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Brand Israel: an analysis of nation branding concepts as they relate to the state of Israel

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Brand Israel: an analysis of nation branding concepts as they relate to the state of Israel

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Content BRAND ISRAEL: AN ANALYSIS OF NATION BRANDING CONCEPTS AS THEY RELATE TO THE STATE OF ISRAEL by Neuriel Shore __________________________________________________________________ A Thesis Presented to the FACULTY OF THE USC GRADUATE SCHOOL UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree MASTER OF ARTS (STRATEGIC PUBLIC RELATIONS) May 2010 Copyright 2010 Neuriel Shore     ii Acknowledgements I would like to thank the following individuals for helping me with this project: Ari Applebaum, Ido Aharoni, Jerry Swerling, Jian (Jay) Wang, Keith Dinnie, Ken Spiro, Rebecca Weintraub, Shahar Azani, Yarden Fanta-Vagenshtein, and Yosef Kanefsky. They provided me with knowledge, wisdom and perspective that ultimately enriched the entire research and writing process. I am and will always be deeply grateful. Furthermore, I would like to thank my parents for teaching me the importance of following my passions. This project is a direct result of their loving support.     iii Table of Contents Acknowledgements ii List of Figures iv Abstract v Chapter 1: Introduction 1 1.1: Nation Branding: Definitions and Components 1 1.2: Nation Branding and Israel 4 1.3: Project Overview 6 Chapter 2: Brand Israel: A Brief History 8 2.1: The Early Years 8 2.2: 1967-9/11 11 2.3: Post 9/11 12 Chapter 3: Brand Israel Identity 17 3.1: Brand Israel Mission and Purpose 18 3.2: Brand Israel Identity: Inclusive or Exclusive? 22 3.3: Brand Israel Identity Formation 24 Chapter 4: Brand Israel Engagement 27 4.1: Innate Assets 30 4.2: Nurtured Assets 32 4.3: Vicarious Assets 34 4.4: Disseminated Assets 35 4.4.1: Branded Exports 36 4.4.2: Internal Buy-In 36 4.4.3: Brand Ambassadors 40 4.4.4: The Diaspora 42 4.5: Focus on Israeli Politics vs. Israeli Culture 46 Chapter 5: Brand Israel Management 51 5.1: Brand Structures 51 5.2: Country-Of-Origin Effect 55 Chapter 6: Implications and Conclusions 58 6.1: Recommendations 58 6.1.1: Identity 58 6.1.2: Engagement 59 6.1.3: Management 62 6.2: Concluding Remarks 63 Bibliography 65 Appendix 1: Cases In Point 68 Appendix 2: Sample Brand Israel Project 74     iv List of Figures Figure 1: Model of asset-based nation-brand equity 26 Figure 2: The NBAR (nation brand architecture) model 48     v Abstract Current perceptions of the State of Israel among many global audiences have been shaped by a combination of factors that have lead to the State being viewed solely through a conflict prism. The question is then begged of whether or not action can be taken to fundamentally change these perceptions. The emergence of the field of nation branding has produced research, lessons and insights into how nations can effectively utilize resources to shape audience perceptions in accordance with state interests and goals. I argue that this data can be incorporated into strategic planning in order to successfully influence Israel’s target audiences’ perceptions of the State for the ultimate goal of establishing national security and well-being. The purpose of this paper is two-fold: (1) to provide the reader with a basic understanding of nation branding concepts and how these apply to Brand Israel and (2) to offer research-based insights and recommendations for how Brand Israel can be utilized to establish economic, social and political security and well-being for the State. The data presented in the project were collected from a variety of sources, which include interviews, nation branding reports and publications, a comprehensive media scan, articles and reports provided by Ido Aharani, the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs official charged with spearheading the Brand Israel initiative, and the text book Nation Branding: Concepts, Issues, Practice for an in-depth understanding of nation branding. Key findings include and explore the necessity for Israel to form a brand identity with strong internal buy-in and the social divisions that threaten, not only a successful branding initiative, but also the State’s very existence.     1 Chapter 1: Introduction Current perceptions of the State of Israel among many global audiences have been shaped by a combination of factors that have lead to the State being viewed solely through a conflict prism. The question is then begged of whether or not action can be taken to fundamentally change these perceptions. The emergence of the field of nation branding has produced research, lessons and insights into how nations can effectively utilize resources to shape audience perceptions in accordance with state interests and goals. I argue that this data can be incorporated into strategic planning in order to successfully influence Israel’s target audiences’ perceptions of the State for the ultimate goal of establishing national security and well-being. The purpose of this paper is two-fold: (1) to provide the reader with a basic understanding of nation branding concepts and how they apply to Brand Israel and (2) to offer research-based insights and recommendations for how Brand Israel can be utilized to establish economic, social and political security and wellbeing for the State. 1.1: Nation Branding: Definitions and Components The formal subject of nation branding can be argued to have its origins, starting in the early 1990s, with the book Marketing Places: Attracting Investment, Industry, and Tourism to Cities, States and Nations. A nation brand can be defined as “the unique, multi- dimensional blend of elements that provide the nation with culturally grounded differentiation and relevance for all of its target audiences.” 1 Keith Dinnie, the author of Nation Branding: Concepts, Issues, Practice, argues that “...nation branding remains an encapsulation and expression of a nation’s true essence, rather than a mere PR exercise.” 2 Thus, a nation’s unique culture can be a core component of its brand identity. French professor Jean-Marc                                                          1  Dinnie, Keith. Nation Branding: Concepts, Issues, Practice. Chicago: Butterworth-Heinemann, 2007. Pg. 15.  2  Dinnie, Keith. Nation Branding: Concepts, Issues, Practice. Chicago: Butterworth-Heinemann,     2 Lehu states that brand identity is comprised of 12 components, all of which need to be addressed when planning branding activities. 3 These components include the “...name of the brand – without which no clear and unambiguous...identification is possible; heritage – every brand has a past, a narration of former events; codes of expression – graphical characteristics such as logo, font size and type, colours, etc.; positioning – the space occupied by the product in the minds of its target market; status – the necessity of making a clear statement of status, e.g. market leader, challenger brand; personality – the brand’s character, creativity, dynamism, independence, etc.; everyday behaviour – brands are much more in the public eye now than in previous times; beliefs – the emotional, descriptive and qualitative components an individual will associate with the brand; values – the increasing importance of social awareness credentials; projected image – the image that the brand desires and that it presents to consumers; attitudes of the brand’s consumers towards to it – the relationship between brand and consumer is now an interactive one; and finally, attitude of the brand toward consumers – the need for brands to study, include and respect their consumers.” 4 In addition to brand identity, brand engagement and brand management are essential to understanding what makes a brand successful, relative to its goals. Brand engagement can be defined as the process by which a brand interacts with audiences to form a relationship. Brand engagement, as it relates to nation branding, can take the form of proactive efforts such as press tours, E-marketing campaigns, formal cultural interactions and transnational organizational partnerships. Engagement can also take the form of more subtle, organic and personal interactions such as engagement with the nation’s citizens, experiencing a nation’s products, attending a nation’s educational institution and visiting as a tourist. The manner in which a nation engages its audiences will have a direct effect on the alignment between the                                                          2007. Pg. 63.  3  Dinnie, Keith. Nation Branding: Concepts, Issues, Practice. Chicago: Butterworth-Heinemann, 2007. Pg. 43.  4  Dinnie, Keith. Nation Branding: Concepts, Issues, Practice. Chicago: Butterworth-Heinemann, 2007. Pg. 43.      3 way in which a nation desires to be perceived and the reality of how audiences actually perceive it. In brand management, organizations need to “not only determine an effective and efficient mix of products and brands in their portfolio and the relationship structure among the brands (Aaker 1996, 2004), but also put in place the structure, process and resources for brand protection, promotion and growth. In other words, brand management is about focus and coordination among the various brands of an organization.” 5 From industry sectors to physical geography, a nation has seemingly limitless potential for how audiences are able to interact with it. Dinnie explains, “at a macro level, a nation’s ‘customer’ portfolio might include its own citizens, nation-trading partners, foreign customers of the nation’s goods and services, international organizations, political allies, political opponents, tourists and inward investors.” 6 The complex makeup of a nation requires it to establish structures and processes for the purposes of managing its sub-brands. Although it is impossible for a nation to have complete control over every action in which a sub-brand engages, it is possible for consensus to be reached through dialogue and collaboration among and between public and private sectors regarding mutual interests and methods for addressing those interests. By aligning nation brand identity, engagement and management, an array of national objectives can be reached. These objectives can include attracting tourists, stimulating inward investment, boosting exports, increasing currency stability, establishing investor confidence, increasing international political influence, stimulating stronger international partnerships and enhancing nation building. 7 Although specific objectives may be reached within a relatively short period of time, it is important to understand that the complexities involved in nation                                                          5 Wang, Jian. "The power and limits of branding in national image communication in global society." The Journal of International Communication 14.2 (2008): 12. 6 Dinnie, Keith. Nation Branding: Concepts, Issues, Practice. Chicago: Butterworth-Heinemann, 2007. Pg. 66. 7 Dinnie, Keith. Nation Branding: Concepts, Issues, Practice. Chicago: Butterworth-Heinemann, 2007. Pg. 17.     4 branding require nation brand strategists to focus on long-term thinking. A country like Israel, for example, with a history of conflict associated with it, will be challenged when trying to shift focus to other aspects of the country. 1.2: Nation Branding and Israel Many nations, especially Israel, experience an identity-image gap. This gap exists when a nation’s identity (i.e. its self-perceived true essence) is not aligned with its image (i.e. how it is perceived by external audiences). 8 Israel’s government and many of its residents are well aware of how the values that they consider integral to Brand Israel are not shared by many of its audiences. In general, different components of a nation’s identity come into focus on the international stage at different times, driven by current political events and even by the latest movie or news bulletin. 9 In contrast, it seems that global audiences constantly and consistently focus on only one aspect of Israel: conflict. With media extensively reporting on the ‘Israeli-Palestinian conflict,’ peoples that do not have the opportunity to directly engage with Brand Israel receive messaging that portrays Israel in a critical light. And regions such as Europe, which have opportunities to directly engage with Brand Israel through business partnerships, cultural exchanges, etc., are also exposed to elements of tension such as boycotts of Israeli products, political pressures, and anti-Israel sentiments held by local populations that create barriers for Brand Israel to successfully reach and influence target audiences. Furthermore, not only is conflict the primary association linked to Brand Israel, but some audiences have also even established it as a part of the State’s core identity. Focus groups recently conducted in the Unites States have shown that the participants, who represented a range of races, ethnicities, sexes and                                                          8 Dinnie, Keith. Nation Branding: Concepts, Issues, Practice. Chicago: Butterworth-Heinemann, 2007. Pg. 42. 9 O’Shaughnessy, J., and N. Jackson. "Treating the nation as a brand: Some neglected issues." Journal of Macromarketing 20.1 (2000): 56-64.     5 religious beliefs, when asked to describe an Israeli house and its residents that best represent the country’s characteristics, described a cold, concrete house wrapped in barbed wire and housing male, bearded religious Jews who were judgmental and unwelcoming. 10 With a history of conflict that stretches back to the country’s founding in 1948, security is one of the Israeli government’s highest priorities. Traditionally, national security refers to physical threats, such as terrorism, warfare and espionage, which can jeopardize a country’s stability. However, with the acknowledgement that Brand Israel has largely been shaped by external parties proactively defining it, as apposed to the country’s own influencers, the Israeli government has recently come to the realization that successfully utilizing Brand Israel is one facet of its national security. Keith Dinnie argues that “brand management should be treated as a component of national policy, never as a ‘campaign’ that is separate from planning, governance or economic development.” 11 With a relatively significant amount of government personnel and funds directed towards to researching how to best manage Brand Israel, Israel seems to be on the right track of how it values brand management and nation branding in general. There are numerous hurdles that the Israeli government must overcome in order to successfully utilize Brand Israel. One of the major challenges that Brand Israel has faced and will continue to face is the perception held by external parties that any attempt to shift focus away from the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is part of a government-sponsored propaganda campaign aimed at masking humanitarian crimes committed by the State. Many examples of governments implementing image campaigns for the purposes of coercing audiences can be found in modern world history, specifically in the 20 th century. The Nazis, for example, utilized propaganda for the purposes of implementing policies that would ultimately lead to the murder of millions of people. Thus, Israel, a country that for more than 30 years has been                                                          10 Klein, Larissa. "Branding Israel." The Daily Targum [New Brunswick] 23 Jan. 2008. 11 Dinnie, Keith. Nation Branding: Concepts, Issues, Practice. Chicago: Butterworth-Heinemann, 2007. Pg. 23.     6 thought of as being a victimizer of the Palestinian people, needs to be extremely sensitive to the strategies it uses when engaging in nation branding practices. 1.3: Project Overview Keeping in mind the goals of this paper, I have structured the remaining content in the following order: Chapter 2: A condensed history of the State of Israel’s world image since 1948, as well as a survey of official, proactive efforts taken to gauge perceptions of and strategically utilize Brand Israel; Chapter 3: An exploration of Brand Israel’s identity and implications of that identity; Chapter 4: An analysis of how Brand Israel has engaged audiences and the potential that exists to build upon and/or change strategies; Chapter 5: The application of brand management concepts to Brand Israel’s unique state, specifically focusing on brand structures and the country of origin (COO) effect; Chapter 6: A summary of research-based recommendations for how to effectively utilize Brand Israel in accordance with the State’s interests, as well as recommendations of what parties interested in the subject matter should further research. Following the recommendations are concluding remarks. Lastly, the appendix profiles two examples in Brand Israel cultural engagement as well as a sample project for how to utilize one aspect of Brand Israel. The data presented in the project were collected from a variety of sources, which include interviews, nation branding reports and publications, a comprehensive media scan, articles and reports provided by Ido Aharani, the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs official charged with spearheading the Brand Israel initiative, and the text book Nation Branding: Concepts, Issues, Practice for an in-depth understanding of nation branding. Although I managed to communicate with a few Israeli government officials about the topic of Israeli nation branding, I was allowed access only to a very limited amount of information regarding recent and upcoming branding efforts. The reason given for this limited access was that the     7 Israeli government is currently in the process of completing primary research relating to global perceptions of Israel and incorporating insights into branding strategies, and that public access to this information at this point in time might pose a security risk.     8 Chapter 2: Brand Israel: A Brief History Before exploring how brand identity, engagement and management relate to Brand Israel, it is worth reviewing how the State has been perceived, especially focusing on the U.S. – Israel relationship, in order to garner a better understanding of the various contexts at work. Through this review, the reader should be able to recognize historical elements that helped to shape Brand Israel and how that impression has changed over time. Additionally, a survey of formal, proactive efforts taken to gauge perceptions of and strategically utilize Brand Israel will be presented. 2.1: The Early Years The State of Israel was officially recognized by the United Nations in 1948—three years after the end of World War II and the Holocaust. Although Jews emigrated from Europe to Israel in large waves since the late 19 th century in order to escape local persecution, the mass extermination of six million Jews sent a strong message to the world that institutionalized discrimination and persecution of Jews was alive and well. Never was the case so strong for the need for the Jewish people to have a homeland of their own. Furthermore, it seemed that the very beginnings of the State’s creation and survival was somewhat of a modern-day miracle. Five counties, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria, attacked the resource-lacking Israel and, yet, only roughly 1% of the Jewish population was killed—communicating that the land of Israel was, indeed, destined to be the Jews’ homeland. Mandy Katz, author of the article, The Re-Branding of Israel. From war planes to women: Why at 60 Israel’s image is taking off in new direction, explains how Israel’s public diplomacy was relatively simple in its early years. She states that lobbying—for arms, aid, for diplomatic recognition—was the state’s official diplomatic behavior. There was little need for internal concern about its image as the young Israel had gained the world’s sympathy and     9 admiration from its David vs. Goliath battle for existence against the assembled Arab nations in 1948. Diaspora Jews, in particular, were excited by the idea of Jewish sovereignty, claims Robert Rifkind, whose father, Federal District Court Judge Simon Rifkind, was a prominent Zionist who received the Presidential Medal of Freedom for work on behalf of Holocaust survivors. Rifkind explains how many European Jews had just experience WWII and “here were people who seemed healthy and vigorous and they were clearing swamps and building beautiful cities.” 12 From 1948 to roughly 1973 Israel was perceived by much of the world as a young, strong country with a promising future. Mandy Katz explains how the 1960 release of the movie Exodus starring Paul Newman marked a positive moment for Israel’s international image. “The movie was fabulous public relations,” wrote Dan Raviv and Yossi Melman in their 1994 U.S. Israel history, Friends In Deed. “The world saw the Newman character, Ari Ben-Canaan, as the embodiment of Israel: a tough fighter, farmer and patriot, but also a sentimental lover.” 13 These types of perceptions were especially true within the U.S., where a large percentage of Diaspora Jews lived, and are worth probing into for the purposes of understanding the roots of the current U.S. – Israel relationship. An excerpt from Mandy Katz’s article about a joint event between the two countries captures the essence of the beginnings of this relationship: Only Yankee Stadium was big enough to hold the 1956 “America Salutes Israel Pageant” celebrating Israel’s eighth birthday. “It is your sacred duty to attend,” intoned one Zionist group’s flyer—and attend people did: Tickets started at $1.50 for general admission and 42,455 were sold. The program kicked off at eight in the morning when an Israeli athlete stepped off an El Al plane at Idlewild (now Kennedy) Airport and set off running through city streets, with an official police escort, to deliver a “torch of freedom” to New York Mayor Robert Wagner. At the stadium that                                                          12 Katz, Mandy. "The Re-Branding of Israel. From war planes to women: Why at 60 Israel’s image is taking off in new direction." Moment Magazine May & june 2008. 13 Katz, Mandy. "The Re-Branding of Israel. From war planes to women: Why at 60 Israel’s image is taking off in new direction." Moment Magazine May & june 2008.     10 afternoon, police and fire department marching bands played, the Jewish- owned Harlem Globetrotters cavorted and Israel’s Olympic soccer squad squared off against and American all-star team. Eleanor Roosevelt and Miss America ascended the infield dais, as did Miss Israel. Even Marilyn Monroe came to pay homage, arriving in an open car beside Massachusetts Senator John F. Kennedy. With them rode the erect and dignified Eban, Israel’s ambassador to both Washington and the United Nations. Tall and always formal in dark suit and tie, the 41-year-old former British army officer was wildly admired by American Jews—and reluctantly respected by his diplomatic adversaries—for his forceful oratory on behalf of the Jewish state. Using skills honed in the storied Cambridge Union debating society, Eban’s adroit politicking had helped persuade Kennedy as well as another guest, New York Governor Averell Harriman, to call that day for an end to the U.S. arms embargo against Israel. “We are the oldest republic on earth and the youngest people,” Kennedy told the crowd. “The Israelis have the youngest republic and the oldest people.” More telling, even, than the speeches was Monroe’s presence, which let the world know that Israel, like the actress, was fresh, sexy and admired by American public figures. 14 Mandy Katz continues to explain how, during this time period, there were plenty of Israel brands that served as touchpoints for audiences to engage with the State: Rifkind, 12 years old when statehood was declared, remembers running with his older brother from their East Side apartment down to Rockefeller Center to see the new country’s flag flying among those of the other nations...El Al itself was a potent symbol. ‘It was reviewed as the vehicle by which the ingathering of the exiles would take place,’ says Marvin Goldman, author of El Al: Star in the Sky. The airline’s ferrying of 45,000 impoverished Yemenite Jews to Israel in 1949 was one of several dramatic airlifts that inspired admiration for the new state among Jews and non-Jew alike. “When Israeli oranges were shown at a trade fair,” Rifkind reminisces, “people would go and touch an orange and say, ‘Ah, a Jewish orange!’”...Young people flocked to Israel to pick fruit on kibbutzes and Israel acquired a reputation as a youth mecca. “Largely because of all the good press Israel was getting worldwide after the Six-Day War, tens of thousands of non-Jews came on long visits from dozens of countries,” according to Raviv and Melman. Sun, sea, sex and often hashish combined to make Israel a magnet for the curious and adventurous. A tiny country...was suddenly the place to be. 15                                                          14 Katz, Mandy. "The Re-Branding of Israel. From war planes to women: Why at 60 Israel’s image is taking off in new direction." Moment Magazine May & june 2008. 15 Katz, Mandy. "The Re-Branding of Israel. From war planes to women: Why at 60 Israel’s image is taking off in new direction." Moment Magazine May & june 2008.     11 2.2: 1967 – 9/11 Mandy Katz argues that between the time period of Israel’s military victory in the 1967 Six Day War and the 1973 Yom Kippur War, a fundamental shift with how the world would view Israel started to take form and that Israel’s world image would only become increasingly tainted as the years progressed. She explains that the 1967 war was a double- edged sword from a public relations standpoint. Israel’s unexpected victory inspired new waves of euphoria and respect from global audiences but, with the State now a dominant force in the Middle East, Third World nations soon coalesced around the Arab cause. Katz continues to explain that hubris may have played a role in Israel’s near defeat in the 1973 Yom Kippur War and that, coupled with the State’s increasingly political clout in Washington, caused its romanticized image to fade. “The honeymoon between Israel and the non-Jewish world has come to an end,” 16 warned World Jewish Congress President Nahum Goldmann to a 1975 audience of some 600 representatives of Jewish organizations from 62 countries. The Sabra and Shatila massacres in 1982, during Israel’s occupation of south Lebanon, positioned the plight of the Palestinian refugees in the international media spotlight. Also, the term ‘occupied territories’ gradually replaced the use of ‘Judea and Samaria’ to refer to disputed lands. Katz concludes, explaining how, by 1987, when the first Intifada began, “few were pondering the wonder of the Jewish oranges. The slingshot had changed hands, and Israel was the new Goliath. Where once Israelis had been pictured industriously reclaiming the desert, they were now scouring downtown streets for body parts after terrorist attacks. It didn’t take long for the second Intifada, which began in 2000, to drown out almost all non-martial images of Israel.” 17                                                          16  Katz, Mandy. "The Re-Branding of Israel. From war planes to women: Why at 60 Israel’s image is taking off in new direction." Moment Magazine May & june 2008.  17 Katz, Mandy. "The Re-Branding of Israel. From war planes to women: Why at 60 Israel’s image is taking off in new direction." Moment Magazine May & june 2008.     12 From the previous paragraphs, the reader is able to see how Israel’s world image has radically changed since its inception in 1948. Consistent with the argument that conflict is currently the primary, worldwide association with Brand Israel, earlier associations with Israel consisted of other elements such as its agricultural industry, rapid infrastructural accomplishments and with being a “youth mecca.” And even when earlier associations did include conflict, the conflict was presented in a manner in which Israel was positioned as the underdog. Additionally, regarding Israel’s involvement in warfare, not only did the world court rarely question the State’s ethics, but it was also validated due in large part to the State’s ‘underdog positioning.’ Since the first Intifada, however, with continual media coverage of the suffering on the part of, both, the Israelis and Palestinians, the romanticized image of Brand Israel had completely transformed to one of the harsh realities of urban warfare. 2.3: Post 9/11 The attacks by al-Qaeda upon the United States on September 11, 2001, exposed the American public firsthand to the horrors of terrorism. This experiences with death and destruction, caused by radical, militant Muslims, helped to create an opportunity for Americans to indentify with the hardships that Israeli civilians were experiencing on a regular basis. Furthermore, due to the United States’ ability to influence global policy, opportunity also existed to globally position Israel as a victim of terror, rather than a victimizer. These opportunities, combined with the general realization that Israel’s positioning in the world is vital to its survival, various individuals and organizations committed to Israel’s security and welfare have taken proactive efforts to gauge perceptions of and strategically utilize Brand Israel. Below is a condensed timeline of some of the milestones of Brand Israel-related efforts:     13 • Late 2001 = After the September 11 attacks, when the belief is held that “...the Israeli- Palestinian conflict was going to lose its centrality and that it would be a part of a much wider context,” 18 American-Jewish philanthropists funded the creation of Brand Israel Group (B.I.G.), a team of seven communications professionals dedicated to the improvement of Brand Israel’s global positioning. Members included Boaz Mourad, Pricipal of Insights Research Group, Ido Aharoni, the current head of Brand Israel’s initiatives, and Fern Oppenheim, a partner in Burson-Marstellar and a communications veteran of Philip Morris. Around the same time, Israel’s Foreign Ministry collected quantitative, poll-based data from the marketing conglomerate, Young and Rubicam, which surveys attitudes toward some 25,000 international brands on a quarterly basis. 19 • 2002 - 2005 = The Israeli government launched a public relations offensive targeting international media. The Tourism Ministry, specifically, launched a marketing campaign featuring attractive women on beaches in hopes of reclaiming associations of leisure that Brand Israel once possessed. 20 • Spring 2005 = B.I.G. conducted 10 focus groups to test Young and Rubicam’s findings that “Israel is well known but has little relevance for younger Americans, who only associate it with war.” 21 • Late 2005 = The Brand Israel initiative was endorsed by Israeli senior officials, led by then Foreign Ministry director-general Ron Prosor. 22 Gidon Meir, deputy director-general                                                          18 Pfeffer, Anshel. "Israel urges branding guru to shed its ‘war torn’ image." The Jewish Chronicle [London] 3 Oct. 2008. 19 Katz, Mandy. "The Re-Branding of Israel. From war planes to women: Why at 60 Israel’s image is taking off in new direction." Moment Magazine May & june 2008. 20 Pfeffer, Anshel. "Israel urges branding guru to shed its ‘war torn’ image." The Jewish Chronicle [London] 3 Oct. 2008. 21 Popper, Nathanial. "Israel Aims To Improve Its Public Image." The Jewish Daily Forward [New York] 14 Oct. 2005. 22 Pfeffer, Anshel. "Israel urges branding guru to shed its ‘war torn’ image." The Jewish Chronicle [London] 3 Oct. 2008.     14 for public affairs at the Foreign Ministry, stated that the purpose of the initiative is to have “a major branding campaign in America and Europe.” 23 • October 2, 2005 = After reviewing “specialized research conducted by American marketing executives over the last three years” the branding effort was approved by the Foreign Ministry, Finance Ministry and the Prime Minister’s Office. 24 • 2006 = The Brand Israel initiative was officially announced by the Foreign Ministry. 25 Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni assumed control of project and secured financing from the Treasury. 26 She obtained “a special appropriation of $4 million for the first two years of the Brand Israel program.” 27 Livni saw the initiative as “’a great opportunity not only to improve Israel’s image and bring economic dividends,’ including increased foreign investment and tourism, ‘but also to fight dangerous trends that doubt Israel’s legitimacy.’” 28 At the time, she believed that “the return we (Israel) will get will be greater than anyone could imagine.” 29 • October 2006 = The initiative entered its execution phase and Acanchi, a communications agency that specializes in place-branding, was hired to help “have Israel’s name more closely associated with technology innovation and culture and less with the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.” 30                                                          23 Popper, Nathanial. "Israel Aims To Improve Its Public Image." The Jewish Daily Forward [New York] 14 Oct. 2005. 24 Popper, Nathanial. "Israel Aims To Improve Its Public Image." The Jewish Daily Forward [New York] 14 Oct. 2005. 25 Katz, Mandy. "The Re-Branding of Israel. From war planes to women: Why at 60 Israel’s image is taking off in new direction." Moment Magazine May & june 2008. 26 Pfeffer, Anshel. "Israel urges branding guru to shed its ‘war torn’ image." The Jewish Chronicle [London] 3 Oct. 2008. 27 Schneider, Ilene. "Rebranding Israel." Orange County Jewish Life 1 Mar. 2009. 28 Schneider, Ilene. "Rebranding Israel." Orange County Jewish Life 1 Mar. 2009. 29 (Author Unknown). "Israel to re-brand itself in the world." Israel Today [Jerusalem] 12 Sept. 2006. 30 Pfeffer, Anshel. "Israel urges branding guru to shed its ‘war torn’ image." The Jewish Chronicle [London] 3 Oct. 2008.     15 • November 2006 = Tzipi Livni appointed Ido Aharoni to head Israel’s first brand management office. 31 Aharoni’s aim was to “‘shed some more light on Israel’s hidden assets – contributions to science, medicine and other technology; environmental awareness; artistic, cultural, and architectural achievements; and lifestyle and amenities.’” 32 He also wanted “to communicate Israel’s role as a melting pot society and its willingness to assist in international aid program.” 33 • June 2007 = The Israeli consulate general’s office in New York, the American-Israel Friendship League, a non-profit organization dedicated to strengthening the ties between U.S. residents and Israel, and Israel21C, a non-profit organization “...with a mission to focus media and public attention on the 21st century Israel that exists beyond the conflict,” 34 collaborated with Maxim to release a controversial photo feature titled “Women of the Israel Defense Forces.” 35 • October 2008 = The Ministry of Foreign Affairs was confident in the direction of positioning for Brand Israel but felt that it still needed to form an umbrella brand. 36 • September 10, 2008 – July 10, 2009 = The Foreign Ministry executed a 10-month pilot project in Toronto to piggyback on the Toronto International Film Festival. The focus was on Israeli contributions to Torontonians’ quality of life. 37 “According to Aharoni, the heart of the rebranding effort is the need to create coalitions, and the Toronto conference is one building block in that process.” 38                                                          31 Katz, Mandy. "The Re-Branding of Israel. From war planes to women: Why at 60 Israel’s image is taking off in new direction." Moment Magazine May & june 2008. 32 Schneider, Ilene. "Rebranding Israel." Orange County Jewish Life 1 Mar. 2009. 33 Schneider, Ilene. "Rebranding Israel." Orange County Jewish Life 1 Mar. 2009. 34 "About Us | general-content-about-us-category." ISRAEL21c - Beyond the conflict news on Israel. Web. 25 Dec. 2009. <http://www.israel21c.org/general-content-about-us-category/about- us>. 35 Katz, Mandy. "The Re-Branding of Israel. From war planes to women: Why at 60 Israel’s image is taking off in new direction." Moment Magazine May & june 2008. 36 Pfeffer, Anshel. "Israel urges branding guru to shed its ‘war torn’ image." The Jewish Chronicle [London] 3 Oct. 2008. 37 Lungen, Paul. "Brand Israel campaign launched." Heritage Florida Jewish News [Fern Park] 10 Oct. 2008: 15A.     16 • (Timing unknown, but sometime after 2001) = “The next phase of Israel’s branding campaign is twofold. A domestic component will help Israelis to discern and reinforce the country’s brand among themselves, and an international identity and logo campaign will be launched along the lines of ‘I ♥ NY.’” 39 • (Timing unknown, but sometime after 2001) = Israeli populations participated in focus groups “to learn about the primary qualities that made them proud to be Israeli. The top traits that could be used as a basis for a branding campaign were passion, ingenuity and the ability to live in a melting pot of widely diverse immigrants.” 40                                                          38 Brinn, David. "Israel eyes Toronto for marketing test site." Toronto Star 17 Mar. 2008. 39 Katz, Mandy. "The Re-Branding of Israel. From war planes to women: Why at 60 Israel’s image is taking off in new direction." Moment Magazine May & june 2008. 40 Brinn, David. "Israel eyes Toronto for marketing test site." Toronto Star 17 Mar. 2008.     17 Chapter 3: Brand Israel Identity Before a country implements branding campaigns in hopes of influencing audiences, it must thoroughly explore, identify and reach a consensus of what its identity is. Without a shared and focused identity, a nation brand will face many challenges as it seeks to proactively influence audience perceptions of the brand. Furthermore, a country that doesn’t attempt to project itself in a consistent, focused manner will, ultimately, be vulnerable to an identity constructed by external parties. As mentioned earlier, French professor Jean-Marc Lehu states that brand identity is comprised of 12 components: name, heritage, graphical characteristics, positioning, status, personality, everyday behavior, beliefs, values, projected image, attitudes of the brand’s consumers towards to it, and attitude of the brand toward consumers. 41 Although many facets of identity exist, nation branding expert Keith Dinnie explains that a “deep and authentic nation-brand must include the many elements and expressions of a nation’s culture; if it fails to do so, it will rightly be perceived as shallow and superficial and not truly representative of the nation...nation-brands are rooted in the reality of the nation’s culture, which is perhaps the truest, most authentic differentiator that any brand could wish to have.” 42 Comparing Lehu’s components of brand identity and Dinnie’s thought regarding culture, the argument can be made that culture encompasses many aspects of brand identity. Keith Dinnie argues that it “would be impossible to effectively develop a nation- brand identity that drew upon every strand of a country’s national identity...Therefore, a key task of those engaged in constructing a nation-brand identity is to be selective in identifying which elements of national identity can usefully serve the stated objectives of the nation-                                                          41 Dinnie, Keith. Nation Branding: Concepts, Issues, Practice. Chicago: Butterworth-Heinemann, 2007. Pg. 43. 42 Dinnie, Keith. Nation Branding: Concepts, Issues, Practice. Chicago: Butterworth-Heinemann, 2007. Pg. 112.      18 branding campaign.” 43 For the purposes of this paper, three areas of identity are explored when addressing the Brand Israel identity. The first is the collective mission and purpose of Brand Israel. The second is whether it is possible for Brand Israel to have an identity that is primarily inclusive towards the populations that reside within the State’s borders. The last explores who should be involved in the process of Israel’s brand identity formation. 3.1: Brand Israel Mission and Purpose In order for Brand Israel to effectively reach and influence audiences, it must reach a consensus of what its true mission and purpose is. Only with a focused mission will genuine brand values have the ability to be incorporated into effective strategy and messaging. Due to deep tensions that exist between secular and religious Jewish communities within Israel regarding the way the State should conduct itself, Brand Israel strategists must explore the influence of Judaism on national identity. While the founders of the State of Israel were secular Jews, the first several sentences of the State’s Proclamation of Independence, formalized on May 14, 1948, explains the bond between Jews, Judaism and the Land of Israel: “The Land of Israel was the birthplace of the Jewish people. Here their spiritual, religious and national identity formed. Here they achieved independence and created a culture of national and universal significance. Here they wrote and gave the Bible to the world. Exiled from the Land of Israel the Jewish people remained faithful to it in all the countries of their dispersion, never ceasing to pray and hope for their return and the restoration of their national freedom.” 44                                                          43 Dinnie, Keith. Nation Branding: Concepts, Issues, Practice. Chicago: Butterworth-Heinemann, 2007. Pg. 46. 44 Laqueur, Walter, and Barry Rubin, eds. The Israel-Arab Reader. 7th ed. New York: Penguin Group, 2008.     19 On January 16, 1996, Ezer Weizman, then President of Israel, gave a speech to the Bundestag and Bundesrat of the Federal Republic of Germany that incorporates themes present in the Proclamation: It was fate that delivered me and my contemporaries into this great era, when the Jews returned to and re-established their homeland. I am no longer a wandering Jew who migrates from country to country, from exile to exile. But all Jews in every generation must regard themselves as if they had been there, in previous generations, places, and events. Therefore, I am still a wandering Jew, but not along the far-flung paths of the world. Now I migrate through the expanses of time, from generation to generation, down the paths of memory...I...emigrated to the Land of Israel, the country whence I had been exiled and where I had been born, from which I come and to which I return. 45 Although, both, secular and religious Jews in Israel agree on the historical ties between Jews and the Land of Israel, there is disagreement on the purpose to be served by the State. Judaism and its role are major components in this disagreement. While many secular Jews view Israel as a place where the Jewish people can pursue political, religious and economic independence, most religious Jews view Israel as a tool through which the Jewish people can fulfill the ultimate purpose of bringing Godliness into the entire world, starting with Israel. This difference is demonstrated through the Israeli national anthem, “HaTikvah,” meaning “The Hope”: “As long as the Jewish spirit is yearning deep in the heart, with eyes turned toward the East, looking toward Zion, then our hope - the two-thousand-year-old hope - will not be lost: to be a free people in our land, the land of Zion and Jerusalem.” Rabbi Ken Spiro, a historian of Jewish history, states that the “hope” mentioned in the anthem should not be to be a “free” people, but rather, would be more accurate if it is read to be a “holy” people. 46 He explains how for most of Jewish history, the religiously based desire to live in the Land of Israel has been a major part of the Jewish consciousness. He goes                                                          45 "President Weizman Speech to Bundestag - Jan 16- 19." Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Web. 27 Dec. 2009. <http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/MFAArchive/1990_1999/1996/1/President% 20Weizman%20Speech%20to%20Bundestag%20-%20Jan%2016-%2019>. 46 "Jewish History Audio Class Series." Track #33 – Modern Israel. Aish HaTorah Yeshiva, Jerusalem. Lecture.     20 on to state how The Aguda, an influential religious political entity in Israel, originating in Europe before WWI with the support of powerful Jewish religious figures, issued a proclamation in 1947 regarding the divine nature of the State’s establishment: “Aguda Israel sees as a historic event the decision of the nations of the world to return us, after 2000 years, the portion of the Holy Land, there to establish a Jewish state and to (gather) within its borders the banished and scattered members of our people. This historic event must bring home to every Jew the realization the Almighty has brought this about in an act of divine providence...” 47 Ultimately, major fractures between secular and religious Jewish communities in Israel will not only make it difficult to create an authentic Brand Israel, but will jeopardize collaborative opportunities to strengthen the country internally. The challenge that exists for Brand Israel strategists is how to incorporate the different beliefs regarding Israel’s purpose into strategies that are in accordance with state interests, but also true to its identity and, to the greatest extent possible, inclusive of the diversity of views and values held by Israeli citizens. Specific industry sectors, political spheres and social arenas should be focused on in order to reach some mutual agreement on how to incorporate themes of, both, secular independence and Judaism-based ethical and moral practices. An example of a possible area of collaboration can be found in how Israeli entrepreneurs and businesses conduct ethical business practices in foreign countries, with a focus on the U.S., where opportunities for them to serve as brand ambassadors are more present. From personal experience, I have been exposed to individual cases in the U.S. where Israeli businesspeople have engaged in unethical practices such as practicing real estate without a license, engaging in tax evasion and buying stolen wholesale merchandise to sell at retail for a larger profit margin. This type of behavior portrays ‘Israeli business’ in a negative                                                          47 "Jewish History Audio Class Series." Track #33 – Modern Israel. Aish HaTorah Yeshiva, Jerusalem. Lecture.     21 light and misrepresents the values that, both, secular and religious Jews in Israel desire to convey externally. Opportunities for collaboration could include the Israeli government providing incentive for the establishment of partnerships between religious and secular business trade organizations for the purposes of addressing an issue such as this. Another opportunity for collaboration exists in placing emphasis on a specific ideology. Buchholtz and Wordemann, in their book, What Makes Winning Brands Different: The Hidden Method Behind The World’s Most Successful Brands, state that an approach to identity-building lies in the possibility for brands to advocate an ideology, by standing up for what consumers believes in and visibly sharing their convictions. 48 Throughout the Jewish people’s 3,300+-year history, the ‘sanctification of life’ has been an ideological theme that they have internalized and for which they have advocated. Specifically, many Jews are familiar with the promise made by God in the Torah for them to serve as a “light unto the nation.” 49 A common interpretation of this text holds that the Jewish people have a responsibility to serve as a role model nation by acting in moral and just ways. Tremendous opportunity exists for Brand Israel strategists to utilize this ‘sanctification of life’ theme in order to unify secular and religious Israeli Jewish communities and to establish an identity that both audiences identify with. Joint humanitarian projects, for example, within and outside of Israel, coupled with a robust communications plan, will help to address some of the existing tensions, as well as help to reinforce moral and ethical values that both hold important. There will always be differences in worldviews associated with this ideology, but this does not negate the fact that a world of possibility exists for shared meaning between both Jewish groups. Furthermore, external audiences exposed to internal collaboration revolving around this theme may help to reinforce perceptions of strength, unity and overall ‘brand health.’ By demonstrating how internal                                                          48 Buchholtz, A., and W. Wordemann. What Makes Winning Brands Different: The Hidden Method Behind The World’s Most Successful Brands. UK: Wiley, 2000. 49 Isaiah 42:6. The Artscroll Series. Stone ed. Brooklyn: Mesorah Publications, 1996.     22 populations agree upon Brand Israel’s essence, collective identity can be used as a medium for portraying the brand’s power and, ultimately, can create more impact in its engagement with these external audiences. 3.2: Brand Israel Identity: Inclusive or Exclusive? In addition to the tensions that exist between secular and religious Jews in Israel, an array of other populations exist within the State that complicate the task of forming a genuine Brand Israel identity. With more than 23% of Israel’s population being non-Jewish 50 , the legitimacy of the claim that Israel is a “Jewish State” is becoming increasingly compromised. This leads to questions of whether or not Israel can be a true democracy and whether it is possible for Brand Israel to have an identity that is inclusive towards the populations that reside within the State’s borders. Israel’s Proclamation of Independence states that the country “will promote the development of the country for all its inhabitants; will be based on the principles of liberty, justice and peace as conceived by the Prophets of Israel; will uphold the full social and political equality of all its citizens, without distinction of religion, race, or sex; will guarantee freedom of religion, conscience, education and culture...” 51 While elements of democracy are incorporated into this passage, the question remains how can a country be a democracy when it holds the wellbeing of a specific group of people above others by virtue of its creation? In a 2009 joint press conference of Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu and Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany, Netanyahu stated that Theodore Herzl, the ‘father’ of modern Zionism, referred to Israel as “a Jewish state not in the religious sense...but in the sense of Israel, the Jewish state, being the nation-state of the Jewish people.” A highly debated question that                                                          50 "Background Note: Israel." U.S. Department of State. Web. 15 Nov. 2009. <http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/3581.htm>. 51 Laqueur, Walter, and Barry Rubin, eds. The Israel-Arab Reader. 7th ed. New York: Penguin Group, 2008.     23 Israeli policymakers continue to explore is, if Israel is both, a nation-state and a democracy, then what is to become of the country’s identity if the demographics shift to the point where Jews are no longer the majority? This issue of Israeli demographics is commonly referred to as “The Arab Demographic Threat.” In May 2009, Michael Oren, the current Israeli ambassador to the United States, wrote an article in which he stated that, “even if the minimalist interpretation is largely correct, it cannot alter a situation in which Israeli Arabs currently constitute one-fifth of the country’s population—one-quarter of the population under age 19--and in which the West Bank now contains at least 2 million Arabs. Israel, the Jewish State, is predicated on a decisive and stable Jewish majority of at least 70 percent. Any lower than that and Israel will have to decide between being a Jewish state and a democratic state. If it chooses democracy, then Israel as a Jewish state will cease to exist. If it remains officially Jewish, then the state will face an unprecedented level of international isolation, including sanctions, that might prove fatal.” 52 Based on Oren’s assessment, Israel needs to face the harsh reality that internal population demographics may force it to soon decide between being a democratic and Jewish state. With official government materials, like the national anthem and Proclamation of Independence, which declare Israel serving as a homeland to the Jewish people, and a diverse mix of resident populations, the question arises of who should be involved in the actual process of formal brand identity formation. Fiona Gilmore, a brand identity expert, states that the core of a country’s brand must capture the spirit of its people. 53 But who exactly are the people of the State of Israel and what is their spirit? If the time comes when Israel does, indeed, have to make the choice between being a democratic and Jewish state, it will have to consider how much of the other non-Jewish                                                          52 Oren, Michael B. "Seven Existential Threats." Commentary Magazine May 2009. 53 Gilmore, F. "A country – Can it be repositioned? Spain – the success story of country branding." Journal of Brand Management 9.4-5 (2002): 281-93.     24 populations it wants to incorporate into its brand identity. Nation brand identity, however, does not have to be “static and fixed” but can be “produced and fluid.” 54 So, for the time being, one could argue that incorporating Israel’s diverse population into its brand identity may not be a conflict of interest. However, this still leaves the question of who is entitled to participate in the formal construction of the Brand Israel identity. 3.3: Brand Israel Identity Formation Given that national security is a top priority for the Israeli government, it is unlikely that the power to shape brand identity will be yielded to non-Jewish parties. The only exception may be if the non-Jewish party accepts and legitimizes the notion that Israel is, first and foremost, a Jewish nation-state. Taking this exception into consideration, official brand identity formation could serve as a valuable opportunity for the Israeli government to get local, non-Jewish populations to buy-in into the State’s “essence” by including them in the process. Among Jewish parties, religious and cultural entities could effectively play a significant role in collaborating for the purposes of forming a brand identity. Dinnie explains how narrative identity theory suggests that “in order to make time human and socially shared, we require a narrative identity for our self and this is done by the stories we can and cannot tell. Nations are clearly in an excellent position to construct such identity-building narratives, given the historical and cultural foundations upon which nations are built...it would make sense for nations to invite their ‘real’ writers to be involved in constructing the nation’s narrative – poets, playwrights, novelists and other creative writers could potentially play a significant role in enhancing their nation’s reputation.” 55 Ultimately, a sense of collaboration                                                          54 Dinnie, Keith. Nation Branding: Concepts, Issues, Practice. Chicago: Butterworth-Heinemann, 2007. Pg. 116. 55 Dinnie, Keith. Nation Branding: Concepts, Issues, Practice. Chicago: Butterworth-Heinemann, 2007. Pg. 45.      25 among Israeli populations will add legitimacy to what Brand Israel truly is due to the array of perspectives that it will represent. Additionally, not including Israeli populations in the process will, not only decrease the brand identity’s legitimacy, but will also anger these populations, potentially furthering the already deep social divides. It is important for the reader to remember that even if an authentic brand identity is constructed, it does not mean that its audiences’ perceptions will match. As mentioned earlier, a nation’s identity is its true essence, while its image is how it is perceived, and often, nations experience an identity-image gap. While identity construction may involve more formal processes, sanctioned by official bodies within the country, how that identity is perceived is limited by the “uncontrollability of external agents.” 56 Some of the many factors that can affect a nation’s image include “personal experience...word-of-mouth...pre-existing national stereotypes, the performance of national sporting teams, political events, portrayals of the country in film, television or other media, the quality of the brand emanating from the country, the behaviour of individuals associated with a certain country and so on.” 57 In order to balance the weight of this “uncontrollability” and influence mental representations of Brand Israel, Israel must have a comprehensive strategic plan for how it is to engage its audiences. However, how can Brand Israel strategists gauge the point at which such uncontrollability is of such a scale that it puts at risk, or even dooms the entire initiative? Obviously, it is impossible to track and measure all activity influencing Brand Israel’s image. However, the implication is that when constructing focused campaigns strategists should measure not only the direct affects that the campaigns have on audiences but also how barriers to achieving campaign goals interact with the branding efforts. Through a rigorous                                                          56 Dinnie, Keith. Nation Branding: Concepts, Issues, Practice. Chicago: Butterworth-Heinemann, 2007. Pg. 50. 57 Dinnie, Keith. Nation Branding: Concepts, Issues, Practice. Chicago: Butterworth-Heinemann, 2007. Pg. 47.      26 process of synthesizing information across multiple campaigns and projects, strategists should be able to reveal powerful factors that widen Brand Israel’s identity-image gap. Ideally, sustaining focus on these key factors will help strategists to gauge macro-level effects on uncontrollability and adjust long-term strategy accordingly.     27 Chapter 4: Brand Israel Engagement Once Brand Israel has a largely accepted, research-based identity, the next step is to strategically utilize the brand through audience engagement. Ari Applebaum, a Middle East analyst, educator and marketing communications manager, states that Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the government entity spearheading the branding initiative, claims that two lenses exist in how audiences view Brand Israel: conflict and religion, and that it aims to add a third lens, which it refers to as "people," in order to diversify the associations that audiences have with the brand. 58 Before exploring this strategy, as well as other elements of Brand Israel audience engagement, it is worth introducing important concepts that provide the reader with a basic understanding of nation branding engagement. A fundamental concept in understanding how to effectively engage audiences is ‘brand equity,’ which simply refers to the value of a brand. Determining a brand’s value will significantly help in determining specific strategies and tactics to use for segmented target audiences. Dinnie states that there are two approaches to viewing brand equity: the consumer perspective and the financial perspective. The consumer perspective holds that “brand equity may be evaluated in terms of consumer awareness of the brand in question, consumer judgments regarding brand quality, uniqueness, prestige and so on.” 59 The financial perspective “involves attempts of various kinds to attach a financial value to specific brands.” 60 The stakeholder theory of brand equity suggests that “brand value is co-created through interaction with multiple strategic stakeholders, and therefore, it would be erroneous to focus only on the customer when assessing brand equity. 61 Dinnie points out, however, that “there is no universal consensus on accounting methods and procedures for the financial                                                          58 Applbaum, Ari. "Toronto Film Festival." Message to the author. 28 Dec. 2009. E-mail. 59 Dinnie, Keith. Nation Branding: Concepts, Issues, Practice. Chicago: Butterworth-Heinemann, 2007. Pg. 62. 60 Dinnie, Keith. Nation Branding: Concepts, Issues, Practice. Chicago: Butterworth-Heinemann, 2007. Pg. 62. 61 Dinnie, Keith. Nation Branding: Concepts, Issues, Practice. Chicago: Butterworth-Heinemann,     28 evaluation of brands.” 62 Thus, Dinnie’s suggestion for nations to conduct research in order to gain insight into specific dimensions of their nation brand equity (NBEQ), 63 seems to suggest that strategists should determine which variables of brand equity are most important and relevant to continually measure, respective to specific national goals and interests. An important component of the consumer perspective focuses on brand loyalty, which is a key feature of brand equity. Dinnie expounds upon the significance of emotional attachment when constructing nation brand loyalty programs: “...loyalty programmes must aim to build consumers’ emotional attachment to the brand rather than aiming solely at engendering repeat buying, because the correlation between emotional loyalty and brand purchase is exponential rather than linear. As rich repositories of cultural meanings, possessing deep emotional and experiential qualities, nation-brands should be well-placed to develop such emotional attachments to their brands.” 64 Jian Wang, a public diplomacy and branding expert, reinforces this point in his article, The power and limits of branding in national image communication in global society, “...emotional forces are at work in how nation-states are perceived by their overseas publics, whose expressed views of other countries are in large measure shaped by their feelings and habits rather than information and knowledge.” 65 Thus, the previous comments suggest that a deep understanding of audience values, beliefs and emotions is required when designing and implementing effective nation brand campaigns.                                                          2007. Pg. 63. 62 Dinnie, Keith. Nation Branding: Concepts, Issues, Practice. Chicago: Butterworth-Heinemann, 2007. Pg. 65. 63 Dinnie, Keith. Nation Branding: Concepts, Issues, Practice. Chicago: Butterworth-Heinemann, 2007. Pg. 62.  64 Dinnie, Keith. Nation Branding: Concepts, Issues, Practice. Chicago: Butterworth-Heinemann, 2007. Pg. 64. 65 Wang, Jian. "The power and limits of branding in national image communication in global society." The Journal of International Communication 14.2 (2008): 12.     29 Dinnie spends considerable effort into identifying “major sources of NBEQ that potentially form the basis for developing strategic nation-branding campaigns.” 66 These sources are presented in the form of an asset-based model of NBEQ (see Figure 1) in which the internal and external assets comprising NBEQ are conceptualized in terms of innate, nurtured, vicarious and disseminated assets. He defines NBEQ as “the tangible and intangible, internal and external assets (or liabilities) of the nation” and states that these assets and liabilities represent the sources for NBEQ. 67 Internal assets are conceptualized as innate or nurtured, while external assets are conceptualized as vicarious or disseminated. 68 The following information delves into the components of innate, nurtured, vicarious and disseminated assets as they relate to NBEQ. Figure 1: Model of asset-based nation-brand equity                                                          66 Dinnie, Keith. Nation Branding: Concepts, Issues, Practice. Chicago: Butterworth-Heinemann, 2007. Pg. 67. 67 Dinnie, Keith. Nation Branding: Concepts, Issues, Practice. Chicago: Butterworth-Heinemann, 2007. Pg. 67. 68 Dinnie, Keith. Nation Branding: Concepts, Issues, Practice. Chicago: Butterworth-Heinemann, 2007. Pg. 67.      30 4.1: Innate Assets Dinnie explains that innate assets are “enduring elements of national identity, those aspects of the essence of the nation that can be viewed as assets in attempts to build nation- brand equity. Such assets include a nation’s iconography, landscape and culture...and these provide a powerful and authentic means of differentiation for the nation-brand. A nation’s iconography comprises of visual images, symbols and other unique representational elements associated with the nation. National flags are the most obvious element of a nation’s iconography, but can also refer to places, individuals and even products. 69 Some of the iconographic elements associated with Brand Israel include the Star of David, the Western Wall in Jerusalem and bearded rabbis. However, one could argue that Palestinian icons, such as the Palestinian flag, al-Aqsa Mosque and bomb-strapped terrorists, serve as iconic liabilities for the State when attempting to change the conflict prism that many audiences see it through. The Israeli government should conduct research to see how Israeli and Palestinian icons interact with one another and what the effects are on specific audiences. Dinnie goes on to explain how landscape, including cities, plays an important role in helping define the essence of a nation and, thus, is a key component of nation-brand equity. 70 Brand Israel has great potential to utilize its landscape for strategic purposes. Although Israel is only 7,850 square miles – about the size of New Jersey – its geography and climate are as diverse as its populations. Traveling from the south to the north of the country, a person can experience the blistering heat and barrenness of the open desert, lush, green hills and valleys, and snow-capped mountains that provide ripe conditions for snow sports. Additionally, Israel contains cities that are diverse in culture, religion and industry. The “Old City” in Jerusalem, for example, contains religious populations living in centuries-old stone houses that are                                                          69 Dinnie, Keith. Nation Branding: Concepts, Issues, Practice. Chicago: Butterworth-Heinemann, 2007. Pg. 68. 70 Dinnie, Keith. Nation Branding: Concepts, Issues, Practice. Chicago: Butterworth-Heinemann, 2007. Pg. 69.     31 personified through icons like the Western Wall, al-Aqsa Mosque and The Church of the Holy Sepulcher, while Tel Aviv is a young, liberal, urban metropolitan city that is represented through icons such as its beaches and night clubs. Ideally, by emphasizing Brand Israel’s diversity and complexity, the conflict prism can change to an image other than Israel being simply as a victimizer of Palestinians. As with iconography and landscape, Dinnie explains how a nation’s culture represents a unique and authentic facet of national identity. He states that culture cannot be an artificial construction devised by marketers; on the contrary, it must be a genuine manifestation of what the nation truly is. Culture, in particular, offers a rich source for nations attempting to mold their nation brand. Music, film, literature, language and sport are some examples that can play a significant role in determining country image perceptions and that therefore should be integrated into nation-branding strategy. 71 Israel possesses a wealth of culture that dates back to the Jewish peoples’ 3,300+- year history. A few of Brand Israel’s many cultural assets include its archeology, dating back to the Greek empire, its musicians such as world-class violinist, Itzhak Perlman, and internationally-acclaimed literary authors, including Amos Oz. Additionally, due to Israel being a nation-state, one could also argue that Jewish cultural achievements, in general, add to Brand Israel’s equity—one example being that more than 20% of all Nobel Prize recipients are Jews. 72 Dinnie argues that “negative perceptions connected with a country’s political regime or military profile may be offset by more positive associations with the same country’s contemporary culture.” 73 In 2009, Tel Aviv was spotlighted in the Toronto International Film                                                          71 Dinnie, Keith. Nation Branding: Concepts, Issues, Practice. Chicago: Butterworth-Heinemann, 2007. Pg. 69.  72 "Jewish Nobel Prize Winners." Jewish Virtual Library. Web. 20 Nov. 2009. <http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Judaism/nobels.html>. 73 Dinnie, Keith. Nation Branding: Concepts, Issues, Practice. Chicago: Butterworth-Heinemann, 2007. Pg. 69.     32 Festival (TIFF) through Israeli films. The events surrounding the festival, which will be discussed later in the paper, question whether this potential for “offset” is applicable in Brand Israel’s case. However, anybody that is aware of the plethora of culture that the State possesses is probably also aware of how much of it creatively and sincerely addresses issues relating to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. 4.2: Nurtured Assets Moving on from innate assets, nurtured assets “derive from conscious contemporary efforts to create a healthy environment for nation-brand equity development. Internal buy-in and support for the arts represent such nurtured assets.” 74 Dinnie explains how securing internal buy-in to the nation-brand is a communications challenge for those organizations responsible for promoting a nation abroad. He argues that if domestic populations and stakeholders are not aware of the images and reputations that are being projected of their own country, they cannot expect to ‘live the brand.’ The result can be a gap between reality and the projected image, which will create dissonance when external audiences discover that the nation’s projected image is not rooted in reality. 75 There needs to be internal buy-in to the nation brand by, both, the public and private sector when engaging with foreign organizations. 76 Earlier, the issue of identity was explored through the topics of secular and religious Jews, and other non-Jewish populations living in Israel. Whether or not these groups buy into the nation brand, as Dinnie argues, will have an effect on Brand Israel’s perceived legitimacy when engaging with audiences. The question that the Israeli government must answer is                                                          74 Dinnie, Keith. Nation Branding: Concepts, Issues, Practice. Chicago: Butterworth-Heinemann, 2007. Pg. 68. 75 Dinnie, Keith. Nation Branding: Concepts, Issues, Practice. Chicago: Butterworth-Heinemann, 2007. Pg. 70.  76 Dinnie, Keith. Nation Branding: Concepts, Issues, Practice. Chicago: Butterworth-Heinemann, 2007. Pg. 70.      33 where the appropriate balance lies between portraying an Israel that represents a large range of perspectives, and an Israel that picks specific components of identity that may be indeed true, but leaves out other critical components that create context for the brand. Additionally, the choice will have an effect on the government’s ability to utilize brand ambassadors, which will be discussed in-depth later on in the paper. Another important nurtured asset is support for the arts since a nation brand is rooted in its culture. Support may come from the state through organizations responsible for fostering cultural life, or private companies may commercially drive it through sponsorship of the arts. 77 Dinnie explains how management of the commerce-culture interface can be problematic: “Traditionally, suspicion abounds between the worlds of commerce and culture...many individuals and organizations from the cultural sector harbour serious reservations about using culture as part of a branding strategy...On the other hand, business people often appear to lack a sense of cultural awareness and reject any initiative that is not easily or immediately quantifiable, a common being that culture is either a luxury or an irrelevance.” 78 Thus, Israel’s government should conduct research to determine how the country’s cultural organizations feel about being incorporated in nation-brand strategy. Additionally, knowing if Israeli businesses can buy into the argument that cultural investment will aid them in the long-run will help the Israeli government determined how to engage commerce-culture partnerships. Ultimately, due to the very difficult position that Brand Israel is in, it is in all parties’ interest to collaborate where appropriate.                                                          77 Dinnie, Keith. Nation Branding: Concepts, Issues, Practice. Chicago: Butterworth-Heinemann, 2007. Pg. 70. 78 Dinnie, Keith. Nation Branding: Concepts, Issues, Practice. Chicago: Butterworth-Heinemann, 2007. Pg. 70.      34 4.3: Vicarious Assets While innate and nurtured assets are internal to a country, vicarious and disseminated assets are external to a country. Vicarious assets are experienced second-hand, rather than through direct personal contact. 79 Culture, specifically pop culture, can be both an innate, internal asset and vicarious, external asset due to its exposure to audiences outside of the country. Music and film, for example, are mediums through which powerful images of national identity can be expressed. As mentioned earlier in the history of Brand Israel section, the world saw the Paul Newman character in the movie Exodus as the embodiment of Israel: a tough fighter, farmer and patriot, but also a sentimental lover. 80 While the state of Brand Israel is different today then at the time when Exodus was released, the fact that pop culture can have a significant, positive impact on audiences still remains true. Opportunities for cultural output that present a country in a positive light exist through public funding. This can include the funding of contemporary singers and bands to tour abroad, enhancing the country’s reputation in a non-military, non-imperialistic way. 81 In an interview with Shahar Azani, the Consul for Culture, Media and Public Affairs in Israel’s Los Angeles consulate, he told me a story demonstrating the effectiveness of government collaboration with Israeli cultural groups. The Israeli music group, Hadag Nahash, was touring the U.S. towards the end of 2008. While the group was in Los Angeles, Consul Azani contacted the group and arranged for them to perform for free for a crowd of about 400 predominantly Latino students at Franklin High School in Highland Park. This was a surprise performance for the students, who he said were excited and enjoyed the music, even though the group was foreign and sang entirely in Hebrew. Consul Azani also convinced actor Rob                                                          79 Dinnie, Keith. Nation Branding: Concepts, Issues, Practice. Chicago: Butterworth-Heinemann, 2007. Pg. 71. 80 Katz, Mandy. "The Re-Branding of Israel. From war planes to women: Why at 60 Israel’s image is taking off in new direction." Moment Magazine May & june 2008. 81 Dinnie, Keith. Nation Branding: Concepts, Issues, Practice. Chicago: Butterworth-Heinemann, 2007. Pg. 72.      35 Schneider, who was in the Adam Sandler movie, You Don’t Mess With the Zohan, with Hadag Nahash, to make an appearance at the performance. Schneider, at one point, even “hopped on stage and encouraged the students to clap and jump along with the band.” 82 As an added bonus, the Los Angeles Times covered the story, including in it that “the consulate general of Israel champions Hadag Nahash and was instrumental in bringing the group” 83 to the school, as well as a quote from one of the group’s members stating that the group believes that “’that the only solution (to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict) is a peaceful one, not a violent one.’” 84 One can argue that the Times’ inclusion of these two points sends the message to readers of the article that the Israeli government supports using military force as a measure to be used only when diplomacy is not effective. Additionally, the introduction of Brand Israel to students who probably did not know very much about it, through a high-energy band and a popular American Jewish comedic actor, is a powerful way to leave a lasting positive impression. It should also be noted that Hadag Nahash performed without any kind of compensation from the Israeli government. This fact supports the notion that many Israeli cultural groups are happy to portray their homeland in a positive light to “outsiders” and also reinforces the legitimacy of the messages communicated by them. 4.4: Disseminated Assets Moving on from vicarious assets, disseminated assets are “tangible projections of the nation-brand existing beyond the nation’s homeland and throughout the wider world.” Examples include branded exports, the use of official and unofficial brand ambassadors, and a country’s Diaspora community.                                                          82 Knoll, Corina. "From Israel to Franklin High." Los Angeles Times. 19 Nov. 2008. Web. 23 Nov. 2009. <http://articles.latimes.com/2008/nov/19/local/me-franklin19>. 83 Knoll, Corina. "From Israel to Franklin High." Los Angeles Times. 19 Nov. 2008. Web. 23 Nov. 2009. <http://articles.latimes.com/2008/nov/19/local/me-franklin19>. 84 Knoll, Corina. "From Israel to Franklin High." Los Angeles Times. 19 Nov. 2008. Web. 23 Nov. 2009. <http://articles.latimes.com/2008/nov/19/local/me-franklin19>.     36 4.4.1: Branded Exports Branded exports may be viewed as a key asset in a nation’s brand equity by playing an important role in establishing a country’s reputation abroad. 85 Michael Steinhardt, the founder of the Taglit Birthright Israel program, a philanthropic enterprise which has provided free 10-day trips to Israel for some 220,000 Jewish youth to learn more about their heritage, states that Israel has one of the largest numbers of NASDAQ listings of any foreign country. 86 Given this, Israel should have little trouble finding exports to incorporate into its Brand Israel strategy. But as Wharton marketing professor Jerry Wind explains, “when you move to consumer packaged goods and others where you require acceptance by wider audiences, an Israeli company will face problems in countries where the image of Israel is very bad -- especially if they are the kind of people who start seeing "Made in Israel" and then suddenly they have all the [negative] images they saw on TV.” 87 Thus, Israel should research how to effectively manage Brand Israel in order to utilize the private sector for the purposes of positively representing the brand to the world. The country-of-origin effect is a crucial component of the branded exports topic and will be discussed further in the Israel Brand management section. 4.4.2: Internal Buy-In The last two examples of disseminated assets are the use of official and unofficial brand ambassadors, and a country’s Diaspora community, which, along with internal buy-in, will be explored in-depth as to how they relate to Brand Israel engagement. Before addressing the two external components of NBEQ, it is worth starting with Israel’s internal populations.                                                          85 Dinnie, Keith. Nation Branding: Concepts, Issues, Practice. Chicago: Butterworth-Heinemann, 2007. Pg. 73 86 Steinhardt, Michael. "Michael Steinhardt Discusses Israel's Place in the World." Interview by Knowledge@Wharton. Knowledge@Wharton 13 Aug. 2009. 87 Pottruck, David, and Jerry Wind. "A New Kind of Campaign: Changing the World's Perception of Doing Business with Israel." Interview by Knowledge@Wharton. Knowledge@Wharton 13 Aug. 2009.     37 Brand Israel must accurately represent Israeli residents in order to be perceived as legitimate. If residents do not buy into the brand the government wishes to portray, nation branding engagement programs will not effectively, in the long-term, establish Brand Israel in the minds of key audiences. Dinnie supports this argument with the belief that “campaigns crudely imposed from above, without prior consultation with the nation’s diverse cultural groups, have little chance of resonating with the nation’s citizens.” 88 Thus, it appears that internal-buy of the brand, to some degree, is a prerequisite for external buy-in. Fortunately, Israeli government personnel recognize the importance of internal buy- in. Amir Gissin, The Consul General of Israel in Toronto, states that “the process of rebranding a country is above all a domestic educational process: People and organizations have to internalize the values of the branding and act according to them...The change in the attitude abroad will come afterward, as a result of this.” 89 The newspaper, Toronto Star, reports how this belief has been incorporated into actual strategy through the government sponsoring “...focus groups among every sector of Israeli society, from ‘average’ Israelis to haredim (i.e. very religious Jews) to Israeli Arabs and yuppies in order to learn about the primary qualities that made them proud to be an Israeli. The top traits that could be used as a basis for a branding campaign were passion, ingenuity and the ability to live in a melting pot of widely diverse immigrants.” 90 Researching populations and finding commonalities and differences, however, should only be the beginning of the process of attaining internal buy-in. The traits of passion, ingenuity and ability for coexistence are very general and should further explored through questions like, “What are Israeli populations passionate about? Is ingenuity only limited to the private sector? How stable or fragile is the tolerance/acceptance of various Israeli                                                          88 Dinnie, Keith. Nation Branding: Concepts, Issues, Practice. Chicago: Butterworth-Heinemann, 2007. Pg. 115  89 Handwerker, Haim. "It isn’t enough to defend your position in the U.S." Haaretz. 1 Jan. 2006. Web. 15 Nov. 2009. 90 Brinn, David. "Israel eyes Toronto for marketing test site." Toronto Star 17 Mar. 2008.     38 communities?” Additionally, the question of whether or not internal stakeholders, specifically organizations and business that can be strategically utilized, are even able to accept the notion of the potential benefit of a potent nation brand should be explored, for without the perceived legitimacy of this nation branding effort, the likelihood that populations are willing to collaborate in the branding initiative will be minimal. Specific weaknesses and strengths exist among Jews in Israel in relation to the topic of internal buy-in. One of the primary weaknesses is the vastly diverse populations that live within Israel, therefore, complicating the task of forming a focused nation brand identity agreed upon by a wide range of residents. The U.S. State Department reports that Israel’s population is drawn from more than 100 countries on 5 continents and that newspapers can be found in Arabic, English, French, Polish, Yiddish, Russian, Hungarian, and German. 91 Israeli political parties are a good personification of Israeli diversity, which represent a variety of religious and political orientations. Unlike the United States, which is comprised of two major political parties, republican and democrat, Israel currently has five primary parties in the Knesset, the legislature of Israel, along with seven additional parties also present. 92 This political diversity almost always means that no single party has a chance of gaining power by itself and that conflicting political perspectives are a continuous theme. Historian Rabbi Ken Spiro expounds upon the rifts among Jews in general, but clearly seen in Israel, and states that internal strife is the Jewish peoples’ “greatest danger.” 93 Specifically addressing the frictions between religious and secular communities, he goes onto say that many religious Jews view non-religious Jews as ‘the other,’ so much so that it is almost as if they are not viewed as actual Jews. Religious Jews, specifically in Israel, are                                                          91 "Background Note: Israel." U.S. Department of State. Web. 15 Nov. 2009. <http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/3581.htm>. 92 Isreal. Knesset. Eighteenth Knesset. Web. 15 Nov. 2009. <http://www.knesset.gov.il/description/eng/eng_mimshal_res18.htm>. 93 "Jewish History Audio Class Series." Track #33 – Modern Israel. Aish HaTorah Yeshiva, Jerusalem. Lecture.     39 viewed by secular Jews as being “parasites,” alluding to the claim that they drain the State’s resources through lifestyles that can include exemption from military service and the rearing of large families with no intention of attaining full-time employment, thus ‘unfairly’ taking advantage of welfare programs. Rabbi Spiro continues by referring to the biblical description of how Jews are a “stiff-necked people” and that they “do not bend—(they) break.” In this description, he alludes to the steadfast nature of many Jews as well as the threat for this characteristic to create a non-collaborative environment, which ultimately can comprise a branding initiative’s effectiveness. This weakness of being a “stiff-necked people,” Rabbi Spiro states, is also the Jewish peoples’ greatest strength. He explains by stating that the Jewish people possess a tremendous “strength of character” and “incredible potential when (they) are unified.” This claim can be supported when witnessing the unification of Jews in Israel whenever war or a major terrorist- related tragedy occurs in the State, with Jews temporarily putting differences aside. Additionally, Ido Aharoni claims that the threat of terrorism is one of the reasons why the Israeli economy is in a healthy state. He explains that the Israeli public understands that they have to trust each other. 94 Since the Second Intifada, with Israel continuously at risk of being attacked by suicide bombers as well as other forms of warfare, it would appear that Jews in Israel are brought together by default through the perception of being common victims of terror. While not a strength in particular, when it comes to wide-ranging internal brand buy- in, this social phenomenon of shared victimization does provide an atmosphere for which bridges of empathy and compassion are present, thus, providing the platform for a shared consensus of brand identity to develop.                                                          94 Carmona, Sergio. "Head of Israel's Brand Team visits South Florida." Sun Sentinel. 18 Nov. 2008. Web. 18 Oct. 2009. <http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/2008-11-18/sf-jewish- journal/0811170143_1_israeli-economy-israel-s-economy-magen-david-adom>.     40 Logistical strength also exists in regards to internal brand buy-in. Israel is a physically small country and contains only 7.23 million residents. 95 Thus, the government is at an advantage when attempting to reach a large scope of its general population. Additionally, the U.S. State Department reports that more than 90% of Israeli adults read a newspaper at least once a week. 96 Such readily available data can help the government determine the best methods and avenues for reaching internal audiences. 4.4.3: Brand Ambassadors Two major external opportunities exist for successful Brand Israel engagement: the use of brand ambassadors and Israel’s Diaspora community. Dinnie states that appointing a network of brand ambassadors whose role it is to advance the nation-brand at every opportunity can be a potentially cost-effective strategy. 97 Considering Israel’s relatively small budget for its branding initiative, it would be wise for it to consider using this approach. Dinnie goes onto say that a primary responsibility when appointing brand ambassadors is to ensure that the individuals selected truly reflect the personality of the country and the positive attributes that the nation wishes to project. 98 Considering the cultural foundations of nation brands, as well as the conflict prism tied to Brand Israel, ideal, formal brand ambassadors should embody Israeli cultural elements as well as be able to articulately and honestly talk about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Additionally, in order to minimize the likelihood of a brand ambassador being viewed as a propaganda instrument, he/she should not be employed by the Israeli government, but rather, be perceived as having the persona of a ‘typical citizen.’                                                          95 "Background Note: Israel." U.S. Department of State. Web. 15 Nov. 2009. <http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/3581.htm>. 96 "Background Note: Israel." U.S. Department of State. Web. 15 Nov. 2009. <http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/3581.htm>. 97 Dinnie, Keith. Nation Branding: Concepts, Issues, Practice. Chicago: Butterworth-Heinemann, 2007. Pg. 72 98 Dinnie, Keith. Nation Branding: Concepts, Issues, Practice. Chicago: Butterworth-Heinemann, 2007. Pg. 72     41 Note that this notion of the ‘typical citizen’ does not imply that formal brand ambassadors should be one homogeneous group with similar characteristics. On the contrary, given the great diversity among residents in Israel, the ambassadors should represent a wide range of religious, ethnic and political affiliations. What should be standardized among them, however, is the messaging that is delivered to audiences, for inconsistent messaging brings about inconsistent brand representations. Formal brand ambassadors can be incorporated into a wide range of programming. Government-generated brand engagement programs, however, will most likely be viewed as an attempt to distract audiences from problems within Israel. Therefore, it is crucial that the Israeli government does not directly generate programming, but rather, help to facilitate processes in which Israeli organizations proactively produce programs and ambassadors that are in accordance with overarching Brand Israel strategies. Ultimately, an organic process, in which networks are established to communicate features of Brand Israel, will add a level of legitimacy to the brand that no government-produced system or program could attain. An example of how the government could participate in the implementation of a program of this nature is providing incentives for organizations to collaborate and focus on specific issues. For example, assuming that the program is developed by a non-government entity, the government could help subsidize a program for a Jewish Ethiopian organization to allow an academically successful, English-speaking, patriotic, Israeli-Ethiopian high school student to spend a semester abroad in a predominantly African-American high school in the United States, while the same American school sends an African-American student to spend a semester in the Ethiopian student’s school and community. This type of cross-cultural dialogue will allow for genuine interaction to take place and demonstrate that there is more to Israel than meets the eye. Strategy could include choosing an American school in a city in which a large Israeli population resides so that future face-to-face interactions and engagement between the American communities is a reality.     42 While formal brand ambassadors can be officially selected to communicate aspects of Brand Israel, informal ambassadors are individuals that audiences ‘naturally’ associate to be icons of Israel. Itzhak Perlman, the world-renown violinist, Rahm Emanuel, the current White House Chief of Staff and actor Natalie Portman are informal Brand Israel ambassadors by virtue of their lives in the public eye and ties to Israel. The U.S. State Department reports that the arts are actively encouraged and supported by the Israeli government. 99 This kind of support increases the likelihood for a range of cultural, informal brand ambassadors to arise among audiences abroad. Assuming that informal brand ambassadors hold the wellbeing of the State important and that their interpretation of national wellbeing is similar to the State’s, they can be very strong assets in nation branding initiatives. 4.4.4: The Diaspora Dinnie states “the Diaspora may be viewed as a preexisting network of potential brand ambassadors waiting activation.” 100 Given that the U.S. contains by far the largest Jewish population outside of Israel, it makes sense for Israel to concentrate a majority of its coalition-building efforts here. Currently, a myriad of organizations exist that focus on Israel wellbeing, specifically through influence in the political sphere. Some of these organizations include the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, the Anti-Defamation League and Christians United for Israel, American Jewish Congress, the Zionist Organization of America, the Israel Policy Forum, the American Jewish Committee, the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism, Americans for a Safe Israel, American Friends of Likud, Mercaz-USA, and Hadassah.                                                          99 "Background Note: Israel." U.S. Department of State. Web. 15 Nov. 2009. <http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/3581.htm>. 100 Dinnie, Keith. Nation Branding: Concepts, Issues, Practice. Chicago: Butterworth-Heinemann, 2007. Pg. 72     43 While many opportunities exist in the U.S. for Jews to be politically involved in their support for Israel, only a small percentage of American Jewry is actually politically active in this manner. As in Israel, Jews in the U.S. are diverse in their ethnicity, politics and religious practice. These factors among others cause emotional ties to Israel to vary greatly. In order for Israel to successfully reach these potential brand ambassadors, strategists must have a deep understanding of why or why not an American Jew cares about the wellbeing of Israel. Los Angeles and New York City contain some of the largest Israeli Jewish communities in the U.S. While many of these people were born and raised in Israel and have strong ties to the country, their children were born in the U.S. and do not have the same connection to Israel their parents do. The process of acculturation is a gradual one and some Israeli parents see no harm to Israel if their children’s emotional connection to the State is not as strong as theirs. However, there have been some Israeli American organizations that realize the dangers lurking in the near future if action is not taken to ensure that ties remain. The Israeli Leadership Council is one such organization that attempts to sustain emotional ties to Israel. Its Web site’s “About the ILC” section states, “with each new generation born to Israeli-American families, there becomes a greater risk of disconnection with our Jewish homeland, our rich Israeli culture, and even our Jewish roots.” 101 This threat has shaped the organization’s mission “to fortify and enhance a productive and continuous relationship between Israeli-Americans and the State of Israel through community empowerment, activism, and philanthropy.” Israel has a tremendous opportunity to work with Israeli American grassroots organizations like the ILC in order to reach out to Jews in the Diaspora who have more literal, direct ties to Israel than most. If significant amounts of American Jews have a visibly weaker connection to Israel than their Israeli-born parents, then what is the likelihood that a strong connection to Israel exists among American Jews without                                                          101 "About the ILC." Israeli Leadership Council (ILC). Web. 04 Jan. 2010. <http://www.israelileadership.com/about.aspx>.     44 Israeli parents or grandparents? The root issue is one of identity. Numerous studies support the notion that formal and informal forms of Jewish education are primary indicators of a Jew’s connection to Israel. The reason is because Jewish education communicates the value of possessing a Jewish identity and how Israel is an integral component of that identity. In 2007, The Partnership for Excellence in Jewish Education (PEJE), an organization that believes Jewish day schools are “essential for fostering an engaged Jewish people for an enduring future,” 102 released findings of a study title, The Impact of Day School: A Comparative Analysis of Jewish College Students. Among other functions, the study considers the impact of day schooling in a variety of areas including Jewish identity and connections to Jewish communal life, as well as social and academic integration into college. Respondents included 3,312 Jewish undergraduate students who represented a diversity of educational backgrounds. In the category of “Jewish Campus Involvement” the study reported that those who have attended day schools are more involved in Jewish-related activity compared with those who did not attend. 103 In terms of most aspects of Jewish campus life and ritual observance, former day school attendees from Orthodox homes are by far the most involved. The authors report, however, that perhaps even more striking is the demonstrated power of day schools to build strong Jewish identities and connections among students who come from non-Orthodox backgrounds. 104 Thus, the study indicates that Jews who attend Jewish day schools and/or engage in religious practice are more likely, not only of possessing a strong Jewish identity,                                                          102 "About: Welcome." Partnership for Excellence in Jewish Education. Web. 01 Nov. 2009. <http://www.peje.org/about/Welcome/>. 103 Chertok, Fern, Leonard Saxe, Charles Kadushin, Graham Wright, Aron Klein, and Annette Koren. The Impact of Day School: A Comparative Analysis of Jewish College Students. Partnership for Excellence in Jewish Education: Books and Articles. May 2007. Web. Dec. 3. <http://www.peje.org/publications/books_and_articles/>. Information located in "Executive Summary" section. 104 Chertok, Fern, Leonard Saxe, Charles Kadushin, Graham Wright, Aron Klein, and Annette Koren. The Impact of Day School: A Comparative Analysis of Jewish College Students. Partnership for Excellence in Jewish Education: Books and Articles. May 2007. Web. Dec. 3. <http://www.peje.org/publications/books_and_articles/>. Information located in "Executive Summary" section.     45 but also applying that identity into general involvement with Jewish- and Israel-related activity and, therefore, are likely to be informal Israel Brand ambassadors. The study also reported that, among participants, while day school attendance is a significant predictor of self-perceived knowledge of Israeli history, culture, social problems, and current conflicts, the strongest predictor is the experience of having actually traveled to Israel. 105 This information suggests that in order for a Jew in Diaspora to feel comfortable with factually representing elements of Brand Israel, he/she will most likely need to have actually visited the country. The Taglit-Birthright program is an excellent example of informal Jewish education that understands the value of bringing Diaspora Jews to Israel for the purposes of sustaining emotional ties. The program provides educational trips to Israel for Jewish young adults ages 18 to 26. Over 215,000 Jews from 52 countries have participated since the program’s inception in 2000. On a typical trip, six to eight Israelis, usually soldiers, join the tour group for half or more of the ten-day experience. In 2008, Brandeis University’s Maurice and Marilyn Cohen Center for Modern Jewish Studies published a study examining the formal and informal components of the encounter between the Diaspora Jewish visitors and Israeli peers, as well as the significance of the experience for North American and Israeli participants. The study consisted of qualitative research on 20 tour groups and post-trip surveys of more than 400 Israeli participants and approximately 6,300 North American participants. It reported, “Through the encounters, participants examined previously taken- for-granted assumptions regarding religion, nationality, and peoplehood. In so doing, they came to reject antagonistic dualisms of either/or religious or non-religious, Israeli Jew and Diaspora Jew. By creating a common framework of identification, participants came to better                                                          105 Chertok, Fern, Leonard Saxe, Charles Kadushin, Graham Wright, Aron Klein, and Annette Koren. The Impact of Day School: A Comparative Analysis of Jewish College Students. Partnership for Excellence in Jewish Education: Books and Articles. May 2007. Web. Dec. 3. <http://www.peje.org/publications/books_and_articles/>. Information located on Pg. 39.     46 understand not only their counterparts— but themselves as well.” 106 Ultimately, a deeper understanding of Jewish identity seemed to be established among program participants, increasing the likelihood for them to become Brand Israel ambassadors. Like Christianity and Islam, Judaism is a belief system, but there is a crucial difference in that being Jewish means that one is part of a nation, not merely a religion. Therefore, a Jew is considered a Jew, regardless of lifestyle. Without an education that demonstrates the value of possessing a Jewish identity, the forces of acculturation and assimilation drastically reduce the likelihood for sustaining Jewish identification in the Diaspora for more than several generations, let alone possessing a strong connection to Israel. Therefore, in order for long- term, Jewish support of Israel to continue in Diaspora, formal and informal education-related efforts that concentrate on the importance of the connection between Jewish identity and Israel, like Jewish day schools and the Taglit-Birthright program, must continually be supported. 4.5: Focus on Israeli Politics vs. Israeli Culture One of the primary questions that Brand Israel strategists must explore and continue to monitor for the purposes of successful engagement is how to determine what the right balance is between focusing on Israel’s strengths and points of attraction and addressing issues relating to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. As mentioned earlier, one of the major challenges that Brand Israel has faced and will continue to face is the perception held by external parties that any attempt to shift focus away from the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is part of a government-sponsored, propaganda campaign aimed at masking humanitarian                                                          106 Sasson, Theodore, David Mittelberg, Shahar Hecht, and Leonard Saxe. Encountering the Other, Finding Oneself: The Taglit-Birthright Israel Mifgash. Brandeis University Maurice and Marilyn Cohen Center for Modern Jewish Studies, July 2008. Web. 14 Nov. 2010. Information located in "Executive Summary" section.     47 crimes committed by the State. To add to this point, Jennifer Mizrahi, who heads the Israel Project, an international non-profit organization “devoted to educating the press and the public about Israel while promoting security, freedom and peace,” 107 believes that many Americans “are swayed far more by the fact that the Jewish state is a democracy fighting terror than its production of medical and high-tech achievements helping Americans.” 108 She adds that “Israel is in the news almost every day in the context of the Palestinian conflict, so ‘our philosophy is to get Israel’s side into the story the media is already doing. That’s just facing reality.’” 109 There is a body of research, however, that supports the government’s current attempts to diversify messaging by focusing on Brand Israel elements other than the Israeli- Palestinian conflict. Boaz Mourad, member of the Brand Israel Group (B.I.G.), had his firm, Insights Research Group, commission a study in 2004 to understand how Americans perceive Israel. Ten research groups were formed in Albuquerque, New Mexico, St. Louis, Missouri and Paramus New Jersey. In each of these 10 men and women were divided by age groups, 18 to 24; 25 to 49; and 50 to 74. To assure that participants were not aware that the purpose of the focus group was to examine their perceptions of Israel, the non-Jewish moderators also asked the participants questions about other countries. Based on the findings, Mourad states that Israel “is perceived through two lenses: as a militaristic place and as a very religious, male controlled society...‘In Israel there are no women, no children, no softness, no normal social life, no life that resembles what Americans                                                          107 "Key TIP Staff - The Israel Project." The Israel Project - For Freedom, Security and Peace. The Israel Project. Web. 03 Jan. 2010. <http://www.theisraelproject.org/site/c.hsJPK0PIJpH/ b.689731/k.A173/Key_TIP_Staff.htm#JLM.%20January%205,%202010.>. 108 Rosenblatt, Gary. "Marketing A New Image." The Jewish Week. Israel21c, 20 Jan. 2005. Web. 15 Oct. 2009. <http://www.israel21c.org/general-content-about-us-category/jewish-week- marketing-a-new-image>. 109 Rosenblatt, Gary. "Marketing A New Image." The Jewish Week. Israel21c, 20 Jan. 2005. Web. 15 Oct. 2009. <http://www.israel21c.org/general-content-about-us-category/jewish-week- marketing-a-new-image>.     48 know. Only war and religion.’” 110 Interestingly, the study also showed that negative perceptions of Israel remained the same in areas of, both, high and low Jewish concentration. 111 Brand Israel strategists should further research this area to determine if there is opportunity to embrace the use of brand ambassadors. Other research includes a survey conducted by B.I.G. showing that younger, non- Jewish American, specifically, have a singular view of Israel as being “militaristic” and “religious,” which are not held as positive associations. 112 This singular view among younger Americans could possibly exist due to their lack of experiencing the historical, more favorable Brand Israel discussed in the Brand Israel history section of this paper. Mandy Katz, in her article, The Re-Branding of Israel. From war planes to women: Why at 60 Israel’s image is taking off in new direction, reports that as bleak as the research might seem, “Mourad, Aharoni and the other branders see an upside: No matter how negatively they view life in Israel, the data shows that Americans support the Jewish state and consider it a political ally. As one research told Aharoni, ‘Americans support you but they are not interested in having a beer with you.’ ‘I can work with that,’ he (Aharoni) says. ‘If (respondents) had just come back and said, ‘This is a militaristic society and these people are oppressors’—if it came back all political—then there is not much you can do with it.’ Instead, Aharoni heard, ‘If you will only show me who you are. There’s a good chance I’ll be attracted to you. Show me you’re like me.’” 113 Based on this research, Aharoni reports to many audiences interested in the topic that “it is no less important for Israel to be attractive than to be right.”                                                          110 Handwerker, Haim. "It isn’t enough to defend your position in the U.S." Haaretz. 1 Jan. 2006. Web. 15 Nov. 2009. 111 Klein, Larissa. "Branding Israel." The Daily Targum [New Brunswick] 23 Jan. 2008. 112 Cravatts, Richard L. "A Brand Image Challenge for Israel." American Chronicle. American Chronicle, 16 Feb. 2007. Web. 14 Oct. 2009. <http://www.americanchronicle.com/articles /view/20866>. 113 Katz, Mandy. "The Re-Branding of Israel. From war planes to women: Why at 60 Israel’s image is taking off in new direction." Moment Magazine May & june 2008.     49 Israel needs constantly to support both tracks: politics and culture. Strong ties with political entities in the United States, for example, are crucial to ensure support is continually provided. A cultural element, however, will help to put a face on Israel, other than the one of conflict. Due to the deeply negative associations many audiences have with the Israeli government, the cultural element must fundamentally be rooted in a grassroots movement. Only a bottom up strategy will establish Israel’s legitimacy as a cultural entity with great value to offer the world. And as mentioned earlier, the Israeli government can support cultural and educational initiatives, but should not directly design and execute them. As with all grassroots movements, empowerment and self-efficacy are crucial for sustainability so issues of Jewish and Israeli identity must be continually explored, with a focus on finding consensus. Research, as well as personal experience, suggests that in order to determine whether engagement focus should be placed more on politics or culture depends on the audience, their contextual situation and what sources of information about Israel they have access to. A biotech company in Germany, for example, will probably be more concerned with investment opportunities present in the country than political unrest, assuming that they believe that the unrest is not a serious threat to economic stability. An American college student, however, getting his/her Israel-related news from the general media, may be negatively biased towards Israel due to the conflict prism portrayal. Thus, exposing the German biotech company to Israeli business practices may be more beneficial while the American college student may find Brand Israel more favorable if he/she is exposed to American-like political and cultural elements (E.g. Israel’s focus on humanitarian aid) that diversify the Israel’s image and give Israel a ‘like me’ quality. Note that in both cases, pro-Israel parties interacting with the audiences have the power to close or widen Brand Israel’s image-identity gap. As stated earlier, the Israeli government should spend ample resources addressing the issue of Brand Israel identity and how pro-Israel parties can internalize and embody this identity. This focus     50 is crucial for ensuring successful engagement, regardless if it is political or cultural. (Please refer to “Appendix 1: Cases In Point” for two examples of Brand Israel cultural projects.)     51 Chapter 5: Brand Israel Management Due to the complicated nature of nation branding, an organized system for managing short-term projects and long-term strategies must be set in place. One of the benefits of having an organized management system is the ability to track NBEQ measurements and gain insights into what is effective and what is not. In traditional terms, brand architecture has been defined as “‘an organizing structure of the brand portfolio that specifies the brand roles and the relationships among brands and different product-market brand contexts.’” 114 Dinnie explains that in nation branding terms, the corporate or umbrella brand is the nation as a whole. The nation’s ‘sub-brands’ include its cities, regions and landmarks; PSC (place, service, corporate) brands from all sectors; tourism, FDI (foreign direct investment) and export promotion agencies; sporting teams, cultural and political figures, etc. 115 The purpose of a brand architecture is to instill order and structure in order to achieve synergistic benefits and to advance the overarching nation-brand. 116 5.1: Brand Structures Dinnie explains that there are three basic brand portfolio structures: monolithic, endorsed and branded. He goes into detail explaining what they are, examples of each, and the rational and risks: In the monolithic structure, there is a single dominant corporate umbrella brand. Examples can be seen with companies such as Canon (where the umbrella brand covers printers, fax machines, cameras, etc.) or Mitsubishi (financial services, cars, domestic appliances). The rational for a monolithic brand structure derives from the ability of a monolithic brand to create a unified, powerful and consistent image across different                                                          114 Dinnie, Keith. Nation Branding: Concepts, Issues, Practice. Chicago: Butterworth-Heinemann, 2007. Pg. 197 115 Dinnie, Keith. Nation Branding: Concepts, Issues, Practice. Chicago: Butterworth-Heinemann, 2007. Pg. 199 116 Dinnie, Keith. Nation Branding: Concepts, Issues, Practice. Chicago: Butterworth-Heinemann, 2007. Pg. 199     52 markets. There is a risk, however, that the entire portfolio could be tainted if one sub-brand receives bad publicity or performs poorly. 117 Dinnie goes onto explain, in the endorsed structure, how individual brands have their own brand names and identity but are clearly endorsed by the parent brand. This structure, for example, is used by General Motors (Chevrolet, Buick, etc.). The rational for an endorsed structure is that an endorsed brand can enjoy the best of both worlds—it benefits from the power of the parent or umbrella brand, while simultaneously establishing its own individual identity. A drawback is that the sub-brand’s freedom to position itself in its target markets is restrained by the need to conform to the parent brand’s positioning. 118 Last, Dinnie explains how, in the branded structure, each individual brand stands alone with its own identity and the parent brand is not visible. Johnnie Walker Red Label uses this structure, where the parent brand (Diageo) is not visible to the consumer. The rational for a branded structure is that it allows maximum potential to develop a clearly differentiated brand that can stand-alone and prosper without being associated with the parent’s brand. A weakness is that individual brands may not benefit from the positive associations of a powerful parent brand. 119 Dinnie includes Figure 2 (shown below) and explains that this is one possible nation brand architecture (NBAR) that could enable the nation to introduce some strategic coordination and direction to its host of sub-brands. In the NBAR model, the nation-brand represents the ‘umbrella brand’; at the next level down can be found ‘endorsed brands’ such                                                          117 Dinnie, Keith. Nation Branding: Concepts, Issues, Practice. Chicago: Butterworth-Heinemann, 2007. Pg. 198 118 Dinnie, Keith. Nation Branding: Concepts, Issues, Practice. Chicago: Butterworth-Heinemann, 2007. Pg. 198 119 Dinnie, Keith. Nation Branding: Concepts, Issues, Practice. Chicago: Butterworth-Heinemann, 2007. Pg. 198     53 as the nation’s tourism, exports, inward investment, talent attraction and sports; while the third level comprises a mix of ‘endorsed’ and ‘standalone’ brands. 120 Figure 2: The NBAR (nation brand architecture) model The question then becomes what architectural structure is best for Brand Israel? At first, given the current strong anti-Israel sentiment around the world, it would seem that a branded structure is the most appropriate. In this structure Israeli sub-brands can prosper without audiences linking negative associations to Brand Israel. However, successful Israeli products, industries and cultural areas currently exist that are already associated with Brand Israel. This information suggests that Brand Israel should customize its architectural structure based on audience perceptions of certain elements of Brand Israel; and as Dinnie explains, “...there can be endless permutations and variations” of the three architectural structures. 121                                                          120 Dinnie, Keith. Nation Branding: Concepts, Issues, Practice. Chicago: Butterworth-Heinemann, 2007. Pg. 199 121 Dinnie, Keith. Nation Branding: Concepts, Issues, Practice. Chicago: Butterworth-Heinemann, 2007. Pg. 198     54 If a specific audience, for example, is likely to have a positive response to classical music, relationships can be established between Israeli orchestras and that audience, with the entire focus placed initially on music. As the relationship becomes further established and positive sentiments start to rise, however, Brand Israel can have more of a presence and attempt to establish the relationship between the audience and other cultural elements. In this way, the audience is eased into the brand as opposed to having only a relationship with the sub-brand (i.e. Israeli orchestras). Note that cooperation and collaboration between the Israeli government and involved organizations is essential for this kind of strategy to work. However, the question is begged of how the Israeli government is to successfully collaborate with other organizations in communicating elements of the Brand Israel identity when there are vast apposing views within the government itself about the nature of the brand. As mentioned earlier, Israel currently has five primary parties in the Knesset, along with seven additional parties also present. Thus far, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the department charged with spearheading the branding initiative, appears to have relative autonomy as apposed to being in complete mercy of legislative majority parties. This has allowed projects like the year-long Toronto Brand Israel campaign to take place without major Israeli political obstacles to overcome. However, in order to increase the likelihood for general Knesset support to sustain, there must continually be consensus among parties on the value of a branding initiative as well as strategy for how to implement it. Thus, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs should take an active role in involving Knesset members in the initiative. While differences of opinion may be present, the Ministry must develop a system for making the argument of why and how a branding initiative is in accordance with basic state interests and goals for which most parties agree upon.     55 5.2: Country-Of-Origin Effect The country-of-origin (COO) effect is a major component of architectural customization, specifically in regards to the topic of branded exports, due to the vast potential to customize how market elements are situated against Brand Israel. The COO effect refers to “the effect that a product or service’s origin has on consumer attitudes and behavior towards that product or service.” 122 Great opportunity exists for Israel’s government and its businesses to collaborate in order to help these businesses succeed in their respective markets, bridge their success with the perceived accomplishments of Israeli trade, and overall strengthen the Israeli economy. Additionally, Dinnie points out that “...the nation-branding activities of a country will impact upon COO perceptions for that country’s PSC brands.” Thus, “...a nation’s public and private sectors must collaborate and communicate in order to fully support the economic welfare of the nation and its commercial organizations.” 123 The implication, he explains, is that the “country’s exporters need to be included, or at least consulted on, the export brand facet of the country’s nation-brand identity.” 124 The question arises as to which specific PSC brands the Israeli government should focus on for the purpose of its nation branding initiative. There are several factors that should be taken into consideration. The degree to which PSC brands incorporate elements of the Brand Israel identity into their own identities will have an effect on COO. For example, if an important element of Brand Israel is high ethical standards, it may want to only focus on PSC brands that adhere to those same ethical principals. If another component of Brand Israel identity is generating value, PSC brands that are not perceived as truly differentiating themselves among competitors should not be selected. For example, in January of 2010, at an                                                          122 Dinnie, Keith. Nation Branding: Concepts, Issues, Practice. Chicago: Butterworth-Heinemann, 2007. Pg. 84 123 Dinnie, Keith. Nation Branding: Concepts, Issues, Practice. Chicago: Butterworth-Heinemann, 2007. Pg. 85 124 Dinnie, Keith. Nation Branding: Concepts, Issues, Practice. Chicago: Butterworth-Heinemann, 2007. Pg. 46     56 overnight stay at a Marriot hotel in Oxnard, California I noticed towels in the bathroom had a tag that read, “Made in Israel.” While this mention may appeal to portions of the Jewish community in the U.S., it probably will not greatly affect sentiments of the general public. Furthermore, if an individual who already has negative associations with Israel sees the “Made in Israel” tag, he/she may have a new negative affinity towards the Marriot brand because the product is a towel and not likely to bring tremendous value. Thus, elements of Brand Israel identity should be reviewed when strategically selecting appropriate PSC brands, taking into consideration that these brands can potentially serve as symbols of the strength of the Israeli economy. The Israeli government may want to direct resources to PSC brands that have great potential for market growth, or if there are PSC brands that are already well established within their respective markets. One example includes the many Israeli businesses that excel in technological innovation. ILSI-Biomed Israel is described as the leading international conference covering the fast-growing field of innovation in the biomedical, health care and life sciences industries. Its 2009 conference was expected to attract over 6,000 local and international CEOs, experts, academics, scientists, researchers, venture capitalists and investors. No doubt, a large variety of PSC brands for Brand Israel to potentially focus on are associated with the conference. A Jerusalem Post article covering the event quotes Tom Sudow, the director of business development at the Cleveland Clinic's Global Cardiovascular Innovation Center, with saying, "Israel has become a remarkably innovative place. This is a hotbed...We are here to attract and help Israeli companies to set up partnerships or operations in the State of Ohio as a base for expanding their markets to North America." Another recent article demonstrating Israeli excellence in innovation reports how, as evidence of its leading role in research and development, Israel had been chosen to head the largest R&D network in the world, the ‘Eureka initiative,’ a pan-European, inter-governmental initiative that supports     57 European innovation and sees investments of 1.5 billion Euros every year. 125 Opportunities like these should most definitely be incorporated into Israel’s branding initiative. A concern that Israeli businesses may have, which Brand Israel strategists should note, is the fear that being too closely associated with Israel as its COO may leave it vulnerable to political and military events beyond their control. 126 Recognizing that COO perceptions can change over time, Brand Israel strategists should place great effort to ensure that such changes evolve in a favorable direction. 127 One way it can do this is ensuring that its export promotion agency is adequately resourced. 128 Strategists can also continually conduct contextualized and brand-specific research in order to ascertain which demographic segments of targeted markets Brand Israel influences. 129 Through such efforts, Brand Israel strategists can build trust between the Israeli government and Israel’s private sector.                                                          125 Kloosterman, Karin. "Eureka! Israel to head the world's largest R&D initiative." The Jerusalem Post. The Jerusalem Post, 6 Aug. 2009. Web. 7 Nov. 2009. <http://www.jpost.com/HealthAnd Sci-Tech/InternetAndTechnology/Article.aspx?id=435>. 126 Dinnie, Keith. Nation Branding: Concepts, Issues, Practice. Chicago: Butterworth-Heinemann, 2007. Pg. 88 127 Dinnie, Keith. Nation Branding: Concepts, Issues, Practice. Chicago: Butterworth-Heinemann, 2007. Pg. 101 128 Dinnie, Keith. Nation Branding: Concepts, Issues, Practice. Chicago: Butterworth-Heinemann, 2007. Pg. 73 129 Dinnie, Keith. Nation Branding: Concepts, Issues, Practice. Chicago: Butterworth-Heinemann, 2007. Pg. 90     58 Chapter 6: Implications and Conclusion The following content includes a summary of the recommendations dispersed throughout the paper for how interested parties, especially Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, can effectively utilize Brand Israel in accordance with national interests. Specific areas of research to be further explored are also recommended. The content is categorized by brand identity, brand engagement and brand management. Following the recommendations are concluding remarks. 6.1: Recommendations 6.1.1: Identity • The Israeli government should encourage the establishment of partnerships between religious and secular entities for the purposes of addressing shared areas of concern relating to brand identity, such as unethical business practices in foreign countries. • Tremendous opportunity exists for Brand Israel strategists to utilize a ‘sanctification of life’ theme in order to unify secular and religious Israeli Jewish communities and to establish an identity that both audiences identify with. Joint humanitarian projects, for example, within and outside of Israel, coupled with a robust communications plan, will help to address some of the existing tensions, as well as help to reinforce moral and ethical values that both hold important. • Based on Michael Oren’s assessment, Israel needs to face the harsh realities that internal population demographics may force it to soon decide between being a democratic and Jewish state. This choice will obviously change the nature of the Brand Israel identity and the nature of its engagement strategies.     59 • A deep understanding of audience values, beliefs and emotions associated with Brand Israel should be reached before designing and implementing nation brand campaigns. Additionally, strategists should maintain a pulse of these “emotional forces” in order to keep the branding initiative based on up-to-date research. 6.1.2: Brand Engagement • Research should be conducted to understand how Israeli and Palestinian icons interact with one another and what the effects are on segmented audiences. • The Israeli government should conduct research to determine how the country’s cultural organizations feel about being incorporated in nation-brand strategy. Additionally, knowing if Israeli businesses will buy into the argument that cultural investment can aid them in the long-run will help Brand Israel strategists determine how to engage with commerce-culture partnerships. Ultimately, due to the difficult political position that Brand Israel is in, it is in all Israeli parties’ interest to collaborate where appropriate. • Research indicates that internal buy-in of Brand Israel is a prerequisite for external buy- in. Additionally, the question of whether or not internal stakeholders, specifically organizations and business that can be strategically utilized, are able even to accept the notion of the potential benefit of a potent nation brand should be explored. Without the perceived legitimacy of this nation branding effort, the likelihood that populations are willing to collaborate in the branding initiative will be minimal. Thus, the Israeli government should spend ample resources with the aim of internal collaboration.     60 • Dinnie states that appointing a network of brand ambassadors whose role it is to advance the nation-brand at every opportunity can be a potentially cost-effective strategy. 130 Among other reasons, considering Israel’s relatively small budget for its branding initiative, it would be wise for strategists to consider using this approach. • Formal brand ambassadors should represent a wide range of religious, ethnic and political affiliations in order to accurately represent and communicate Israel’s diverse population, however, these diverse ambassadors should deliver consistent messaging in order to present a consistent Brand Israel. • Government-generated brand engagement programs will most likely be viewed as an attempt to distract audiences from problems within Israel. Therefore, it is crucial that the Israeli government does not directly generate programming, but rather, help to facilitate processes in which Israeli organizations proactively produce programs and ambassadors that are in accordance with overarching Brand Israel strategies. Ultimately, an organic process, in which networks are established to communicate features of Brand Israel, will add a level of legitimacy to the brand that no government-produced system or program could attain. • When constructing campaigns, strategists should measure not only the direct affects that the campaigns have on audiences but also how barriers to achieving campaign goals interact with the branding efforts. Through a rigorous process of synthesizing information across multiple campaigns and projects, strategists should be able to reveal powerful factors that widen Brand Israel’s identity-image gap. Ideally, sustaining focus on these                                                          130 Dinnie, Keith. Nation Branding: Concepts, Issues, Practice. Chicago: Butterworth-Heinemann, 2007. Pg. 72     61 key factors will help strategists to gauge macro-level effects on uncontrollability and adjust long-term strategy accordingly. • Israel should collaborate with Israeli American grassroots organizations like the ILC in order to reach out to Jews in the Diaspora who have stronger ties to Israel than most other Jews. • In order for long-term, Jewish support of Israel to continue in Diaspora, formal and information education-related efforts that concentrate on the importance of the connection between Jewish identity and Israel, like Jewish day schools and the Taglit- Birthright program, must continually be supported. • Research has shown that negative perceptions of Israel remain the same in areas of both high and low Jewish concentration. 131 Brand Israel strategists should conduct further research into this area to determine if there is opportunity to embrace the use of brand ambassadors. • In regards to the use of branded exports, elements of Brand Israel identity should be reviewed when strategically selecting appropriate PSC brands, taking in to consideration that these brands can potentially serve as symbols of the strength of the Israeli economy. • Only a bottom up strategy will establish Israel’s legitimacy as a cultural entity with great value to offer the world. Like with all grassroots movements, empowerment and self- efficacy are crucial for sustainability so issues of Jewish and Israeli identity must be continually explored, with a focus on finding consensus.                                                          131 Klein, Larissa. "Branding Israel." The Daily Targum [New Brunswick] 23 Jan. 2008.     62 6.1.3: Brand Management • Brand Israel should customize its architectural structure based on nation branding goals and objectives and audience perceptions of the nation brand and sub-brands. • The Israeli government may want to direct resources to PSC brands that have great potential for market growth, or if there are PSC brands that are already well established within their respective markets. One example includes the many Israeli businesses that excel in technological innovation. • A concern that Israeli businesses may have, which Brand Israel strategists should take note of, is the fear that being too closely associated with Israel as its COO may leave it vulnerable to political and military events beyond their control. 132 Recognizing that COO perceptions can change over time, Brand Israel strategists should place great effort to ensure that such changes evolve in a favorable direction. 133 One way it can do this is ensuring that its export promotion agency is adequately resourced. 134 They can also continually conduct contextualized and brand-specific research in order to ascertain which demographic segments of targeted markets Brand Israel influences. 135 Through such efforts, Brand Israel strategists can build trust between the Israeli government and Israel’s private sector.                                                          132 Dinnie, Keith. Nation Branding: Concepts, Issues, Practice. Chicago: Butterworth-Heinemann, 2007. Pg. 88 133 Dinnie, Keith. Nation Branding: Concepts, Issues, Practice. Chicago: Butterworth-Heinemann, 2007. Pg. 101 134 Dinnie, Keith. Nation Branding: Concepts, Issues, Practice. Chicago: Butterworth-Heinemann, 2007. Pg. 73 135 Dinnie, Keith. Nation Branding: Concepts, Issues, Practice. Chicago: Butterworth-Heinemann, 2007. Pg. 90     63 6.2: Concluding Remarks Through this paper, the reader has been introduced to nation branding concepts and how they apply to Brand Israel. A variety of areas were explored in the categories of brand identity, brand engagement and brand management. Additionally, a sample Brand Israel plan and recommendations for how to successfully utilize Brand Israel were included. While many topics were addressed, leaving great possibility for a wide scope of areas to be researched further, there is one final thought that I desire to disclose to readers, especially those who are passionate about the State of Israel. No matter how large a budget is allocated towards the Brand Israel initiative, how attainable goals and objectives may seem, and how much value Israel seems to generate for the world, brand engagement will not generate genuine, long-term success for the State unless issues relating to the Brand Israel identity are sufficiently addressed. The populations residing within Israel are constantly fluctuating in regards to demographics and Jewish identity and, therefore, the Brand Israel identity is also in constant flux. While the changing nature of a country’s residents is not necessarily a threat, growing social divisions and decreasing social cohesion among residents is dangerous for national stability, let alone a branding initiative. This growing social division is exactly what is taking place between Israeli residents, specifically between secular and religious Jewish communities. Power struggles over how the fabric of the State should be woven create rifts between these two groups, which lead to vastly different views of what exactly the essence of the Jewish people and Brand Israel are. Religious groups attempt to carry out God’s will by trying to control areas like marriage, divorce and Israel’s Law of Return. Secular Jews view this attempt for control as an infringement on civil liberties and hold contempt, not just for these religious groups, but also for Judaism in general because of its perceived politicization. This pattern has caused many secular Jews to view their identity as Israeli first and Jewish second. If the purpose of the     64 State of Israel is to serve as a homeland for the entire Jewish people, then social fractures like these are a threat to that very purpose. As of now, the threat of annihilation from surrounding Arab countries and terrorism within Israel’s borders have aided in unifying secular and religious groups. However, this is hardly a sound strategy for ensuring that a healthy collective identity endures. Common ground in other areas must be attained in order for Brand Israel strategists to harness the power of the State’s citizens. This search for common ground can be guided with the question of, “What is the purpose of Israel and how do I fit into that purpose?” This individual and collective search for purpose ideally will uncover opportunities for establishing overlapping identity among secular and religious citizens. However, only through an open, nonjudgmental process will healthy communal dialogue be able to take place. Therefore, the legitimacy of both groups’ attempt for control must be questioned. For what really is the value of control when its subjects refuse to adhere to it? With Israel’s national security constantly threatened, there is no guarantee that it will remain to witness its centennial. And even if it does, there is no guarantee that it will remain a Jewish state. The only real solution to addressing external threats that face Israel starts with addressing the internal divisions among its residents, specifically among secular and religious Jews. Once these divisions can be legitimately addressed, a genuine Brand Israel identity can remain long enough to allow for substantive programming for Brand Israel engagement. However, if these divisions are not addressed and not taken seriously, Brand Israel’s identity will continually be in question and no branding initiative will be able to mask this fact for very long.     65 Bibliography "About the ILC." Israeli Leadership Council (ILC). Web. 04 Jan. 2010. <http://www.israelileadership.com/about.aspx>. "About Us | general-content-about-us-category." ISRAEL21c - Beyond the conflict news on Israel. Web. 25 Dec. 2009. <http://www.israel21c.org/general-content-about-us- category/about-us>. "About: Welcome." Partnership for Excellence in Jewish Education. Web. 01 Nov. 2009. <http://www.peje.org/about/Welcome/>. Applbaum, Ari. "Toronto Film Festival." Message to the author. 28 Dec. 2009. E-mail. "Background Note: Israel." U.S. Department of State. Web. 15 Nov. 2009. <http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/3581.htm>. Brinn, David. "Israel eyes Toronto for marketing test site." Toronto Star 17 Mar. 2008. Print. Buchholtz, A., and W. Wordemann. What Makes Winning Brands Different: The Hidden Method Behind The World?s Most Successful Brands. UK: Wiley, 2000. Print. Carmona, Sergio. "Head of Israel's Brand Team visits South Florida." Sun Sentinel. 18 Nov. 2008. Web. 18 Oct. 2009. <http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/2008-11-18/sf-jewish- journal/0811170143_1_israeli-economy-israel-s-economy-magen-david-adom>. Chertok, Fern, Leonard Saxe, Charles Kadushin, Graham Wright, Aron Klein, and Annette Koren. The Impact of Day School: A Comparative Analysis of Jewish College Students. Partnership for Excellence in Jewish Education: Books and Articles. May 2007. Web. Dec. 3. <http://www.peje.org/publications/books_and_articles/>. Information located in "Executive Summary" section. Cravatts, Richard L. "A Brand Image Challenge for Israel." American Chronicle. American Chronicle, 16 Feb. 2007. Web. 14 Oct. 2009. <http://www.americanchronicle.com/articles/view/20866>. Dinnie, Keith. Nation Branding: Concepts, Issues, Practice. Chicago: Butterworth- Heinemann, 2007. Print. Gilmore, F. "A country ? Can it be repositioned? Spain ? the success story of country branding." Journal of Brand Management 9.4-5 (2002): 281-93. Print. Goldstein, Patrick. "Protest over Israel roils Toronto Film Festival." Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles Times, 12 Sept. 2009. Web. 4 Dec. 2009. <http://articles.latimes.com/2009/sep/12/entertainment/et-bigpicture12>. Handwerker, Haim. "It isn?t enough to defend your position in the U.S." Haaretz. 1 Jan. 2006. Web. 15 Nov. 2009. Isaiah. The Artscroll Series. Stone ed. Brooklyn: Mesorah Publications, 1996. Print.     66 "Israel to re-brand itself in the world." Israel Today [Jerusalem] 12 Sept. 2006. Print. Israel. Knesset. Eighteenth Knesset. Web. 15 Nov. 2009. <http://www.knesset.gov.il/description/eng/eng_mimshal_res18.htm>. "Jewish History Audio Class Series." Track #33 ? Modern Israel. Aish HaTorah Yeshiva, Jerusalem. Lecture. "Jewish Nobel Prize Winners." Jewish Virtual Library. Web. 20 Nov. 2009. <http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Judaism/nobels.html>. Katz, Mandy. "The Re-Branding of Israel. From war planes to women: Why at 60 Israel?s image is taking off in new direction." Moment Magazine May & june 2008. Print. "Key TIP Staff - The Israel Project." The Israel Project - For Freedom, Security and Peace. The Israel Project. Web. 03 Jan. 2010. <http://www.theisraelproject.org/site/c.hsJPK0PIJpH/b.689731/k.A173/Key_TIP_St aff.htm#JLM.%20January%205,%202010.>. Klein, Larissa. "Branding Israel." The Daily Targum [New Brunswick] 23 Jan. 2008. Print. Kloosterman, Karin. "Eureka! Israel to head the world's largest R&D initiative." The Jerusalem Post. The Jerusalem Post, 6 Aug. 2009. Web. 7 Nov. 2009. <http://www.jpost.com/HealthAndSci- Tech/InternetAndTechnology/Article.aspx?id=435>. Knoll, Corina. "From Israel to Franklin High." Los Angeles Times. 19 Nov. 2008. Web. 23 Nov. 2009. <http://articles.latimes.com/2008/nov/19/local/me-franklin19>. Laqueur, Walter, and Barry Rubin, eds. The Israel-Arab Reader. 7th ed. New York: Penguin Group, 2008. Print. Levy-Ajzenkopf, Andy. "Brand Israel set to launch in GTA." The Canadian Jewish News. The Canadian Jewish News, 21 Aug. 2008. Web. 3 Oct. 2009. <http://www.cjnews.com/index2.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=15198& pop=1&page=0&Itemid=86>. Lungen, Paul. "Brand Israel campaign launched." Heritage Florida Jewish News [Fern Park] 10 Oct. 2008: 15A. Print. Nussbaum, Haskell. "Brand Israel turned Canada into a PR battlefield." The Jerusalem Post. The Jerusalem Post, 6 Oct. 2009. Web. 4 Nov. 2009. <http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull&cid=1 254756250627>. Oren, Michael B. "Seven Existential Threats." Commentary Magazine May 2009. Print. O?Shaughnessy, J., and N. Jackson. "Treating the nation as a brand: Some neglected issues." Journal of Macromarketing 20.1 (2000): 56-64. Print.     67 Pfeffer, Anshel. "Israel urges branding guru to shed its ?war torn? image." The Jewish Chronicle [London] 3 Oct. 2008. Print. Popper, Nathanial. "Israel Aims To Improve Its Public Image." The Jewish Daily Forward [New York] 14 Oct. 2005. Print. Pottruck, David, and Jerry Wind. "A New Kind of Campaign: Changing the World's Perception of Doing Business with Israel." Interview by Knowledge@Wharton. Knowledge@Wharton 13 Aug. 2009. Print. "President Weizman Speech to Bundestag - Jan 16- 19." Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Web. 27 Dec. 2009. <http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/MFAArchive/1990_1999/1996/1/President%20Weizm an%20Speech%20to%20Bundestag%20-%20Jan%2016-%2019>. Rosenblatt, Gary. "Marketing A New Image." The Jewish Week. Israel21c, 20 Jan. 2005. Web. 15 Oct. 2009. <http://www.israel21c.org/general-content-about-us- category/jewish-week-marketing-a-new-image>. Sasson, Theodore, David Mittelberg, Shahar Hecht, and Leonard Saxe. Encountering the Other, Finding Oneself: The Taglit-Birthright Israel Mifgash. Brandeis University Maurice and Marilyn Cohen Center for Modern Jewish Studies, July 2008. Web. 14 Nov. 2010. Schneider, Ilene. "Rebranding Israel." Orange County Jewish Life 1 Mar. 2009. Print. Silverstein, Richard. "Controversy Over Israel Waylays Toronto Film Festival." AlterNet. AlterNet, 22 Sept. 2009. Web. 3 Nov. 2009. <http://www.alternet.org/world/142776/controversy_over_israel_waylays_toronto_fi lm_festival/?page=entire>. Steinhardt, Michael. "Michael Steinhardt Discusses Israel's Place in the World." Interview by Knowledge@Wharton. Knowledge@Wharton 13 Aug. 2009. Print. Wang, Jian. "The power and limits of branding in national image communication in global society." The Journal of International Communication 14.2 (2008): 12. Print.     68 Appendix 1: Cases In Point 1.1: Brand Israel Toronto Campaign The notion of the importance of attraction through the revelation of positive Brand Israel elements was incorporated into the Israeli government’s first major branding campaign abroad. Starting in September 2008 and ending around September 2009, Toronto was used as a test market for a $1-million Brand Israel campaign. Andy Levy-Ajzenkopfa, a staff reporter for The Canadian Jewish News, reports that, according to Gissin, the campaign launch could not have been achieved without the help of high-powered business leaders in the community like Sidney Greenberg, vice-president of Astral Media, Joel Reitman, president and CEO of MIJO Corporation, and David Asper, executive vice-president of Canwest Global Communications Corp, all of whom have dedicated resources to Brand Israel. 136 Gissin stated that there had never been this [scale] of combination of business and philanthropy for Israel. 137 Campaign tactics included the use of official Brand Israel logos, advertising in bus shelters, on billboards, radio and TV, featuring Israeli medical developments and technology, including testimonials from patients who benefited from the Israel’s medical innovations and the doctors who implement them, as well as a variety of cultural events, including showcasing the Dead Sea Scrolls and a major presence at the Toronto International Film Festival. 138 Inter- community dialogue also took place with Asian communities, Gissin explaining that “Asia is important to Israel. It’s a major market both politically and culturally,” as well as with                                                          136 Levy-Ajzenkopf, Andy. "Brand Israel set to launch in GTA." The Canadian Jewish News. The Canadian Jewish News, 21 Aug. 2008. Web. 3 Oct. 2009. <http://www.cjnews.com/ index2.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=15198&pop=1&page=0&Itemid=86>. 137 Levy-Ajzenkopf, Andy. "Brand Israel set to launch in GTA." The Canadian Jewish News. The Canadian Jewish News, 21 Aug. 2008. Web. 3 Oct. 2009. <http://www.cjnews.com/ index2.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=15198&pop=1&page=0&Itemid=86>. 138 Levy-Ajzenkopf, Andy. "Brand Israel set to launch in GTA." The Canadian Jewish News. The Canadian Jewish News, 21 Aug. 2008. Web. 3 Oct. 2009.<http://www.cjnews.com/ index2.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=15198&pop=1&page=0&Itemid=86>.     69 Muslim-Somali communities, even though Israeli-Muslim dialogue was not a major objective of the campaign. 139 One component of the campaign that received much international media coverage due to the controversies surrounding it was the Israeli presence at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF). The festival’s City to City program, which explores a selected city’s evolving urban experience while presenting the best documentary and fiction films from and about the city, had chosen Tel Aviv. Controversy began when John Greyson, a Canadian documentary filmmaker, withdrew his documentary short, "Covered," from the festival to protest the festival’s showcase of Israeli filmmaking. Soon after the withdrawal, a protest group formed, drafting a letter titled: "The Toronto Declaration -- No Celebration of Occupation," which argued that the festival, "whether intentionally or not, has become complicit in the Israeli propaganda machine." Some of the letter’s 1,000 signers included Jane Fonda, Harry Belafonte, Noam Chomsky, David Byrne, Julie Christie, Danny Glover, Viggo Mortensen, Wallace Shawn and British director Ken Loach. Following, came a storm of media coverage analyzing the issues around it. Cameron Bailey, the programmer of City to City, responded to Greyson with an open letter stating that festival personnel “curated the series independently, without coercion from ‘the Israeli propaganda machine,’ and that I’d be grateful if people could watch the films—many of them offering social critiques of Tel Aviv—and bring whatever points of view they may have on the films into the discussions in the theatre.” Many of the counter protest arguments adopted the same view as LA Times reporter, Patrick Goldstein, who stated in an article covering the festival, “Films...are...expressions of art and intellectual ferment. And once you begin to close the door in any way on artistic freedom, even if it simply involves pressuring a film festival to shun a country whose politics you disagree with, you might discover someday that it's a lot                                                          139 Levy-Ajzenkopf, Andy. "Brand Israel set to launch in GTA." The Canadian Jewish News. The Canadian Jewish News, 21 Aug. 2008. Web. 3 Oct. 2009. <http://www.cjnews.com/ index2.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=15198&pop=1&page=0&Itemid=86>.     70 easier to shut the door to a free exchange of ideas than it is to open it up again.” 140 And as writer Richard Silverstein points out in his article Controversy Over Israel Waylays Toronto Film Festival, nothing is quite as black-and-white as the opponents of the TIFF protest have made it, referring to the Israeli government’s financial assistance towards a Greyson- produced documentary profiling the most prominent Israeli anti-occupation activist, Ezra Nawi. 141 While it’s too early to know the effects of the Brand Israel Toronto campaign, Haskell Nussbaum of the Jerusalem Post writes an excellent review of the events taking place and the questions that it raises: One unintended result is clear: Brand Israel has, ironically, kicked up a storm of conflict-related politics. Word of the Brand Israel campaign became a siren call for anti-Israel forces, both Canadian and foreign; calls to boycott Israel were heard from Canadian public union officials and from church committees; anti-Israel activity on campuses resulted in Jewish students being physically threatened at a Toronto university; an academic conference was organized that directly targeted the idea of Israel as a Jewish State; and a Palestinian drive to delegitimize Israel's connection to the Dead Sea Scrolls (being temporarily exhibited at Toronto's Royal Ontario Museum) included a letter from the Palestinian Authority itself. Finally, as the year drew to a close, a number of celebrities attacked the decision of the Toronto International Film Festival to spotlight Tel Aviv, accusing the festival of being a 'tool' of the Brand Israel campaign. In every case, pro-Israel forces rallied and, mostly, carried the day. Reports of proposed boycotts galvanized the Jewish and pro-Israel communities and resulted in an enormous volume of ticket sales for the Dead Sea Scrolls exhibit, sold-out cases of Israeli wine at a local store being picketed by a boycott-Israel crowd, and church resolutions being defeated or put on hold. In the case of the film festival, all three major Toronto newspapers came out against those opposing Tel Aviv. With all this activity, it's fair to say that, if nothing else, Brand Israel succeeded in exposing the true natures of Israel's enemies...The campaign also succeeded in rallying pro-Israel forces across Canada. E-mail campaigns proved effective in gathering supporters and countering boycotts, sales of Israeli products soared, and the media became cognizant of the anti- Israel and, all too often, anti-Semitic flavor of the boycott attempts...But was                                                          140 Goldstein, Patrick. "Protest over Israel roils Toronto Film Festival." Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles Times, 12 Sept. 2009. Web. 4 Dec. 2009. <http://articles.latimes.com/2009/sep/12/ entertainment/et-bigpicture12>. 141 Silverstein, Richard. "Controversy Over Israel Waylays Toronto Film Festival." AlterNet. AlterNet, 22 Sept. 2009. Web. 3 Nov. 2009. <http://www.alternet.org/world/142776/ controversy_over_israel_waylays_toronto_film_festival/?page=entire>.     71 it worthwhile? Were any hearts and minds changed? Should Israeli missions around the world replicate this program? 142 Haskell points out that one of the objectives of the campaign was to avoid conflict and focus attention on attractive Brand Israel elements. However, Gissin states in regards to campaign objectives that organizers “want everyone to have a personal stake in this process. The idea behind brand initiative has been coalition-building.” 143 One could argue that, through the campaign’s political and public relations battling, solidarity was further established among Israel supporters. Time will tell whether the campaign had a substantial effect on non-Jewish, Torontonian residents’ perceptions of Brand Israel and, more importantly, how that will influence their behavior. 1.2: Israel21c A pro-Israel non-profit organization that has adopted the philosophy of message diversification since its founding in 2001 is Isreal21c, short for Israel 21 st Century. Dr. Richard L. Cravatts, the Director of Boston University’s Program for Book and Magazine Publishing at BU’s Center for Professional Education, argues that “Effective branding strategies must highlight benefits over attributes, because consumers care more about what a product does for them specifically than what a product does, or has, in general.” 144 ISRAEL21c understand this and, therefore, among other things, “identifies, researches and reports on how Israelis create, innovate, improve and add value to the world.” 145 With a                                                          142 Nussbaum, Haskell. "Brand Israel turned Canada into a PR battlefield." The Jerusalem Post. The Jerusalem Post, 6 Oct. 2009. Web. 4 Nov. 2009. <http://www.jpost.com/servlet/ Satellite?pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull&cid=1254756250627>. 143 Levy-Ajzenkopf, Andy. "Brand Israel set to launch in GTA." The Canadian Jewish News. The Canadian Jewish News, 21 Aug. 2008. Web. 3 Oct. 2009. <http://www.cjnews.com/index2. php?option=com_content&task=view&id=15198&pop=1&page=0&Itemid=86>. 144 Cravatts, Richard L. "A Brand Image Challenge for Israel." American Chronicle. American Chronicle, 16 Feb. 2007. Web. 14 Oct. 2009. <http://www.americanchronicle.com/articles/ view/20866>. 145 "About Us | general-content-about-us-category." ISRAEL21c - Beyond the conflict news on     72 mission to “focus media and public attention on the 21st century Israel that exists beyond the conflict,” large emphasis is placed on media relations strategy. To date, the organization states that it has identified, pitched and placed more than 10,000 stories in hundreds of media outlets that include network and local television stations, The New York Times, Newsweek, Time, and more than 30 stories that have been distributed by the Associated Press and Reuters wires. 146 Beginning in February 2009, CNN has accepted ISRAEL21c as an affiliate of its World Report program and a number of news features produced by ISRAEL21c have appeared worldwide on CNN. 147 Rather than portraying Israel as a place of conflict and strife, many of these stories have highlighted Israeli accomplishments in science and technology, arts and culture, and philanthropy. 148 In addition to focus placed on traditional media relations, ISRAEL21c understands the importance of engaging audiences online and, therefore, utilizes its YouTube channel, which has a series called, “Faces of Israel,” and its blog, Isreality: The Reality of Daily Life in Israel. Regarding its successes using online tools, Israel21C has posted on its Web site that it expects that these sites will receive more than two million unique visitors in 2009. 149 Its blog has won awards and is growing rapidly, and its YouTube site is the #1 most subscribed Israel-related nonprofit channel on YouTube and consistently ranks as the #1 most viewed in most weeks and months. 150 More than 1,000 other organizations link to ISRAEL21c’s home                                                          Israel. Web. 25 Dec. 2009. <http://www.israel21c.org/general-content-about-us- category/about-us>. 146 "About Us | general-content-about-us-category." ISRAEL21c - Beyond the conflict news on Israel. Web. 25 Dec. 2009. <http://www.israel21c.org/general-content-about-us- category/about-us>. 147 "About Us | general-content-about-us-category." ISRAEL21c - Beyond the conflict news on Israel. Web. 25 Dec. 2009. <http://www.israel21c.org/general-content-about-us- category/about-us>. 148 "About Us | general-content-about-us-category." ISRAEL21c - Beyond the conflict news on Israel. Web. 25 Dec. 2009. <http://www.israel21c.org/general-content-about-us- category/about-us>. 149 "About Us | general-content-about-us-category." ISRAEL21c - Beyond the conflict news on Israel. Web. 25 Dec. 2009. <http://www.israel21c.org/general-content-about-us- category/about-us>. 150 "About Us | general-content-about-us-category." ISRAEL21c - Beyond the conflict news on     73 page, and the editor-in-chief of The Jerusalem Post has said ‘It is my hope that one day The Post will be as well written and edited as ISRAEL21c.’ 151 Each Wednesday morning, ISRAEL21c sends its weekly email newsletter to nearly 30,000 subscribers of whom many re-distribute the newsletter to their personal or group lists, making the actual number of weekly subscribers much higher. 152 It has been estimated that more than 1,000,000 web pages have been derived from ISRAEL21c content. 153 Perhaps even more important than ISRAEL21c’s general philosophy of message diversification is its choice to not exclude the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, but rather to include stories of dialogue, collaboration and hope in its “social action” section. Some of the posted article descriptions include, “Having performed Jewish and Arab music across the US, encouraging the two opposing groups to open up to each other, two Israeli-born musicians bring their show back home”; “A Church of Scotland school, right in the heart of Israel's mixed Jewish-Arab city of Jaffa, is proving to be a place where children of all faiths learn to respect one another”; and “Jewish, Christian and Muslim scholars come together in a book about the Temple Mount's significance to the three monotheistic faiths.” ISRAEL21c staff claim that message diversification, coupled with uplifting stories of Israeli-Palestinian engagement, and a focus on strategic media relations will in the long-run remove the conflict prism that audiences associate with Brand Israel. Based on research presented in this paper, I believe that this is a sound strategy.                                                          Israel. Web. 25 Dec. 2009. <http://www.israel21c.org/general-content-about-us- category/about-us>. 151 "About Us | general-content-about-us-category." ISRAEL21c - Beyond the conflict news on Israel. Web. 25 Dec. 2009. <http://www.israel21c.org/general-content-about-us- category/about-us>. 152 "About Us | general-content-about-us-category." ISRAEL21c - Beyond the conflict news on Israel. Web. 25 Dec. 2009. <http://www.israel21c.org/general-content-about-us- category/about-us>. 153 "About Us | general-content-about-us-category." ISRAEL21c - Beyond the conflict news on Israel. Web. 25 Dec. 2009. <http://www.israel21c.org/general-content-about-us- category/about-us>.     74 Appendix 2: Sample Brand Israel Project In order for an effective, long-term Brand Israel initiative to take place, tensions between religious and secular Jews must be addressed for the purposes of both populations internalizing a Brand Israel identity and collaborating in the same strategic direction. Unfortunately, tensions between these communities exist past Israel’s borders. In Los Angeles, for example, the religious and Israeli secular communities are rarely intertwined— generally, socializing within their respective communities. Furthermore, the process of acculturation weakens the bonds that first generation Israelis born in the U.S. have to Israel, which is a concern for organizations like the Israeli Leadership Council, which aims to reinforce American Israelis’ bonds to the State. In addition to the issue of internal tensions, many external parties view Brand Israel through a conflict prism. One of the themes of this conflict prism is ‘destruction.’ That is, the destruction of property, lives and social relationships within the State’s borders. What better way to address these two issues of ‘internal tension’ and the ‘conflict prism’ than through a project that incorporates religious and secular communities through the Brand Israel cultural element of tikkun olam (i.e. “repairing the world”)? Tikkun olam is one of the great value- related unifiers of these two groups. Additionally, it directly counteracts notions of conflict and destruction. Through the program below, there is opportunity to (a) establish bonds between secular Israeli and religious communities in Southern California; (b) have those bonds serve as an example of how those bonds can be established in Israel; (c) utilize participants as future Brand Israel ambassadors, which is an effective, low-cost strategy to create a network of support in the Diaspora; and (d) transmit cultural information to non-Jewish residents in Los Angeles regarding how Brand Israel legitimately represents the value of life and building, as apposed to death and destruction.     75 Goals and Objectives The following are program goals and objectives. Goals are defined as the overall, highest-level outcome to be achieved. Objectives are defined as measurable interim steps on route to the goal. Goal #1 is to strengthen the social bonds between religious and secular Jews in Los Angeles. This goal can serve as a powerful example of the potential for collaboration, not just for other religious and secular Jews within the Unites States, but also in Israel, where the social divides have concrete effects on policy and legislation. The following are several measurable objectives to determine if the goal is reached. Objective 1A is to encourage at least half of the religious program participants and half of the secular participants to communicate with each other via online communication technologies or by telephone at least three times/month for the first six months after the program ends. Objective 1B is to encourage at least half of the religious program participants and half of the secular participants to visit each other at least once/month for the first six months after the program ends. A pre- and post-program survey will be used to measure changes in attitudes towards the other group (i.e. religious towards secular and vice versa). With this in mind, Objective 1C is to have at least 12/16 participants demonstrate a strong, positive shift in sentiments towards the “other.” Objective 1D is to have at least two families from each group interact in person with one another within three months of the program ends. Objective 1E is to, after the program ends, measure an increase in positive attitude towards the “other” from at least half of parents from each group. Goal #2 is to encourage program participants to serve as strong Brand Israel ambassadors. To be a Brand Israel ambassador means to be able to embody and emanate positive attributes of the Israel brand. The word “strong,” in particular, is used to express that participants should be inspired, passionate, knowledgeable and proud to represent the Israel brand. Specifically, the program should aim to instill favorable attitudes about the “other”     76 among participants. Instilling a sense of collaboration, acceptance and understanding, specifically, should be the primary focus of the program. The benefits for Israel of having Brand Israel ambassadors in Diaspora include, having a network of individuals that can demonstrate Israel’s value; being able to rely on a grassroots movement that establishes a sense of legitimacy for the State—much more than if the ambassadors were government employees; and ensuring that emotional ties between Diaspora and Israel remain among Jewish communities. Like with Goal #1, Goal #2 has measurable objectives to determine if the goal is reached. A pre- and post-program survey will be used to measure changes in attitudes towards identification with various Brand Israel elements. With this in mind, Objective 2A is to have at least 12/16 participants demonstrate a strong, positive shift in identification with Brand Israel elements, including acceptance of the “other.” Objective 2B is to have participants attend at least three Israel-related programs and/or events within one year of the program end. Objective 2C involves conducting a survey, one year after the program ends, to determine how proactive participants were in involving themselves in Judaism- and Israel-related events. Ideally, most religious participants will have proactively engaged in Israel-related programming and most secular participates will have proactively engaged in Judaism-related events. This will demonstrate that their sense of identity has expanded to incorporate various elements of the “others’” worldview. Goal #3 is to have the individuals involved in the local Habitat for Humanity chapter, which will be incorporated into the tikkun olam aspect of the program, identify humanitarian work and community service as core components of the Brand Israel identity. A pre- and post-program survey will be used to measure changes in the Habitat for Humanity personnel’s attitudes towards various Brand Israel elements. With this in mind, Objective 3A is to have a significant number of personnel demonstrate a strong, positive shift in the belief that (a) humanitarian work is a core component of the Brand Israel identity and that (b) the     77 Jewish people, regardless of their religious differences, hold humanitarian work and community service to be fundamental to their personal identities. The Program: “The Tribes Project (TTP)” WHO: “The Tribes Project” will consist of 16 teenage boys (ages 15-16) as the participants. This number of participants was selected in order to maintain a level of intimacy. Eight of the participants will be secular American-Israelis and the other eight will be religious Jewish Americans. Participants will be from Los Angeles in order to increase the likelihood that future friendships will be maintained. The reason that TTP is not co-ed is due to the argument that there are already enough differences between the two groups that adding females to TTP would complicate the already complicated social dynamics. Additionally, religious parents will be more comfortable allowing their children to participate in TTP knowing that it is not co-ed. If this pilot program is deemed successful, a similar all-girls program may be constructed. There will be five staff: two religious and two secular counselors that should be in their mid- to late-20s in age and one program director. WHEN: Seven days (Sunday-Sunday), during the summer. This time frame was selected due to the fragile nature of TTP. That is, if too short, the ability for meaningful interaction to take place will be drastically reduced and, if too long, the participants may feel overwhelmed TTP’s content and, therefore, not internalize program insights. Summer was chosen since the participants will be out of school at this time of year. WHERE: Participants will be based in the UCLA campus. They will sleep in the dorms and eat meals and partake in the “Discovery Sessions” at the UCLA Hillel House. Evening activities will typically be on campus, in the Hillel House, or in the surrounding Westwood area.     78 WHAT: TTP will primarily consist of three components: (1) “Discovery Sessions” (2) tikkun olam, which will take the form of participating in Habitat for Humanity in Los Angeles and (3) evening activities. During the “Discovery Sessions,” participants and staff will engage in discussions, lectures and exercises that focus on issues of Jewish identity, Israeli identity, individual and collective purpose, representing Israel, tensions between secular and religious Jews, and how to live with mutual respect and understanding for “the other.” Sessions will be lead by a variety of people, including TTP staff, Israeli consulate officials, rabbis, ‘typical’ Israelis and professors. These sessions will take place on the mornings of Monday-Thursday as well as on Saturday afternoon. The Habitat for Humanity component will serve two functions: (a) provide an opportunity for participants to reflect on the morning’s sessions, as well as to casually discuss the topics with one another while working and (b) demonstrate to other Habitat for Humanity workers that the Jewish people may include many ethnicities, races and ideologies, but that humanitarian work and community service are authentic cultural elements that penetrates individual Jewish identity to form a larger, collective identity that is representative of Jews and Brand Israel. Also, great symbolism exists with Habitat for Humanity. Just as participants will be helping to build peoples’ homes, they will also simultaneously be building bonds with one another. The evening activities will take place in Los Angeles and will serve as opportunities for participants to have fun together after a long day of mental and physical exercise. Following is the TTP schedule: • Sunday: 3-5pm – Participant check-in and getting situated in dorm rooms. 5-6pm – Dinner. 5:30-6pm – Optional prayers. 6-7pm – Staff explains the goals, expectations and schedule of TTP, followed by icebreaker activities. 7-9pm – Evening activity. 9pm – Free time. • Monday-Thursday: 8:15-9am – Optional prayers. 8:30-9:30am – Breakfast. 9:30am- 12pm – “Discovery Sessions.” 12-12:45pm – Lunch. 1:30-5pm – Habitat for Humanity     79 (staff and participants will wear uniform shirts to demonstrate solidarity). 5:45-7pm – Wash up / optional prayers. 7-8pm – Dinner. 8-10pm – Evening activity. 10pm – Free time. • Friday: 7-8am – Optional prayers. 7:30-8:30am – Breakfast. 9:15-3pm – Habitat for Humanity (12-12:45pm – Lunch). 4-6pm – Free time/wash up. 6-10pm – (mandatory) Shabbat prayers, dinner and evening activity. • Saturday: 9-10am – Breakfast. 10am-12pm – (mandatory) Shabbat prayers. 12-1:30pm – Lunch. 1:30-3pm – “Discovery Sessions”. 3-5pm – Free time. 5-6pm – Dinner. 6-7pm (mandatory) Shabbat prayers. 7-11pm – Evening activity. • Sunday: 8:15-9am – Optional prayers. 8:30-9:30am – Breakfast. 10:30am-1pm – Ropes course activities (to test the participants’ trust in and bonds with one another). 1-2pm – Lunch. 3-6pm – Free time/pack belongings/prepare for banquet testimonials. 6-8pm – Dinner banquet for participants and parents (to reflect on the week’s activities, for participants to provide testimony for what they have learned, and for participant parents to meet each other. 8pm – TTP ends. Reality Show Element Adding a low-budget reality show element to TTP can (a) make it more attractive to potential participants, (b) help to document details of the week for research and (c) be used as a promotional marketing tool for future TTP programs. Tasks will consist of hiring a USC cinema student to film elements of TTP, having the film student interview participants during “free time,” and editing the footage down to a one-hour segment. To save costs, the film student will not be staying in the dorms but will be sharing most meals in order to establish trust with the participants.     80 Possible Organizations Involved The following are various organizations that may be incorporated into TTP: Friends of Israel Scouts, Israeli Leadership Council, Jewish Federation of Los Angeles, Israeli Consulate of Los Angeles, Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs, various Orthodox synagogues and schools in Los Angeles, USC School of Cinema. Additionally, persuading kosher restaurants to donate food for the program will help to cut costs. Program Cost The cost for implementation of TTP is $10,000, which includes lodging, staff, food, transportation during the week, evening activities and speakers. The program will be free for participants in order to ensure that there is a large selection of program candidates to choose from. Audiences and Messages The following information includes program audiences, messages to be used in addressing these audiences, and the rationale of why these audiences need to be reached. • Audience: Potential participants. Message: Have an open mind? Participate in a free, once-in-a-lifetime experience with other Jewish teenage guys. Spend seven days exploring what it means to be Jewish and connected to Israel. Rationale: This is the primary audience. Without their interest and participation, the program cannot exist. Thus, the challenge is to provide messaging that makes TTP sound attractive, but also is honest about the program’s purpose. • Audience: Israeli parents of potential participants. Message: Have an open mind? Your son has a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to participate in an all-expenses-paid program supported by the Los Angeles Israeli Consulate that explores what it means to be Jewish     81 and connected to Israel. Rationale: Because the potential participants are not yet legal adults, without parents’ permission and support, the program cannot be carried out. Messaging for Israeli parents should include mention of the Los Angeles Israeli Consulate in order to add legitimacy and credibility to the program among the Israeli community. • Audience: Religious parents of potential participants. Message: Tired of the divisions in Am Yisrael (“nation of Israel”)? Wish you and your family could make a difference? Your son has a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to participate in an all-expenses-paid program that takes religious and secular male teens and explores what it means to be Jewish and connected to Israel. Supporters include, (mention religious figures that approve of the program). Rationale: Because of the delicacy of the nature of the program, it’s very important that a credible, trusted religious figure state that the program is “kosher” in order for religious parents to even consider having their son(s) apply for the program. • Audience: Kosher restaurants in Los Angeles. Message: Please help us provide kosher food for a one-of-a-kind program that aims to close the divide among secular and religious Jewish, male teens. Free advertising is included with donation. Rationale: In order to help cut costs, especially for the banquet at the end of the program, it is important to seek donations from kosher restaurants. Additionally, the mention of the inclusion of free advertising as well as the potential for the perception for restaurants to be considered socially conscious businesses should be incorporated into messaging. • Audience: USC School of Cinema. Message: How would you like to get paid to film and edit a socially conscious reality show? If you are the adventurous type, then we want you! Rationale: It’s important not only to hire an individual that possesses filming and editing skills, but also someone that has an appreciation for social-minded projects. This mindset     82 will help the film student to create a rich, creative project that captures the essence of TTP’s purpose. Publicity Outreach Jewish and Israeli media in Los Angeles will used to reach audiences as well as to publicize the program, primarily through interviews. Outlets will include the Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angeles, the Jewish Observer and 92.1 FM. Additionally, program flyers will be distributed to kosher and Israeli restaurants, businesses owned by Jews, synagogues, Jewish schools and the Westside Jewish Community Center. Online reach will include Israel21c, and Jewish- and Israeli-focused social media and blogs. Additionally, Habitat for Humanity will be used as a partner in showcasing the program. Thus, media that Habitat for Humanity typically uses will also be targeted. Conclusion With Brand Israel being viewed by audiences through a conflict prism, much of Israel’s culture is overlooked. Historically, the great cultural elements of the Jewish people have been the power of ideas. One of those elements is social responsibility. It has long been a Jewish belief that on an individual, community, national and global level, people must take responsibility for the world. By extension, social responsibility is ingrained into the core of the Brand Israel identity. It is ironic that even with this cultural element, the Brand Israel identity is consistently associated with violating human rights. Ideally, through the Tribes Program, not only will social divides between religious and secular Jewish communities be closed, but non-Jewish audiences will also come to associate Brand Israel more with the value of humanitarian work and community service and less through the conflict prism.

Abstract (if available)

Abstract Current perceptions of the State of Israel among many global audiences have been shaped by a combination of factors that have lead to the State being viewed solely through a conflict prism. The question is then begged of whether or not action can be taken to fundamentally change these perceptions. The emergence of the field of nation branding has produced research, lessons and insights into how nations can effectively utilize resources to shape audience perceptions in accordance with state interests and goals. I argue that this data can be incorporated into strategic planning in order to successfully influence Israel’s target audiences’ perceptions of the State for the ultimate goal of establishing national security and well-being. The purpose of this paper is two-fold: (1) to provide the reader with a basic understanding of nation branding concepts and how these apply to Brand Israel and (2) to offer research-based insights and recommendations for how Brand Israel can be utilized to establish economic, social and political security and well-being for the State. The data presented in the project were collected from a variety of sources, which include interviews, nation branding reports and publications, a comprehensive media scan, articles and reports provided by Ido Aharani, the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs official charged with spearheading the Brand Israel initiative, and the text book Nation Branding: Concepts, Issues, Practice for an in-depth understanding of nation branding. Key findings include and explore the necessity for Israel to form a brand identity with strong internal buy-in and the social divisions that threaten, not only a successful branding initiative, but also the State’s very existence.

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Asset Metadata

Creator Shore, Neuriel (author)

Core Title Brand Israel: an analysis of nation branding concepts as they relate to the state of Israel

School Annenberg School for Communication

Degree Master of Arts

Degree Program Strategic Public Relations

Publication Date 05/04/2010

Defense Date 03/30/2010

Publisher University of Southern California (original), University of Southern California. Libraries (digital)

Tag Brand Israel,branding,Communications,diplomacy,Israel,Israel marketing,nation branding,OAI-PMH Harvest

Place Name Israel (countries)

Language English

Contributor Electronically uploaded by the author (provenance)

Advisor Wang, Jay (Jian) (committee chair), Swerling, Jerry (committee member), Weintraub, Rebecca (committee member)

Creator Email neuriel.shore@gmail.com

Permanent Link (DOI) https://doi.org/10.25549/usctheses-m2987

Unique identifier UC1325984

Identifier etd-Shore-3407 (filename),usctheses-m40 (legacy collection record id),usctheses-c127-311853 (legacy record id),usctheses-m2987 (legacy record id)

Legacy Identifier etd-Shore-3407.pdf

Dmrecord 311853

Document Type Thesis

Rights Shore, Neuriel

Type texts

Source University of Southern California (contributing entity), University of Southern California Dissertations and Theses (collection)

Repository Name Libraries, University of Southern California

Repository Location Los Angeles, California

Repository Email cisadmin@lib.usc.edu