WolffOlins Blog: “What is Latvia and who are the Latvians?”
By admin at 24 August, 2010, 4:52 pm
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Over the years Latvia has been many things: an independent Baltic state reliant on agriculture, a small part of the dominant Soviet Union, a vibrant business centre as part of the EU, and – more recently – a country in economic crisis (or stag-do central, depending on your level of interest in current affairs). Understandably, it is a place that is often misunderstood by the rest of the world. When Said Business School carried out research into people’s perceptions of it in 2003, they found that many had negative associations, such as corruption, and for many others it simply wasn’t even on their radar (“Latvia? Don’t know much about Latvia, I’m afraid”).
In reality, Latvia is a country rich in many things: culture, natural beauty, and perhaps most importantly, overwhelming optimism. Latvia has periodically been felled by war and economic instability, not least the recent credit crunch. And each time the population has responded with remarkable resilience and embraced the chance to create new opportunities. There is no self-pity – happiness is what hits you when you step off the plane in Riga. Which is what makes their latest national branding effort, the Latvian pavilion at the World EXPO 2010, so apt.
The pavilion is called the Technology of Happiness and consists of a huge multicoloured tower containing a wind tunnel where willing volunteers fly up and down to the excited gasps of the watching crowds. It is a neat way to demonstrate physically how happiness “lifts you up” (as per the explanation on their website). The idea and the colourful identity created to support it are ambitious, irreverent and full of imagination – and judging by the big smiles on the faces of all those involved it managed to spread a little happiness. Which are all great things to associate with Latvia.
As part of a wider brand campaign to elevate Latvia away from negative perceptions the pavilion is an important step. It taps into the irrepressible spirit of Latvians and created an experience to remember for all those who visited. However, the installation is already 3 months in to 6 month lifespan, after which it will drop from public consciousness. The question is, can the positive perceptions of Latvia live longer?
The Technology of Happiness is a successful building block for a new, positive nation brand because it puts something real in the world – letting people take part, not just plying them with information. People believe not what you say, but what you do. At Wolff Olins, we believe that the best brands, the ones that help businesses grow and nations flourish, are the ones that do new. New experiences, new services, new ways to collaborate. To make a lasting impact in people’s minds, therefore, Latvia must take this success and keep doing new. People need further reasons to believe that Latvia is unique and intriguing, leveraging all that they have to offer, including their optimism and enthusiasm for life.
We look forward to seeing what they do next.
(Amy Norman)
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