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Branding in Greece: Change
and Progress
By Lia Nikopoulou-Proedrou Ph.D., Managing Director, Brandexcel
S.A.
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| Lia Nikopoulou-Proedrou |
Systematic branding is a relative newcomer to Greece. For many
years, branding was commonly understood to be equivalent to merely
a name and a logo. Family names have been frequently used for corporate
brands as well as product brands, and visual identities and brand
design have often not received the attention they deserve. Of course,
Greece has its own share of “cult” brands dating back
many years, sometimes exhibiting brilliant examples of design excellence.
But the field of branding as a specialized, expert area that encompasses
more than pretty graphics has only recently started to make inroads
in the Greek market.
Needless to say, the need for systematic branding has always been
there, as Greek consumers have been “brand-savvy” for
many years. Whether bombarded by global leader brands or smoothly
approached by lower-profile local brands, Greeks, like other global
consumers, shopped and identified with the brands that they felt
understood them and their needs best.
In the mid-1990s, the influx and repatriation of Greeks working
and studying abroad contributed to the dramatic growth of the field
of design. However, even though the practice of design and client
appreciation had begun to grow, how to properly manage a brand and
systematically build its identity remained unclear. Even today few
Greek design firms have experience in leading a major branding project.
Nevertheless, local brands have grown and so has the competitive
environment, requiring differentiation through specialized design
services. Not only are Greek brands starting to command a larger
share of the local market, but they are also beginning to be exported
to the Balkans, the Middle East, Africa, and Asia, highlighting
the need for building brands with an international image that can
work across borders.
Branding has become an important topic in Greek communication trade
magazines, and the practice of branding and strategic design has
attracted the attention and the investment of local businesses with
expansion and export plans. Even the big international players have
started to pay attention to cultural differences and are trying
to “think and brand locally.” Branding and brand property
are also gaining legal protection in Greece. For example, after
a long legal battle, INKA, the Greek Consumer Institute, won a 1.4
million Euro fine over the misuse of its name and visual identity
by a supermarket chain.
Greece now has specialized branding companies that combine the first-class
design that already existed in Greece with branding know-how and
experience from the international marketplace. However, even today
large Greek companies often look for branding solutions abroad and
ignore native agencies. Recent success stories from Greek branding
and design consultancies underscore the strategic advantage that
Greek branding can have over imported solutions. Local branding
companies not only have expert know-how, but also a better understanding
of the local culture, business environment, and consumer needs and
wants. The branding of Tellas, the coined name for a Greek telecom,
points to the benefits of a locally handled brand-building program.
The Tellas brand, from Hellas (the Greek word for Greece), telecommunications,
and “tell us”, has succeeded in quickly catching the
hearts and minds of Greek consumers and winning a healthy market
share in the highly competitive telecommunications arena.
For leading global brands, sensitivity to cultural differences and
local consumer trends adds a key competitive advantage and aids
in effectively building brand relevance. P & G Hellas and Johnson
& Johnson Hellas know this well. For many of their brands, they
use powerful point-of-purchase and promotional materials that build
the relevance and heighten the appeal of an international brand
to the local consumer.
In package design, large Greek companies such as Papastratos/Philip
Morris, Evga, and many others are starting to focus on the need
to develop and manage their brands with a deeper understanding of
strategic marketing requirements. When the Tsakiris company partnered
with the Coca-Cola Hellenic Bottling Company to revitalize and redesign
the packaging of the Tsakiris potato chip brand, an in-depth understanding
of the brand’s history and its emotional touchpoints was required
from the client before a single line was drawn.
Clients are realizing that the importance of strategic thinking
goes beyond aesthetic requirements, and that more consumer/product
research and branding expertise are needed. Some companies that
have invested in building their brand’s experience are Alumil,
an internationally growing company, Coffee Way, a successful coffee
seller, and Everest, an expanding food chain. In all branding and
design projects it is paramount that ongoing cooperation between
client and specialized agencies takes place, but this is not an
easy task, as it marks a shift from traditional ways of doing things.
Branding, previously lost amongst sales promotions, advertising,
sponsorships, and loyalty programs, is gaining importance day-by-day,
and Greek branding and design agencies are gaining respect and clients
step-by-step. This is a transitional period within the Greek communication
environment, in which branding agencies not only have to design
successful brands for their clients, but also educate them on the
importance and long-term value of branding. In a market that is
traditionally renowned for its hard-bargaining business mentality,
evolving a specialized marketing service with its benefits and related
fees is a tall order, but also an attainable one!
Lia Nikopoulou-Proedrou, Ph.D., is the founder
and Managing Director of Brandexcel S.A., a leading branding and
design consultancy in Athens, Greece. Lia returned to Greece four
years ago after almost two decades in the US. She is regarded as
an expert in the field and is a frequent presenter and lecturer
on branding and strategic design. Her experience with global and
international brands brings insight into the role and benefits of
strategic thinking when creating and repositioning brands, and developing
effective brand identities.
Lia holds a Ph.D. in Sociology from Columbia
University, has been a university lecturer in the US and Germany,
and has been quoted in the Greek press on issues regarding branding
and brand identity.
This article appeared in the July
2004 eBulletin.
Feedback on DMI Viewpoints and article proposals
are always welcome! Please email jtobin@dmi.org.
All articles reflect the opinion of the author and not the Design
Management Institute.
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