The turmoil around the Greek economy spread by the media around the world gives us less and less thoughts of what is actually happening in Greece besides the debts. European newspapers are talking about the IMF proposition towards Greece with thousands of points for and against, given by numerous analytics and commentators. Immediate money banked in has advantages but future pay-outs will then look even worse than today’s’ one. What will this mean for Greek products and services and how they are perceived in the global market place?
In Greece itself more and more people are ready to say the famous Greek “Όχι” which stands for “no”. “No” to the new IMF loan, just like it was “no” for the Italians demanding to have access to strategic military locations in Greece during the First World War. More newspapers talk about all the sadness of the Greek situation at the moment, more pride is raising among Greeks. The pride of Greeks has its long history, the one famous enough is the Sparta, which is part of Greek heritage.
The image of small Greece fighting the big international loan sharks is dominating across the southern European countries like Spain, Italy and Portugal who had an enormous growth in the previous decade and now they are having similar problems and can relate. Meanwhile the view of ‘hard working’ European north is different. To the Germans the previous brand of Greece such as ‘the warm country of endless vacations, sun, small houses painted white and streets drowning in flowers’ perfectly fits the modern brand of all-European troublemaker with ‘naturally determined’ problems. The northern view is much dominating the global opinion about the Greece since the north is the one to make the news.
Regardless of the financial turbulence in the country at the moment, Greece has way more positiveness and attractiveness in it. The main export of the country is yet tourism which is not only due to the climate but also due to the rich cultural heritage and historical background like ‘Ancient Greece’ which attracts so many. This cliché and this revenue stream is impossible to take away from Greece.
Greece has the third largest trading fleet by the number of ships in the world, this is famous in Europe and could possibly become known to many more which can make the new brand of trader nation, as it was once upon a time. In addition to that, Greece has a reputation of a real estate heaven. The very famous ‘small houses painted white’ attract investors into the country from all around, thus eventually, this reputation could make it into brand.
Which way of rebranding Greece will follow is up to Greeks to decide. But one thing is for sure, it is the serious wish to fight the current situation and Greeks are ready for it. The ongoing battle is close to the end and the new brand is about to be born.
