POST-COMMUNIST COUNTRY BRANDING: THE CASE OF POLAND

Purpose - The purpose of this article is to addresses the challenges of creating a coherent country branding strategy for Poland, a large emerging market in Central Europe that has emerged two decades ago from communist rule, and now is actively competing in the world market. The article offers a historical perspective of country branding in the region and it describes the efforts used in creating a Polish country brand. It also discusses the challenges encountered in creating a positive Polish country image and it concludes with recommendations to marketing academics and managers regarding strategies that can be used to create a unified, coherent brand in the emerging market of Poland. Design/methodology/approach - This conceptual paper evaluates strategies for developing country image for Poland, and offers suggestions for creating a unified country brand. It examines strategies for country-brand building in Poland and in Central and Eastern European countries and offers insights into possibilities for brand development given internal and external market specifics. Findings - The study found that Polish government bodies, industry groups, and businesses have adopted aggressive programs to develop a positive country image, and to create a country brand. However, the strategies used do not appear to be coordinated, resulting in a substantial duplication of efforts and failing to create a coherent country-branding strategy. Originality/value - This paper offers a balanced perspective on country-brand development efforts in Poland, and it uses insights from successful branding strategies of countries with emerging markets to identify a coherent strategy for Polish country-brand building.