Making Bretagne as attractive as possible is the main ambition for Bretagne’s brand

We often hear about cities and nations engaging in place branding campaigns, but from time to time a regional branding campaign pops up. Brand Bretagne was launched in the beginning of this year in order to raise visibility for La Bretagne, or Brittany region, a peninsula in northwest France surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean.

In an exclusive interview with Daphné Kakaiya for brandingplaces, Armelle Lena of Bretagne Development and Innovation discusses the regional brand strategy and shares her thoughts on the current image of Brittany.

How did the regional branding project begin?

Bretagne’s brand represents a unique collaboration between the Regional Council, the Bretagne Development and Innovation agency and the Brittany Regional Tourism Committee.

The analysis and study phase of the project began in December 2008, mobilising 5,000 different associates. To kick off the branding strategy we conducted two major benchmark studies on the region’s image. By surveying 70,000 professionals in the region to understand their vision and expectations, each study helped paint a portrait of the region’s image. The results revealed mixed messages within France, since those who are familiar with the region usually love it, while those who are unfamiliar find it rather folkloric and traditional. As for internationally, Brittany does not have an image at all.

What do you hope to accomplish with the regional brand?

We strive to reveal, within France and more importantly internationally, the more diverse Brittany of today rather than the historic folkloric image. In order to do that we defined three main objectives:

• To enrich Brittany’s image
• To develop our international notoriety
• To win over a new clientele

When it comes to winning over a new clientele, not only are we looking to increase tourism, but also the number of investors/entrepreneurs, job markets in specific sectors such as research and engineering, as well as high-level students and artists.

What makes the Brittany region special compared to other regions in France?

Interestingly, for the most part the major cities in France are better known than the regions in which they reside. For example, the city of Lyon is better known that the Rhône-Alpes region. On the contrary, La Bretagne is better known that the major cities of Rennes or Brest.

Also, a major advantage of Brittany is the people who reside within the region. There is a strong sense of pride among the Bretons who live within the region as well as those who have expatriated, with many associations around the world bringing Bretons together. Thanks to this regional pride, we found that Bretons were naturally mobilised, creating ideal ambassadors for the region. Once we saw the enthusiasm for the project within the region we were reassured of their capacity to spread our message and that the project would be a success.

In terms of brand strategy we also set ourselves apart from other regions, by focusing on more than one field. Oftentimes regions focus mainly on tourism, but we decided to diversify our strategy in order to include businesses, sports, students and artists, and to be present in sectors where Bretagne would not be expected like innovation and technology, research and engineering, and naval construction. We also used internal branding within the region as a first step towards our final goal: to increase our visibility internationally.

How is the brand implemented?

After about two years of preparation, the official launch of Bretagne’s brand took place on 27 January 2011. We put together a brand committee of 21 people from the region to define the brand code. The Bretagne’s brand logo is not yet used on packaging, but rather on official communications with partners. In order to become an official partner, one must submit an application and correspond to the four Bretagne’s brand criteria:

1. They must have a tie with Bretagne.
2. They must comply with Marque Bretagne’s values.
3. They must have business activity within France or internationally.
4. And the most important criterion is that they must have a modern sense of communication that contribute to Bretagne’s brand objectives.

After the first meeting, we received an encouraging 86 applications, for which we accepted 33, and after two meetings, the number of official partners increased to 55. The good news is that those that were not accepted understood the importance of complying with our criteria and pledge to revamp their communications in order to fit our needs and reapply.

What communications channels do you use?

We focused on bringing media attention to the launch of Bretagne’s brand by organising a grande soirée with 1,500 people as well as three local television stations. Our communication goal is to create buzz in the media and press, so we focus mainly on event organisation. We also regularly update our website www.marque-bretagne.com as well as our social media pages like Facebook or Twitter. We provide visibility for our official partners through these channels as well. We also organise group presentations and face-to-face meetings with organisations in Brittany with the goal of communicating together one, coherent message to multiply its effect.

What are some of the challenges you encountered?

In the competition for regional visibility, French regions have the disadvantage of small budgets; therefore, we get more creative with our strategy. Today’s strategy took longer to set up, but thanks to its focus on internal branding it will be more efficient in the long term.

Another challenge we faced was the Bretons’ attachment to the “old” Brittany, which is the source of their Breton pride. It is a challenge to incorporate the more youthful and innovative Brittany to make one coherent message, and have it apply to everyone.

A current local challenge is the difficulty in recruitment in certain sectors. In the Finistère, which is known in the marine sector, businesses have a hard time finding qualified candidates and employees, in Brittany and within France. Even communications agencies in Brittany have a tough time with recruitment.

How will you measure the success of Marque Bretagne?

One success factor will be a large number of official partners. With 86 applications within the first few months since the launch, the results are positive. We will also take into account the number of tourists, new business and the ease for local businesses to recruit.

What’s next for Bretagne’s brand ?

In the short term Bretagne’s brand will be present at the world famous Avignon Festival, which brings in between 20,000 and 40,000 spectators every year. Promoting artists and dancers from Brittany. We will hold a press conference in order to present our Breton artists. In the long term, about a year to a year and a half from now, we will evaluate how Marque Bretagne has affected the Brittany’s image.