Muscat, he said, was right in his vision of Malta in relation to Singapore because that was the reply to a question on where Malta wanted to be.
Malta had grown in importance because it had joined the European Union. That had given Malta a place on one of the important tables in the world and a role in an important trading area.

Countries could not work alone but forge alliances, not just politically but also in business. ‘Better together’ did not apply only to the Scottish referendum.
Image, too, mattered. Image was a reputational power which had to be used well, he said.

Using the UK example, he regretted that the British government instead of challenging those who wanted the country out of the EU, had pandered to them. The holding of a referendum would consume time and energy and damage the UK’s standing, even if the UK stayed in the EU.

In Malta the obvious first question was: what are the island’s strengths and weaknesses? The former were far more than the latter, with investors appearing to be satisfied to be here and planning expansions. Malta was showing itself to be nimble, turning a potential weakness caused by its small size, into an advantage.
Part of Malta’s attractiveness was also in the rich cultural heritage the English speaking population and the lifestyle.

The fundamentals for Malta were strong.

But Malta needed to have a single, strong brand strategy to market itself abroad Every business, big or small, was part of Malta Inc and the message had to be clear. One had to decide on the picture he had to paint, and go about doing it, bit by bit, over time.

All of Malta’s essential elements, be they tourism, financial services, business, the weather, lifestyle, history, Igaming, etc needed to be brought together in a masterbrand.

“You have a good image, but not a powerful image,” he said.