Director of Communications Fahrettin Altun said, "Our President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is the largest and most powerful brand of Türkiye today."
The "Türkiye Nation Branding Forum", organised by the Presidency's Directorate of Communications with the theme "Meet the True Colours of Türkiye", started at the Maslak TIM Show Centre.
Speaking at the opening ceremony of the forum, Presidency's Director of Communications Fahrettin Altun noted that they are pleased and honoured to host Türkiye's first Nation Branding Forum and that with the forum organised with local and foreign participants who are experts in their professions, they aim to establish an international interaction in the field of nation branding.
Emphasising that they intend to build a synergy that will bolster the strength of the Türkiye brand by bringing together stakeholders from the public, academia, civil society, and private sector, Director of Communications Altun said, "I hope that our forum will contribute to the efforts we carry out to strengthen the Türkiye brand, which is our main objective as the Directorate of Communications."
Noting that there are roughly 42 panellists and speakers at the forum, which assembles internationally renowned professionals, Director of Communications Altun remarked that they also host a large number of names associated with the Türkiye brand.
Director of Communications Altun expressed his gratitude to the participants who came to İstanbul, the cradle of civilisations and Türkiye's brand city, to provide their expertise, knowledge, and involvement to the forum and said, "As you know, the requirement for countries to introduce themselves dates back to history. This requirement became even more important with the information age, and the concept of 'public diplomacy' emerged in the 1960s. Public diplomacy activities, which expanded due to a greater appreciation of the significance of adopting policies aimed directly at the peoples of the countries in addition to the states, became a fundamental aspect of soft power. Over time, the concept of 'nation branding' was included in the field of soft power, which was supported by numerous factors. We define nation branding as 'states' efforts to cultivate a certain image'."
"The Twitter scandal revealed once again that social media platforms are not free"
Director of Communications Altun stated that the concept of "nation branding" encompasses more than one domain, from marketing to international relations, within the discipline of communication and added that today, states actively engage in nation branding activities to have a presence in the global ecosystem, to attract more investors and tourists, to obtain a place in the international system, which is the scene of fierce rivalry, to improve their reputation and become more visible. Pointing out that these endeavours yield substantial returns when serious investment and planning are made, Director of Communications Altun continued as follows:
"Today, as digitalisation has become an undeniable reality, social media platforms have also emerged as crucial brand channels. Contrary to common perception, we have found that these platforms are not always free, independent, and impartial. In the most recent Twitter scandal, we have once again witnessed this fact clearly and unequivocally. The records reveal that the former Twitter administration arbitrarily stretched its moderation limitations in applications such as content deletion, blocking, and account termination and converted its content policies into a weapon against users and actors with opposing views. The current Twitter administration shares these documents with the entire international community. This picture clearly shows that we face a severe threat to individuals, societies and countries. This scandal provides clues as to how the perception of a country brand can be altered or even manipulated via social media platforms. This is why, while strengthening the country brand, safeguarding it from such systematic perception operations is a vitally important issue. In the age of 'post-truth', in which the death of truth is declared, our most fundamental guiding principle, of course, should be to stay on the line of truth in our nation-branding efforts."
"We strive to present our country's potential to the outside world"
Stating that the brand value of countries had a central position in terms of economic and political relations in the international political arena and that the sum of the identity and reputation values of the countries determined the brand values of the countries, Director of Communications Fahrettin Altun said, "A brand is a form of communication. It includes all the elements that distinguish one value from others. Branding, on the other hand, is a field that requires much more sophisticated construction than promotion and advertising. The change in the structure of global competition driven by advancements in communication technology exposed the necessity for more complex and specifically designed communication strategies in branding efforts. As implied by the concept's name, nation branding is a communication endeavour carried out by the collective effort of nations."
Pointing out that the best brand ambassadors to raise a country's brand value are the citizens of that country, Director of Communications Altun said, "Volunteer citizen diplomats with goodwill are the most valuable brand faces in the world for a country. In the public diplomacy activities we carry out as the Republic of Türkiye Directorate of Communications, we also consider our volunteer citizen diplomats as public diplomacy actors. In intercultural interaction, we strive to present our country's potential to the outside world successfully."
"Türkiye occupies a position as a central country"
Stating that the world is going through serious challenges, Director of Communications Altun said:
"It is a fact that we are facing severe repercussions of the war that has been going on between Russia and Ukraine since February 2022. The environment of uncertainty and instability, which is increasing day by day, is a common concern of everyone. Today, we are going through a difficult process in which the need for a new order is voiced much louder. Türkiye, which has successfully navigated these global challenges, also contributes to the resolution of regional crises and global conflicts. We reiterate this clearly and unequivocally: In this era of global uncertainty, Türkiye not only stands out as an island of stability but also contributes to world peace and well-being as a stabilising power. As Türkiye, we took pride in having served the worldwide hope with our mediation efforts in the Russia-Ukraine war and grain deals for the solution of the food crisis. Türkiye, with its principled foreign policy, occupies a position as a central country for global peace and stability. The Türkiye models we have built in many fields, from diplomacy to humanitarian aid, from health to the environment, have set an example to the world today. We are in an effort to add Türkiye's Communication Model to this chain."
"We are working with the confidence that comes from following in our President's footsteps as a leading brand personality"
Stating that Türkiye made significant progress and achievements in many fields, particularly in the last 20 years, Director of Communications Fahrettin Altun said that, today, Türkiye is a regional power and a global player, making significant strides in all areas, from investment to trade, health to education, renewable energy to technology and innovation, and humanitarian diplomacy to peace mediation efforts.
Director of Communications Altun stated that, as the Presidency's Directorate of Communications, they carry out efforts to transform Türkiye's power into a reputable and reliable brand and to make it sustainable, and said:
"At this point, I would like to emphasise unequivocally that our President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is the largest and most powerful brand of Türkiye today. We are working in this field with the confidence that comes from following in our President's footsteps as a leading brand personality. We work with the motto of protecting and preserving the truth in today's world, where the truth is being lost at an alarming rate. With Türkiye's peaceful and sustainable policies on a global scale, we are working with all our might to contribute to constructing a more liveable future through communication. We coordinate the activities required to strengthen the Türkiye brand and increase its international recognition in light of our civilisational values rooted in a millennia-long, deep history. In this regard, we act with the awareness that our primary responsibility is to promote our culture and values through qualified and valuable works worthy of our nation."
"We are fighting against defamation efforts"
Director of Communications Altun stated that they aim to further strengthen the nation's brand value in global competition by sharing success stories of the state and the nation from the past and present, and said, "We are fighting against defamation efforts around the world that will harm Türkiye brand and Türkiye's image in the international arena. We are engaged in a multifaceted effort to protect and enhance our country's reputation. At the heart of 'Türkiye's Communication Model' is the goal of strengthening our nation brand. We evaluate and nurture the Türkiye brand through all phases of communication in this model, which operates with the understanding of a 360-degree communication. In doing so, we prioritise preserving our national brand identity and all of its values. Obviously, the main goal of our work is to institutionalise the initiatives for the 'Strong Türkiye' brand, which is an integral part of the 2023, 2053 and 2071 visions under the leadership of our President."
"We invite you to use 'Türkiye' as the name of our country"
Director of Communications Altun explained that, as the Presidency's Directorate of Communications, they expanded the scope of their efforts to strengthen the Türkiye brand under the coordination of the Türkiye Brand Office, which was established last May, and continued:
"We aim to create a holistic strategy in this field with the work carried out by the Türkiye Brand Office. The step we took, under the leadership of our President, to use the name 'Türkiye' in international forums is central to this strategy. We will continue to raise awareness about this issue through various communication campaigns. On this occasion, we invite our international guests to use 'Türkiye' as the name of our country, starting with their speeches at this forum. Furthermore, we continue our Turkish language training programs for international press members in collaboration with the Yunus Emre Institute. With these activities, we hope to ensure that members of the international press working in Türkiye get to know the country in its true cultural colours and accurately represent it to the rest of the world."
Director of Communications Altun stated that Türkiye has a natural brand status with its geographical location, deep-rooted history and cultural richness, and said:
"With its imperial heritage, religious and cultural diversity, Türkiye is an exceptional country with a social experience where differences have coexisted in peace for centuries. With these characteristics, our country exemplifies the harmonious symphony of colours. İstanbul, which was a trade and brand centre in ancient times, is a matchless brand city in the world. Our President's investments in İstanbul since his tenure as Mayor of the İstanbul Metropolitan Municipality have contributed to boost this ancient city's brand identity. As Türkiye, we engage in nation branding efforts in cooperation with all stakeholders. We established our values, rooted cultural legacy and economic dynamism as part of our national brand identity and made them globally visible. Today, Türkiye has uncovered its power and proven its brand quality by stamping 'Made in Türkiye' on a variety of products. This power is felt all over the world today. Today, with its policies for peace and humanity, Türkiye has communicated that it is a stable and determined nation brand. Today, Türkiye is a conductor whose views and experiences are sought in almost every field, as well as the address for conflict resolution. Today, Türkiye is seen as a hero for its initiatives to resolve global crises. Türkiye stands with the oppressed and against the oppressor. Türkiye is a champion of ideals that serve humanity."
"We build our nation's brand identity based on our civilisational values"
Director of Communications Altun remarked that President Erdoğan's leadership made it possible for Türkiye to achieve this success, stating, "That is why we believe Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is the most powerful brand in Türkiye. While realising our ideals, we build our nation's brand identity based on our civilisational values. We are activating all of the nation's brand-based dynamics. In this respect, we are likewise guided by the leading brand identity of our President. Today, under the leadership of our President, Türkiye is becoming a brand by taking a proactive stance in the face of global crises and delivering diplomatic, political, humanitarian, military, and economic solutions in line with its values, expanding its power and capabilities in the international arena and maximising its opportunities."
Director of Communications Altun informed the participants that Türkiye is one of the top ten countries in the world in terms of the number of visitors attracted through tourism diplomacy and added that Türkiye ranks first with İstanbul Airport in the Best Airport 2022 survey, first in humanitarian assistance in the world based on GDP, second in development aid after the US, and is one of the top five countries in international education.
“Türkiye is bigger than Türkiye”
Director of Communications Altun concluded his address by emphasising Türkiye's position as one of the World's Most Politically Influential Countries, saying:
"Today, nation branding is crucial for countries to participate in international competition and attain their future objectives. Furthermore, investments made or to be made in this area are equally important for a just and sustainable future. I believe that our forum will yield significant outcomes in this light, because nation branding is an extremely important issue for Türkiye. However, expressing Türkiye's brand value even more powerfully is not a matter that serves only Türkiye. Because, as our President declared, 'Türkiye is bigger than Türkiye.' As a result, strengthening the Turkish brand comes to mean strengthening Türkiye's efforts in peace, international welfare and development. Consolidating Türkiye's reputation means increasing efforts in international peace. We will continue to invest in this area with this approach and perspective, under the coordination of the Türkiye Brand Office. Availing myself of this opportunity, I hope that our forum will provide a chance for the entire world to discover Türkiye's true colours."
