With renowned national and international speakers, the most recent version of the Chile 2022 Image Meeting "Together, Creating the Future" was held in hybrid format from Casa Piedra and via EmolTV streaming, a conference in which experiences and key tools for the construction of the country brand were shared from different areas and together with countries such as the United Kingdom, the United States and Costa Rica. In addition, the winners of the "Chile 2022 Image Awards" were announced.
Marking the return of country branding events at the international level from Santiago de Chile, Fundación Imagen de Chile held, in a hybrid format, the " Together, Creating the Future", aimed at the main public and private actors that contribute to building the country brand and its positioning abroad, aligned with the central message of the new country brand strategy that seeks to highlight the talent of Chilean men and women as agents of change, focusing on what Chile can contribute to the world.
"The world already knows Chile for its wonderful landscapes and geography, but we wanted to go further and show that Chile is creating the future from the talent of its people. That is why we updated our positioning strategy, with the phrase "Chile Creating the Future". We wanted to respond to what we are today, and to present ourselves to the world based on what we have to contribute. We identified our purpose and focused our message on the most valuable thing we have: our people, their talent and creativity", said Constanza Cea, executive director of Imagen de Chile.
The event addressed various topics, from the role that Imagen de Chile has played in the current context and its mission to raise awareness of the Chile brand in the world, through successful cases of other global brand countries, to key organizations that are behind the positioning and strengthening of the Chile brand. In addition, at the meeting we experienced master classes by world-class speakers such as the reference in international marketing Andrew Davis; the deputy director of the GREAT Britain & Northern Ireland Campaign, Kate Taylor Tett; the CEO of Explora, Gonzalo Undurraga; Rodrigo Yáñez, Undersecretary of International Economic Relations; and Josefa Monge, Executive President of Sistema B Chile.
"There is a definition that I like, and that is "sense of place". It is important to evaluate this concept that encapsulates a person's feelings, perceptions, attitudes and behaviors towards a place. Sense of place is not just the logical. It integrates the irrational, it has to make us feel something and that is what is special about a place, we don't just know it or understand it, and that is what we must do. Talking about a place should give us goose bumps," said Andrew Davis, international marketing expert, during his presentation.
GREAT Britain & Northern Ireland Campaign deputy director Kate Taylor Tett talked about how they have built the brand in that country. "I believe in an accepted wisdom in the branding community, and that is that your brand doesn't belong to you, or the manager or even the marketing department, it belongs to a whole organization and those who interact with it. Every time someone interacts, a perception of the brand is formed, and the same can be said of country brands."
For his part, the Undersecretary of International Relations Rodrigo Yañez, referred to Chile's success in the vaccination process based on the trade agreements that our country has and that connect it with the whole world. "Regarding Creando Futuro, we adapted to take advantage of the potential of digital influence to make a more inclusive trade that considers more women, SMEs, indigenous peoples with a very strong component in the digital economy," said Yáñez.
Along the same lines, the executive president of Sistema B, Josefa Monge, said that the objective is clear: "We want business leaders to be people who face the world with curiosity, empathy and courage. We are a country unusually concentrated in B companies; we are the nation with the highest number of B companies per inhabitant", she said. Meanwhile, Gonzalo Undurraga, CEO of Explora, referred to the importance of the positive impact of companies. "When you work with the territory, you cannot simply focus on exploring, but we have to contribute to conserving it. To build the future together, we have an obligation to have a positive impact on the environment," said Undurraga.
Among the audience were 10 representatives of some of the main country branding agencies in Ibero-America, who are in Chile to participate in the Ibero-American Country Branding Pre-Forum, which is being held during these days and which our country is hosting for the first time this year.
Country Image from talent, innovation and entrepreneurship
One of the highlights of the day was the panel discussion "Building a country image from talent, innovation and entrepreneurship", in which the Minister of Science, Technology, Knowledge and Innovation, Andrés Couve; the future Minister of Environment, Maisa Rojas; the Manager of Start-up Chile, María de los Ángeles Romo; and the Director of Marca País Esencial Costa Rica, discussed, together with Constanza Cea, important success stories of people and companies in Chile that are positioning national talent at a global level.
"One of the key messages of the 2018 panel report on how to limit global warming was that every decision counts. This refers not only to the decisions that can be made by the executive branch, but also to society as a whole. Today the challenges are so complex and so long term that they require a level of conviction and social consensus in which we need all of us", said Maisa Rojas, future Minister of the Environment.
Regarding the leadership efforts at COP 25 and COP 26 that contributed to the country's image, the Minister of Science, Technology, Knowledge and Innovation, Andrés Couve, said that "we contribute with the example. The example of a small country, which represents a smaller percentage of emissions, but which is doing things relatively well, with an ambitious and feasible project, integrating the scientific community and decisions based on evidence. The same happened with the pandemic, where the scientific community responded in an extraordinary way and added value to how Chile faced the most difficult moments, for example, with vaccination or the availability of data. This makes us stand out at international level".
These meetings are important to share the different experiences of each country brand so that together we can delve into the things that have gone well and those that haven't. In the end, it is about generating individual and collective learning," emphasized Daniel Valverde, country brand director of Esencial Costa Rica. In the end, it is about generating individual and collective learning," emphasized Daniel Valverde, director of the country brand Esencial Costa Rica.
From the entrepreneurial side, the manager of Start-Up Chile, María de los Ángeles Romo, referred to the ecosystem that has allowed many companies in their initial stages to set up in our country. "According to our studies, 70% of the entrepreneurs who decided to come to Chile stayed in this country, not only because Start-Up Chile was a good incubation program, but also because there is a good system that welcomes them", she said.
Image of Chile 2022 Awards
To close, the winners of the "Image of Chile 2022 Awards" were announced, awards that seek to distinguish the organization, the person and the brand that best embodies the central message of the new country brand strategy "Chile Creating the Future" which seeks to show our country from the contributions made by Chile to create a better future for the world.
The "Empresa Imagen de Chile Award" was presented to Wheel the World, one of the most internationally awarded Chilean start-ups, whose purpose is to provide the possibility for people with disabilities, their friends and family to find accessible accommodations and experiences around the world. Today they have become not only a travel solution for people with disabilities, but has also empowered and inspired travelers with disabilities to explore the world without limits.
Meanwhile, the "Spirit Image of Chile Award" went to the professor and researcher of the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Alexis Kalergis, who was recognized with the Spirit Image of Chile Award for his work as director of the Millennium Institute in Immunology and Immunotherapy, and for his role as advisor to governmental and legislative commissions. The academic is currently a member of the Scientific Advisory Board of ICGEB (UN Agency) and has been a key player in the development of the scientific-clinical study of the Sinovac vaccine, which led to the priority supply of doses for the mass vaccination campaign against COVID-19 in Chile.
Finally, the "Marca Chile Award" was presented to the company Tribú, a healthy snack company that is highlighting the value of local products with an organic seal.
The selection criteria were the link with the origin and commitment to the promotion of the country's image, the company's trajectory in the market and the link with the concept of creating the future.
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