Dr. Argüden had promoted utilization of Türkiye as the formal name for the country in all languages and platforms. He implemented this view in his international publications and pioneered the utilization of using Türkiye as the official name in numerous organizations such as Global Compact Türkiye in 2012 and Integrated Reporting Türkiye Network in 2015.
He has shared this view with the business leaders during ARGE Consulting’s 25th anniversary.
He had brought this matter to the attention of the President during the Turkish Basketball Federation’s visit which led to the Presidential Decree that was published in the Official Gazette in December 2021.
He was invited as a guest speaker to evaluate this Presidential Decree as his focus on this subject is widely known.
Türkiye: A Country to Live, Learn, and Innovate
VIEW – Dr. Yılmaz Argüden evaluated the decision taken regarding the use of the original word in Turkish “Türkiye” as a brand in export products, all kinds of activities, and correspondence, for the AA Analysis Desk.
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Information and communication technologies develop and their influence spreads rapidly. As a result, a selective perception occurs in people exposed to information bombardment. All kinds of products in the market compete with many products outside of their own category. The key for winning the competition game and gaining market share is to increase the “mind share”. In order to attract people’s attention, there is now also a need for a “mind share” associated with the country of origin. This perception value is as effective as the brand value in the products offered to the market by the countries. For this very reason, the country brand is of critical importance.
Growth rate of Turkish exports is higher than the economic growth rate. Therefore, the share and role of the Turkish economy in the global economy is increasing. However, the added value created by our country does not increase at the same rate. The brand value of countries can also influence their value in the international market. This in turn helps increase the level of well-being and quality of life.
It is necessary to see the brand not only as a word or a promotional topic, but as part of a well thought out strategy. Whichever goal we want to achieve, its presentation in that context, branding is key for forming perceptions. You have to think about positioning. Türkiye needs a conceptual approach to position it as a brand.
Importance of brand value
Brand value of countries also influence the brand value of the products they export. Country brand value also affects people’s demands for the product. The added value that countries with high brand value derive from their exports is also high. For example, Germany comes to mind in engineering products. American brands are gaining popularity in technological products. Countries such as Japan and Korea are also making important breakthroughs in this regard. When we say economic goods, China comes to mind. Therefore, it is possible to say that the goods of each country are perceived differently in the world market. These perceptions also affect the economies of countries. Therefore, there is a meaning to country of origin. If Türkiye’s brand value is higher and it can increase the price of the products it sells even by five percent, it can create an added value of 10 billion dollars every year. Therefore, Türkiye’s brand value is an important tool in increasing both exports and welfare.
The share and role of the Turkish economy in the global economy is also increasing. However, the added value created by our exports does not increase at the same rate. The brand value of countries influences the value of their exports in the international market. This helps to increase the level of well-being and quality of life in their countries.
‘Türkiye’ brand
It seems that the perception of Türkiye abroad is far from reflecting the facts. The most important indicator of this is that more than 95 percent of the people who come to our country for the first time leave the country positively surprised and happy. This means that there are serious differences between what people expect before they come and what they see. In short Türkiye is not a well promoted country. There is no exciting perception in the world public about Turkish companies, Turkish products or services offered. There is a perception that falls far behind the reality…
Words affect thoughts, thoughts affect feelings and actions. Although the brand value is not only formed by the perceptions associated with the related word, it was also important to prevent the negative perception of the expression “Turkey” in English, the most spoken language in the world, from reflecting negatively on our country brand. In this context, the Presidential Decree dated 4 December 2021 and numbered 31679 regarding the use of only “Türkiye” in the promotion of our country and in the international arena in order to improve brand perception was an important first step.
On the other hand, we must not forget that serious effort is required to implement this usage consistently everywhere. For example, although Istanbul was under Turkish rule for centuries, “Constantinople” was utilized particularly by the international community, which means “Constantine’s City”. On the other hand, Gazi Mustafa Kemal Atatürk changed the name of the city to Istanbul, and as of March 28, 1930, he made it clear that letters that did not come with the name “Istanbul” would not be accepted and ensured that the city’s name was used as “Istanbul” globally. For this reason, it is very important to emphasize the use of our country’s name as “Republic of Türkiye” in English as stated in the Presidential Decree, not only in the use of “Made in Türkiye”, but in all official communications and in every language.
If Türkiye’s brand value is higher and it can increase the price of the products it sells even by five percent, it can create an added value of 10 billion dollars every year. Therefore, Türkiye’s brand value is an important tool in increasing both exports and welfare.
What should the conceptual framework be like?
It is necessary to see the brand not only as a word or a promotional topic, but also as part of the strategy. Whatever goal we want to achieve, we need to think about promotion, branding and positioning in that context. Türkiye needs a conceptual approach to position it as a brand. While developing this conceptual approach, it is necessary to pay attention to some principles. First of all, as Mevlana said, “Either seem as you are, be as you seem”. In other words, if we try to put an identity that incorporates values that do not exist in Türkiye, we will not be successful. So, we have to build the Turkish brand on some really existing values. Next; Türkiye is truly a versatile country. It is not possible to introduce every aspect of Türkiye. We have to choose and focus on them. While making this choice, we should prioritize those who have the potential to create added value for Türkiye. Finally, the aspects we have chosen must have features that can easily distinguish Türkiye from other countries. A topic that has not yet been owned by others make the task of building the brand easier. For example, we can position Türkiye as a country to live, learn and produce “innovation”, especially for the world’s leading thinkers and scientists. In this context, we can identify the 20 most important emerging technologies in the world. After identifying 100 people who stand out in these technologies, we can create an infrastructure for approximately ten people in each filed to spend at least six months in Türkiye each year. The fact that these ten people stay in Türkiye helps us to make a big progress both in terms of Türkiye’s brand value and in terms of increasing knowledge in technologies with high added value potential.
The most important indicator of this is that more than 95 percent of the people who come to Türkiye for the first time leave the country with surprisingly high satisfaction and happily. This means that there are serious differences between what people expect before they come and what they see here.
As for how such a positioning will benefit Türkiye, first of all, since everyone follows qualified thought leaders, these people will contribute to the creation of the image of “Türkiye as a creative country”.
Secondly, their presence will ensure that our youth who work with them will grow up around innovative minds and will be trained in subjects that have the potential to create high added value.
Third, our business people would become more informed about developing technologies and identify better opportunities to invest for value creation than all going in the same direction and overcrowding which results in inefficient investments.
Fourth, Türkiye stands out as a country to live in. Türkiye is a very suitable place to live in terms of climate, cultural richness, and entertainment and service industries due to its high young population.
Fifth, Türkiye’s culture of tolerance sets an example for the world. Many people feel alienated when they go to a different country. There is no such situation in Türkiye. For example, ask Indians, “Will you go to some European countries to study?” When asked, they give a negative answer. Because they feel foreign there. However, Türkiye is a country that has opened its arms to others for centuries. For example, Jews who had to flee Spain 500 years ago or those who fled Germany during the Second World War had the opportunity to settle in Türkiye comfortably. These days Türkiye stands out with the number of immigrants it hosts where many developed countries have significant opposition to immigrants.
Sixth, Türkiye is perceived as a country to live in with pleasure. From an entertainment point of view, in the early 2000s, European young people in their 20s and 30s come to Türkiye to celebrate their birthdays or to spend their weekends in Türkiye. Therefore, Türkiye can be positioned as “a place to live”.
Seventh, Türkiye is a very productive geography in terms of culture. In terms of religions, cultures, the coexistence of many different peoples, and its geographical and ecological richness, Türkiye offers ample opportunities to explore and learn. However, we need to allocate resources to realize such a strategy and make sure that our policies and actions support such a vision. We need to develop approaches and develop projects that will bring these issues to the fore.
In summary, positioning Türkiye as a country to “live”, “learn” and “innovate” will be help improve our quality of life as the world-wide awareness of the Turkish brand increases, the value of our exports, our prosperity, and competitiveness will also increase. At this point, the Presidential Decree regarding the use of the country name as “Türkiye” in every language is a very important first step that needs to be followed up with others in order to improve the innovation culture, quality production, and value creation capacity by supporting scientific development and trusted institutions…
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[Dr. Yılmaz Argüden is the Founder and Chairman of ARGE Consulting and the Chair of the Trustees of Argüden Governance Academy]
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December 14, 2021