Terrorism and branding: Sri Lanka and the aftermath

Last week I was in Sri Lanka. Over the past year I’ve been fortunate enough to visit the Isle of Ceylon for work a number of times. I’ve grown to enjoy the chaos of Columbo, love the openness of its people and feel part of the progress that seems to be being made everywhere you look. Plus you are greeted with smiles everywhere. I am not alone in falling for Sri Lanka. Since the end of the civil war, tourism has become the second biggest source of foreign income and employment.

The tragic acts of terrorism over Easter have certainly left a physical mark on the city; it stole lives and a sense of certainty. As a result the sun seems less bright and the smiles less forthcoming. Two hundred and fifty-three souls lost their lives but the thousands who work in tourism are now busy losing their livelihoods. While things will get rebuilt, for the country to recover, the human perception of fear will need to be overcome.

Terror is designed to tap into the darker side of the human condition. It is generally not the act itself that creates a lasting impression; it is the feeling of fear, loss, worry and anxiety it awakens. As I discovered in the final year of my psychology degree (which seems a lifetime ago) it is as if these fleeting feelings turn to beliefs, as we project them onto an object or event, that our perception changes. Terror is random but we make it concrete through attachment. When I look back on it, my psychology course was the start of my fascination with branding.

As a profession we fundamentally do nothing more than shape perception into something tangible. This is ultimately the challenge now facing Sri Lanka as it seeks to reinforce a perception grounded in reality rather than the alternate narrative it has had forced upon it. Its future prosperity will be defined by addressing a perception before it becomes concrete. Over my last few days there I asked myself, “How does the country add a sense of security to the alluring brand attribute of friendly chaos?”

The Volvo rule: what comes first influences what comes second

People still buy Volvos because they believe they are safer than other stylish, sophisticated luxury cars. Safety comes first, but Volvo uses this fundamental attribute to unlock its brand potential. If you drew a perceptual map you would see that the additions Volvo has made have pulled it across an axis - away from boring and functional towards Scandinavian sexy and sophisticated. This is where the money in cars is made: where the self-expressive attributes of the many collide with the purchasing power of the few…but safely…with curtain airbags at the ready.

Can you add an attribute?

You can and you must. Attributes are the way you adapt your brand to changes in market, culture and organisational structure. But like painting a wall it’s the work you don’t see that affects the end result. You have to slowly prep first and paint second. The situation facing Sri Lanka as a destination brand has unfortunately happened before and there are lessons they can take from that history. The World Economic Forum somewhat handily but mostly scarily now has a guide to recovery from acts of terror: timeline between nine months to never. Authorities in Sri Lanka have to think about what is missing in the existing image and ‘add it’. London recovered seamlessly because it reinforced its calm, ordered Britishness while adding the decisiveness of visible security. In contrast, Bali took years to recover because it failed to combine its relaxed, come what may approach with a focus on clear process, security and other things that make us feel safe. Based on my trip to Sri Lanka, the country is taking steps to add safety to openness through numerous security checkpoints. I certainly felt safer there than I ever have, but recovery will now be dictated by how the country communicates a revised Sri Lankan brand.

This process also plays out outside moments of crisis. For example, Brand Australia has added sophistication and approachability to a relaxed Hogan, shrimps and sheilas foundation. Singapore is another example. It has taken safe and added attributes such as culture and architecture, which make it feel more dynamic. In my opinion, though, it’s still boring; just now in a less-so flavour.

Second attributes are the key to continually coming first

The challenge for Sri Lanka is two-fold. Firstly, how does it combine what has attracted people to it before, while addressing what will stop people from going for the first time or again? This is a classic case of secondary attributes required. If Sri Lanka can add and communicate a unique brand of ‘secure’, based on ‘friendly’ and ‘welcoming’, then it will follow in the footsteps of the long list of developing destinations (from India to Egypt, from Tunisia to Kenya) that have had to recover from over twenty per cent drops in visitations after country crises.

Secondly, their response needs to focus on increasing the consumer's perception of value through adding new and reinforcing existing attributes. The recipe might be: more secure, more welcoming and more affordable. I hope all of this happens, and that the world can help put the energy back into a pearl of the Indian Ocean.

Be better to each other.

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Picture courtesy by Adam Dean for The New York Times