Country promotion during COVID-19 is no doubt harder than before.

People is today concerned on how to promote a service or product at the time of COVID-19. This, because most “traditional” instruments either are not -by definition- accessible.

Think about fairs, for example. Most of them have gone virtual, and whether or not these act as branding instruments have yet to be proved.

In strictly marketing terms, you’re missing two Ps out of four: place and promotion.

The concern here is rather about country branding, in the sense that nowadays one country is either “with” coronavirus, or “without” it. COVID-19 free countries, such as New Zealand, can use that strength as a marketing tool. And usually, they do.

If the country you operate in is not COVID-19 free, the focus should not be on what you promote. But rather on “when” your country (company, town, university, service) will be open for business.

And what kind of reassurance customers can today have about the service they’re purchasing for tomorrow.

Think about a university course: who is today capable (and willing) to guarantee the safety of the situation next September, in Europe and in the US? Probably nobody.

Except, maybe, China, which is delivering assertive country promotion during COVID-19.

 

Photo by Paul Skorupskas on Unsplash