Going around the world and discovering a Cuban product in a commercial store today is a source of pride for Cuban nationals living in other lands, and faith in quality for those of other nationalities, especially when it comes to what has made the island famous.
Rum, cigars, medicines, music, books, tropical food, clothes that remind us of the lightness of the Caribbean breezes and the beauty of our people. Everything is scattered around, among the millions of things that are bought and sold every day around the planet.
But how much of what is circulating today bears Cuba's Country Brand? What steps should be taken so that, in a not so distant day, our presence in the most important international markets is not only remarkable, but also appetizing?
Some of these issues were addressed by Humberto Juan Fabián Suárez, Master of Science in Business Management, Marketing and Social Communication, who holds the position of president of the Country Brand Council of the Republic of Cuba.
From his experience of almost four decades of professional communication practice, he points out the difficulty of positioning a country image and its graphic expression, which, in the case of Cuba, “is doubly difficult”.
The reason, he argues, is “the constant communication campaign of discrediting that has as its protagonists the big corporate media that try to distort the true reality of the country. This is combined with an articulated action in digital networks.
“Nor can we fail to take into account the asphyxiating commercial, economic and financial blockade of the U.S. government and its extraterritoriality, which appreciably limits the capacity of potential foreign investors; without forgetting the incorporation of the country to the spurious list of countries that allegedly encourage terrorism, which is an impediment in this scenario.
“In these circumstances, the articulation of all economic and social actors in terms of offering a coherent vision of Cuba and its competitive advantages; as a market; for foreign investment, tourism and the goodness of its goods and services, without ignoring the strength of its culture and national identity, becomes an essential objective.”
“The Country Brand has to accompany all the achievements that distinguish Cuba's work in the fields of health, education, science and innovation, sports, gastronomy and everything that is the result of the achievements of the Revolution,” he argues.
-What impact is the brand having on the perception of the quality of goods and services in the international market?
-It is undeniable that the license of use granted by the Country Brand Council, the only entity authorized to do so on the island, is a competitive advantage. To receive the aforementioned authorization, any brand, product, service or event must meet certain parameters or indicators that make it worthy of that privilege.
“This is a process still in its infancy, which requires constant and systematic evaluation. What is certain is that the effectiveness and efficiency of this process in the positioning of goods and services has been demonstrated, and our country proudly exhibits not only traditional products of the highest quality such as tobacco, spirits, nickel, among others, but it is also capable of positioning -in the market- products of the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries, to cite just one example, to which we should add the talent of its doctors, other specialists and high-impact technologies.”
-What are the challenges identified, at national and international level, in the management and protection of the Country Brand?
-The great challenge is for all Cubans to make the Country Brand their own wherever they are. That they see and feel it as an expression of Cuban identity, and that they feel healthy pride when they use it, appreciate it in certain goods and services, or identify a Cuban sample in any event, in Cuba or abroad. This is key.
“It would be of no use all the effort made to position it in the international market if Cubans themselves have not first appropriated what it represents.
“But, contradictorily, this can become a problem due to excessive enthusiasm, ignorance or cultural limitations that we are obliged to overcome.
“I say this because we have identified inadequate uses of the Country Brand. This is a guideline brand, which means that it obliges us to comply with the Graphic Guidelines Manual that governs its use in any support, media or platform.
“It is not always being done well. The second thing I would like to point out is that, to use it, you have to ask for authorization and receive the use license issued by the Country Brand Council, both for organizational purposes, in goods and services, as well as in events.
“However, this does not mean that there is any impediment to the spontaneous use of the Country Brand on a T-shirt, on a sticker or for any other common use that, individually, someone feels necessary to make. We only warn and wish that they do so, in accordance with the guidelines, so as not to distort their identity. To that end, you can access the website of the Institute of Information and Social Communication, where the Manual is accessible.
“Internationally, it is up to the Country Brand Council to monitor and analyze its use in accordance with the legal regulations, and to adopt the corresponding measures with the offenders, provided that the conditions exist and it is within our reach to do so.”
-What role should Cuban companies play in promoting and strengthening the brand?
-The answer goes in two dimensions, namely: what they can contribute in terms of credibility, competitiveness and reputation to the country, in correspondence with the quality exhibited by Cuban goods and services, their efforts to ensure the sustainability of their offerings, the social responsibility actions that characterize them; and that they are an expression of dedication, innovation and cooperation among all actors, both state and other forms of management and ownership, legally recognized in Cuba.
“The other dimension is related to what the Country Brand brings in terms of competitive advantage for Cuban goods and services. Therefore, there has to be a synergy to position it and, at the same time, guarantee greater access for those goods and services in the international market, which enjoy that privilege.
“The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) recognized, in an international seminar held in Colombia a few years ago, that the Country Brand is the most valuable intangible asset of a nation.
“To the same extent that Cuban companies, of any form of management and ownership, recognize that reality, I am sure that they will assume, as a challenge, to aspire to the merit of using the Country Brand as an official sign indicative of Cuba's national identity to support their offers.”