Branding a nation with pride.

Pride is either part of a nations brand values at the start or governments struggle to achieve it forever. Singaporean’s are about to celebrate National Day. This is the most important day in Singapore. This is the day Singapore became independent of Malaysia 45 years ago. They have a National Day Parade here which stops the country and is a national bank holiday. They have been practicing this for the last 3 months! Every Saturday for the last 12 weeks every major road in Singapore has been closed to allow the parade’s participants to practice! No matter the commercial ramifications this parade is all about the nation’s pride and they take it very seriously. There are Singaporean national flags hanging from every apartment in every apartment block in the city branding the city under one flag. They are hanging from every lamp post and every road. Every office building has the distinctive red and white stars and moon flag that represents so much to this young nation hanging from it right across the country. This is branding the country as one. One collective community of many different religions and races coming under one banner and one brand. Try having a national day in the UK and getting the cross of St George or Union Jack hung from every building and every apartment and there would be outrage and riots! There is so much negative National Front and racist association with the cross of St George flag while the Union Jack represents oppressions and English power over its neighbours and very few people identify with either. Most sane people would never want to be associated with either flag let along hang it from their homes or anywhere that other people might see!! As for a national parade to celebrate it….can you see every race and every religion participating as one in a National UK or English parade? No, me neither. The UK government would like everyone to come together but it’s not in the English way…just mention immigration to any proud English person who loves their flag and it’s like a red rag to a bull…yet in Singapore the nation couldn’t survive without it. Just this week they announced that the economy is growing so fast that they need another 100,000 this year just to service demand….oh how the UK would love that problem!