Branding Romania

I found this awesome new campaign promoting my neighbor Romania. I don’t know if these clever ads will really attract tourists, but they will definitely create some positive associations and increase awareness for the country.

I like how they focused on scientific and sports achievements instead of nature, culture, and historical monuments, which are very typical themes for such national campaigns. The images look modern and catchy, I love them! Go Romania!

Let’s see if you know the names of all these people? (Answers at the bottom of the post).

Answers: Henri Coanda, Ilie Nastase, Nadia Comaneci, Nicolae Paulescu,Stefan Odobleja.

Bulgaria: Magic Lives Here. The Ad Campaign the Whole Nation Dislikes

I would like to join the ongoing in Bulgaria public debate.

In mid-August, the Ministry of Economy presented the video clips for the new advertising campaign for Bulgarian tourism under the slogan “Magic Lives Here”. The campaign aims to change the perception of Bulgaria from a destination for low-cost European youth travel destination, to a more luxurious tourist destination.  The four video clips focus on our Black Sea summer resorts, mountain ski resorts, SPA and wellness centers, eco-tourism and cultural heritage. They are about be broadcasted on four European TV channels: Euronews, Eurosport, Discovery, and National Geographic, in September (read more in Radio Bulgaria’s website).

The project theoretically has a good perspective, but the video clips became notorious because the majority of Bulgarians don’t like them. Newspapers, TV shows, online media, politicians, intellectuals, and celebrities all took a stand in the public debate. The common opinion seems to be that the videos are full of clichés, that they copy other countries’ promo videos from several years ago, are outdated, are executed poorly, have bad quality, and don’t portray Bulgaria accurately.

The most widely discussed aspect, though, is the campaign’s cost. The making and broadcasting of the videos totals at 7.5 million leva (3.7 million euro), which is a significant sum for a country of this size. The campaign is partially funded by the EU. Experts in the field of advertising agree that the production price, almost half a million leva is way too high. Many common people believe that this money would have served better if it were invested in infrastructure.

One is for sure, an ad campaign can always be improved.

Instead of taking part in the blaming and whining, I’d like to take a more productive stand in this debate. Here is my list of the things the next campaign should not omit (in no particular order and without claiming to be exhaustive):

Tourism and Nature:

• Hikers going to the Seven Rila Lakes
• White mountain peaks of Rila and Pirin with skiers and snowboarders
• The wide golden beaches and deep blue of the Black Sea coastline
• Crowds of people at sea resorts like Sunny Beach and Lozenetz with their luxurious restaurants, clubs and hotels
• Rafting  in Struma river in September  surrounded by the autumn colors of the forest
• Small quiet beach camping sites like Smokinia with surfing, windsurfing, and diving
• Balneotherapy at the mineral hot springs in Velingrad
• Horseback riding in the Balkan mountain range near the village Skravena
• Families visiting the Thracian sanctuary at Perperikon
• Beach festivals (The Spirit of Burgas), concerts in the open, and clubs in Sofia
• Rock-climbing near the Belogradchik rocks
• Students exploring the prehistoric paintings at the Magura cave and the Ledenika cave
• Views from Sofia, Plovdiv, Varna, and Rouse

Cultural  and historical heritage:

• Thracian golden masks and jewelry
• Ancient Roman amphitheatre in Plovdiv
• Typical architecture of 17^th-century houses in Veliko Turnovo
• Houses-museums of Bulgarian revolutionaries in Koprivshtitza
• Old crafts from the time Bulgaria was in the Ottoman empire in Etura
• Vast vineyards and wineries in Melnik, the wine capital of the Balkans
• Scary masks at the Kukeri carnival in Pernik
• Nestinarki dancing on fire in the village of Bulgari
• Esoteric Paneurhythmy dance ritual near the Seven Rila Lakes
• Children hanging martenitsi on blossoming trees
• Rose-picking and rose-oil production near Kazanluk
• Singers and bagpipe-players in traditional garments during the folklore festival in Zheravna
• People dancing the horo during a wedding
• Merry crowds enjoying the Bulgarian cuisine, lukanka, liutenitza, banitza, in a kruchma (pub) in Bansko
• Orthodox Christian baptism in the Rozhen monastery and the icons in the Rila monastery