National Branding Committee to be Established

A National Branding Committee is to be established as part of measures to ensure that Jamaica capitalises on the achievements of its athletes at the recently completed 12th International Association of Athletics Associations (IAAF) World Athletic Championships in Berlin, Germany.
This was disclosed by Minister of Industry, Investment and Commerce, Hon. Karl Samuda, at a press briefing, held at the Ministry’s New Kingston offices on August 25.
He also informed that the committee would comprise representatives from the Ministry of Industry, Investment and Commerce; the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture; Ministry of Education, and representatives from Jamaica Trade and Invest; the Jamaica Tourist Board, and the Institute of Sports (INSPORT).
“What we are really seeking to do is make the Jamaican athletes become the face of Jamaica. It is vitally important that we do not lose this opportunity, especially at a time when there are so many other countries in the world that have not been able to enjoy that kind of success in athletics,” Mr. Samuda said.
He further noted that the immediate focus of the committee would be to look at areas such as film, merchandising (manufacturing), training facilities/infrastructure and programmes.
“We are going to be looking at film and the extent to which we can collaborate with the large studios around the world, to see how we can be proactive in ensuring that the images of Jamaica are portrayed around the world,” Mr. Samuda said.
“We feel that with the successes of Jamaica, we must be seen as an extremely important destination for training, and in addition, we will seek to attract experts in the field of athletics to come to Jamaica, to learn from us and for us to learn from them in various areas in which they may have great proficiency. But for sure, Jamaica must be seen as a very attractive investment destination in terms of training facilities,” he added.
Mr. Samuda also noted that there are plans to take advantage of the upcoming world games, such as World Cup football in South Africa, 2010; the Commonwealth Games in India, 2010; and the next World Athletic Championship in South Korea, 2011.
“We must now put ourselves in a position to really capitalise on those areas of exposure that we will be experiencing through those events,” the Minister said.
Jamaica won seven gold, four silver and two bronze medals at the recently concluded 12th IAAF World Championships, finishing second in the medal table, behind the United States of America.