By Hume Johnson, PhD
World renowned Reggae performer, Jimmy Cliff
Jamaica is an island nation located in the Caribbean Sea. It is home to some 2.7 million people. Despite its tiny size, it has developed an internationally famous and recognised brand image. Here are a few things you should know about Jamaica.
1. Jamaica is home to one of the world’s most popular urban music form – Reggae and birthplace of some of the world’s most revered and iconic entertainers: Bob Marley, Jimmy Cliff, Shaggy and Sean Paul.
2. Jamaica is the birthplace of some of the world’s fastest sprinters, including the world’s fastest human, Usain St. Leo Bolt.
Jamaican sprinters – Usain Bolt and Asafa Powell
3. Jamaica’s Blue Mountain Coffee, grown in the Blue Mountains of Jamaica is one of the most sought after coffees in the world. The Blue Mountain Coffee beans are the flavour base of Tia Maria coffee liqueur.
4. Jamaica brews one of the world’s most popular and talked about beers, Red Stripe.
5. Jamaica’s traditional dish, Ackee & Saltfish (made by combining the national fruit Ackee with salted codfish and spices) is ranked by National Geographic Magazine as the 2nd best national dish in the world, second only to the United States hamburger.
Ackee and Saltfish, a favourite among Jamaicans
6. Jamaica’s Devon House – former mansion and plantation property, is ranked by National Geographic Magazine as one of the top five places to eat ice cream in the world.
7. Jamaica is the location of one of the most popular films in the world, Disney’s ‘Cool Runnings’ about the exploits of the Jamaican bobsled team at the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary, Canada.
Members of the cast of ‘Cool Runnings’, the popular Disney Film on set
8. Jamaica is home to one of the world’s recognised religions, Rastafari – a spiritual movement that arose in the 1930s where followers believe in Africa as the original birthplace of mankind, and revere late Ethiopian emperor Haile Selassie.
9. Jamaica is home to one of the world’s most spectacular waterfalls, Dunn’s River Falls, located in the North Coast of the island in the town of Ocho Rios.
One of the forts at Port Royal where pirates defended their base from invasion.
10. Jamaica’s Port Royal city was considered one of the world’s most dangerous cities during the 17th century. Occupied by pirates led by Henry Morgan, the city was later completely destroyed by an earthquake and Tsunami in 1692, and another in 1907.
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Dr. Hume Johnson is a specialist on Jamaican nation brand. A former Jamaican journalist, she currently teaches Public Relations at Roger Williams University, Bristol, RI. Dr. Johnson is the Founder of the Re-Imagine Jamaica Project. Her book ‘Challenges to Civil Society: Popular Protest and Governance in Jamaica’ is published by Cambria Press.
By HUME N. JOHNSON, PHD
This is part 2 of a two part blog series in which I talk about Jamaica’s Soft Power. They are based on a presentation I delivered on February 20- 21, 2013 at the Opening of a Sports Museum at the GC Foster College of Sports and Physical Education, Spanish Town, Jamaica – the first of its kind in the Caribbean, following which was a Sports Symposium where academics, politicians and sports professionals gathered to discussion the development of sports in Jamaica. I talked about what Jamaica can do its leverage its soft power in the world through Sport. The following is the part 2 of my presentation.
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Jamaican Sprint Relay team taking their victory lay during the Beijing Olympics 2008
Sport is already taking a certain aspect of Jamaican culture and values around the globe. Not just to the Jamaican Diasporic community in the United States and the UK but to Australia, Asia, Europe – every continent. Excluding reggae and our high profile music stars such as Jimmy cliff and Shaggy, sport is Jamaica’s greatest asset: Jamaica has been participating in the Summer Olympic Games for 64 years. The nation has achieved far more medals per capita than any other country at the Olympics. From the London Games of 1948 (and later Helsinki in 1952), three black men from Jamaica – Herb McKinley, George Rhoden and Arthur Wint – sprinted into athletic history, and set a precedent for the nation’s extraordinary sporting performance at these Games. This story is yet to be told and embedded in the psyche .
- In the modern era, the likes of Merlene Ottey, Usain Bolt, alongside compatriots, Asafa Powell, Shelly Ann Fraser-Pryce and Veronica Campbell Brown have set new bars of achievement in world athletics.
- At the Beijing Games of 2008 – it was the first time (since the men from the United States did it in 1912) that all the medals in the 100m race were won by athletes from a single country.These stellar performances concretized Jamaica’s athletic know-how; catapulted the nation’s global sports brand, justified the label given to Jamaica – the “sprint factory” and truly has captured the imagination of the world. Yet we pretend it isn’t happening – waiting for cheap recognition of this from global media every four years.
What does this mean for BRAND JAMAICA; why is Sport important to Jamaica’s brand?
Jamaican Olympic gold medalist, Shelly Ann Fraser -Pryce
Sport has become a core pillar of Jamaica’s national identity – how the nation sees and talks about itself, as well as its brand identity – how the nation positions itself in the world; how it expects other people to see and talk about the nation. This is not exclusive to Jamaica. Sport has always been a means by which powerful nations not only exhibit their skill and superiority, but also define and project their national image. In 1936, Adolph Hitler used the Berlin Olympic Games to illustrate German skill and the superiority of the Aryan race (Wikipedia, 1936 Summer Olympics). Sport was also, for America, another avenue by which to display its ability and exhibit its supremacy. Since American Jesse Owens accomplished athletics history by capturing four gold medals at these same Berlin Games, the world basked in America’s glory and stood in awe of the consistency of her achievements. Jesse Owens became the marker of such success and later, Jackie Joyner–Kersee, Carl Lewis, Marion Jones, Gail Devers and Michael Johnson, Justin Gatlin, Tyson Gaye – who, individually and collectively, helped to further and embed American domination in world athletics, and advance its favorability in world opinion, and its national image.With the increasing awareness of Jamaica competitiveness in athletics comes something vital; comes the sense that it is not the nation with the biggest army that wins the hearts and minds of the world but one that tells the better story. What shall Jamaica’s narrative be?
Jamaica’s Sporting Narrative
A Nation of the World’s Top Sprinters. At the moment, outside of Usain Bolt, no other Jamaican athlete has achieved the kind of global prominence and media presence he has. ‘Brand Bolt’ is not accidental. His management team alongside sponsor Puma exploited his physicality, aspects of his personality, his skill and Olympic stardom and built a global brand – which is still developing. The brands of Shelly-Ann Fraser Pryce, Veronica Campbell Brown, Chris Gayle and myriad others is yet to be established. These are Jamaicans who have helped to shape Jamaica into an internationally-recognised brand in sport, and already influence how the world sees and understand Jamaica and its people. Our athletes are a ready-made corps of soft power, promotional ambassadors for the nation. Their brand images – if well positioned – can help to further shape the nation’s image abroad and mobilise returns in the areas of sports marketing and sports tourism. Every time I see Asafa Powell write a tweet, I think to myself, he should be spending his time writing a book about “Preparing to Race”.
Jamaican sprinters – Usain Bolt and Asafa Powell
A Nation with the World’s Leading Institute of Sport Technique and Education (that can attract student-participants from across the world). Of course there must be policies to further this agenda. An Education Policy for example to allow selected schools, colleges and universities (such as GC Foster) to expand their sports curriculum to accommodate foreign athletes who wish to be educated as well as do their training here. I am aware that there are individual students from the Caribbean and elsewhere who may already be here, but this is a mere drop in the bucket compared to what is possible. Semester abroad programmes now attract students to different countries. Students choose countries, which offer them a variety of tourism, education and professional development offerings. They want to immerse in the culture, learn about it while embracing study areas that will advance them towards their chosen fields. Targeting track and field athletes across the world is not a bad idea.
A Nation with the Best Athletic Coaches; A Nation of Geniuses in Sprint Technique (whom can promote their sport techniques and skills as a business). This is not a pipe dream. Nor is it extraordinary. A group of Australian athletes just left the island, having recently participated in a techniques workshop with Jamaican coaches. This shouldn’t be a one –off affair. This ought to be part of the new sport services industry complete with the right infrastructure and resources.
A Nation fashioning new models in Sport Cuisine (Or perhaps we are merely satisfied with the story that Usain Bolt loves to eat Yellow Yam).
A Nation with a talked about Sports Museum that is able to kick start the very lucrative Sport Tourism Market. This institution, a leading institution for Sports Education in the region can no longer afford to be as quiet as it has been for more than a decade. It exists in a country reknowned for sports and so it must use this glorious opportunity to position itself as a world-class institution. You have done amazing things, hosts major events, honoured sports players and workers; yet aside from a couple newspaper articles here and there, GC Foster is not known. No Twitter page – what is up with that? No blogs. Don’t leave your stories and narratives to the mercy of traditional media. Take charge of your own brand – promote the skills and achievements of your Faculty, students and graduates to the rest of the world.
This is what we mean when we speak of leveraging Jamaica’s soft power through Sport. We must begin to leverage our sporting EXPERTISE, SKILLS and TALENT. Our soft power lies in the global appeal of our skill and talent in track and field, and myriad other sporting disciplines; the enduring values of hard work, discipline, focus and other personal and professional dispositions which make our sprinters and other sports men and women succeed and become among the best in the world.
Public Policy
I cannot conclude without talking about Policy and the role of Government. Government must enact its Sports Policy to further this soft power agenda. Jamaica has yet to capitalise on its status as one of the world’s most famous and popular nation brands. Being popular is not the same as being strong. So much work needs to be done to strengthen our national image. The Jamaican government has managed embed, through its Tourism authority a flawed and limited view of the country – A view that is skewed towards aesthetic factors such as sun and sea. Now it’s Usain Bolt running over the river and the sea. The Government has to get on board and reboot Jamaica’s image by promoting Jamaica’s credentials in business, the creative industries, technology and sport. Despite the fact that developing a unique national brand is a key strategy for nations that need to compete in a globalized world, there is no core “building BrandJamaica” programme underway; no government department working across sectors to promote the skills and achievements of Jamaica to the rest of the world. Our athletes have projected a compelling national image of Jamaica. The government must lead the way in capitalising on the potential of these developments.
How do we Effect this “Soft Power” Revolution– We have to tell Our Own Stories
Jamaican sprinter, Herb McKinley at the 1948 Olympic Games in Berlin
The Jamaican government has opted for traditional mainstream media campaigns to market Jamaica. It has also depended on outsiders to tell the story of our achievements in their own way, playing up stereotypes and oversimplifying us. Traditional advertising campaigns are expensive and unsustainable. A content marketing strategy such as that being used in Australia is what we ought to be applying. It is more engaging and sustainable. Basically, content marketing is the art of communicating without selling. Instead of pitching beaches and resorts, we deliver information that makes the target public more intelligent. The essence of content strategy is the belief that if we, as a nation deliver consistent, ongoing, engaging valuable information to the world, the world will ultimately reward us with their business, students, tourists, respect and loyalty. The narratives that show up in the information circulating on the Internet are how nations are being judged. On one day the top stories will be the success of another Jamaican sprinter. The next day it can be a story detailing our homophobic intolerance or mushrooming crime that illustrates to the world that we remain an unsafe society. Ours is a complicated story. Violence and conflict is part of the Jamaican story. But ours is also civilizational story of pirates, a nation of the Maroons, Slave leaders, Marcus Garvey and Bob Marley and Usain Bolt. In other words – Our people are the best evidence we have that Jamaica, like other nations, is an inspired, creative, and globally-engaged nation.
People do not see a society for what it is. They see the stories they are told. While our people are generally well-respected, are hardworking and affable, this is not always the picture of us out there. We are perceived to be idle laid back (that is the polite phrase for lazy and unconcerned); not very industrious; corrupt, homophobic and violent. The resort centric tourism model; the marketing of Jamaica as sun sand and sea does not match current reality. A more progressive and enlightened view of Jamaica is available and this is the narrative that we have to begin to tell. This is the story of our ‘soft power’. This is the new Jamaica – The nation is currently experiencing a cultural and creative Renaissance. Since Bob Marley and the Wailers captured the imagination of the world in the 1970s, Jamaica’s nation brand image has never been more poised for take-off. There was a time when we would never be caught dead in the Jamaican colours. Today Carbys and Sun Island cannot find enough shirts for the demand. It is our sport successes that are serving as the catalyst for this renewed national self-image. Sports have helped to build and advance a positive Jamaican brand internationally. Yet it is our responsibility to leverage this this global reputation capital and build a lucrative Sports Economy, and to use sport to build social capital and enhance social transformation at home.
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Dr. Hume Johnson is a Political Analyst and Professor of Public Relations. She writes and speaks extensively on nation brand, civil society, governance and social movements. Her book Challenges to Civil Society: Popular Protest and Governance in Jamaica is published in 2011 by Cambria Press. She is the Founder of the Re-Imagine Jamaica Project. Please follow us at : https://twitter.com/search/realtime?q=Reimagine+Jamaica&src=typd. Write to us at ReimagineJamaica@gmail.com
By Hume N. Johnson, PhD
This is the first of two posts that I will use to focus on Jamaica’s soft power. They are based on a presentation I delivered on February 20- 21, 2013 at the Opening of a Sports Museum at the GC Foster College of Sports and Physical Education – the first of its kind in the Caribbean, following which was a Sports Symposium where academics, politicians and sports professionals gathered to discussion the development of sports in Jamaica. I talked about what Jamaica can do its leverage its soft power in the world through Sport. But first, drawing from the examples of Australia and India, I tried to help my audience to make sense of the notion of ‘Soft Power’, first purported by American Political Scientist Joseph Nye in 1990 – and to illustrate where Jamaica’s soft power lies.
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Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart – Austrian classical composer
November last year Carole Beckford (former publicist for track and field icon, Usain Bolt) and I traveled to Salzburg, AUSTRIA a quaint city on what could be called the back porch of Europe. Salzburg is the birthplace of one of the world’s greatest classical music composers – Mozart. Salzburg is also the city where the famous film ‘The Sound of Music’ was made. And …Salzburg does let anyone forget these two things that made it famous. Every nook and cranny of that city was littered with Mozart and the Sound of Music. Streets and place are named after Mozart -Mozart Museum and Exhibits; Mozart Memorabilia everywhere from airports to the street corner man selling cigarettes. You could get a dish named after Mozart in a restaurant. You could go to the Opera to hear performances from Mozart’s classic pieces. You could go on 4-hour bus tour of the Sound of Music locations with the sound track in toe.
Jamaican – Robert Nesta ‘Bob’ Marley – one of the world’s most iconic artistes
I am saying all of this to say Jamaica also possesses a one of the world’s most iconic artistes, Bob Marley, who introduced to the world an entirely new form of music, Reggae. Jamaica is also the home of the world’s fastest sprinters, Usain Bolt, Asafa Powell, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce and Veronica Campbell –Brown. Jamaica also provided the inspiration for one of the world’s most popular and unforgettable films, ‘Cool Runnings’. Yet, we seem to prefer that the world forgets. Why else would we leave the responsibility of our nation brand to others? Simon Anholt who introduced the concept of ‘nation brand’ forsees a day when the most important aspect of foreign policy will not be defense or trade but rather image and reputation. That day is already here. Nations are busy banking on their reputation.
Brand Australia
Take Australia for example. Prior to living in the United States, I spent 7 years living and working in Australia (and New Zealand). Australia is undergoing a major re-branding. The goal is move beyond their traditional image as a land of “beach, surfing, beer” and crocodiles to creating a identifiable national trademark. Of course Australia doesn’t mind its image as fun-loving, hardworking and sports-obsessed but it also wants to be perceived as a progressive society – as a place for high quality education, a leader in conservation; and an economic force in the Asia-Pacific region. Currently, they are taking advantage of Asia-Pacific tourism, specifically the increasing mobility of mega-populations such as China. Australia’s attempt to construct an effective national brand image has begun to take root and has begun to reap rewards. In 2012, the Reputation Institute’s Country Survey ranked Australia as second out of 50 countries on economic, social and aesthetic factors.
Australia is well known for its commitment to conservation through the work of late Australian Steve Irwin.
The Executive Director of the Australian Trade Commission (Austrade), Tim Beresford – the organisation set up to assist Australian businesses to contribute to national prosperity by succeeding in trade and investment (much by what JAMPRO was conceived to do) understands the importance of a strong country brand. ‘The more others trust, admire and respect Australia, the more they are likely to invest in our people, ideas and products and to send their children to study in our Universities”, he says. Australia’s approach, Tim Beresford argues, has not been to spend tens of millions of dollars on advertising (their beaches and surfers) but to tell the story of Australia through its people. For example, Australian expats living overseas have done a lot to underwrite Australia’s cultural prosperity and international reputation. A new orgnisation called ‘Australia Unlimited’ (funded by government) development – in response to global research which demonstrated that Australia’s global reputation – was based more on its physical attributes than its intellectual ones. Australia now undertakes a series of ‘soft power’ initiatives designed to show that it is a nation rich in cultural, scientific and business talent. Events are designed to promote Australian food, wine, tourism, entertainment and business. They leverage Australia’s growing list of stars in Hollywood; the recent sharp rise of the Australian dollar, its trade relationship with regional neighbour China and its first class education services to move beyond tourism and reinvent Australia as a global competitor and a nation of knowledge and innovation.
Re-Inventing India
A glance at Bollywood, India’s successful film industry
Another example is INDIA. I was listening to a speech recently, given by Indian novelist Shashi Tharoor. Tharoor was the former Indian Minister of External Affairs charged with helping India to engage with the world. He remarked that India is fast becoming a superpower — not just through trade and politics, but also through its “SOFT POWER” – its ability to share its culture with the world through food, music, technology an Bollywood (India’s very successful film industry). Tharoor argues that in the long run it’s not the size of the army that matters as much as a country’s ability to influence the world’s hearts and minds – to prosper through the power of example –expertise, knowledge, culture and entertainment, progressive values. As a political analyst, I am attracted to the idea of “Soft Power”. When American political scientist, Joseph Nye, first used this term in 1990, he was referring to the need for America to take stock of its use its hard power (militarism and war) (to conquer others) and engage more in ‘soft power’ – its culture, its values. The Iraq war for example was a stunning victory for America in terms of its hard (military) power, but it costs the United States dearly in terms of its soft power – its ability to attract others – allies, friends; to be perceived as legitimate, great and progressive.
For me this speaks volumes about ‘reputation’ and the increasing importance of reputation capital. Each nation today is trying to build or improve its reputation – in order to attract investments, students and tourism. Reputation capital has always been important but even more so now in global information age – where negative and positive stereotypes are out there for the world to see. Information is power and Jamaica has to engage in a real process of nation branding, taking account of how we communicate the nation; challenge negative perceptions and reframe the national self-image in a global era. Yet Jamaica’s political leaders have spent little time absorbing how the nature of power has changed and have yet to incorporate the “soft” dimensions of power into political strategies and public policy.
Usain Bolt – longtime fan of Boston Celtic’s Kevin Garnett.
So I am proud to bear witness to the opening of this Sports Museum because it suggests our capacity to think and operate differently; to frame and project our nation in different ways; Hopefully when you begin to illustrate what is possible, Jamaica House/OPM will follow. Ladies and gentlemen – I have spent a lot of time in recent months thinking about and speaking about Jamaica’s nation brand; how the nation can actively and proactively engage with the world. Rather than wait around for VW to make another ad, which though it casts another aspect of our culture into the global spotlight, really oversimplifies us, and embeds a stereotype of Jamaicans which I do not believe is altogether complimentary. We can take charge of leveraging our own soft power. Today I want to talk about one under-explored aspect of Jamaica’s soft power – Sport – Sport already acts as a kind as Global Diplomat for Jamaica. How can we then use Sport to Leverage Jamaica’s Soft Power in the world.
Is Jamaica a powerful country? Is Jamaica a Superpower?
A country is considered powerful if it has a relatively large population and territory, extensive natural resources, economic strength, military force and social stability (Nye, 2001). In terms of:
POPULATION: Jamaica being a mere speck on the world map, inhabited by only 2.7 million people does not make us very powerful.
NATURAL RESOURCES: Bauxite – Dirt (I understand Mining Minister Phillip Paulwell is now looking for rare minerals in our red dirt to sell overseas).
ECONOMIC STRENGTH: 1% growth; inflation; massive joblessness
MILITARY FORCE: In all fairness our military strength has never been tested. Compared to national armies around the world, JDF is hardly a force to be reckoned wit.
SOCIAL STABILITY: Mushrooming crime (including multiple killings, civil unrest, deteriorating economic situation exacerbate social crisis and it sometimes feel like the country is ungovernable.
But Jamaica can aim to contribute powerfully to the world and achieve prosperity through the appeal of its culture – from its dialect, music, and dance to its food; and through what Indian novelist Shashi Tharoor calls ‘THE POWER OF EXAMPLE”- through its Soft Power:
Members of the cast of ‘Cool Runnings’, the popular Disney Film about the exploits of the Jamaica bobsled team at the Winter Olympics in 1988
- Bob Marley took Reggae to every corner of the globe and positioned Jamaica as a progressive nation with enlightened ideals – social justice, equality, peace, and he globalised outrage against racial & social oppression.
- VW restored pride in the Jamaican language – which btw – had not gone dead but had lost its global appeal. Even the commentators in the Jamaica – Mexico World Cup Qualifying Game in the Azteca recently were doing their version of patois.
- National Geographic named Ackee and Saltfish second best National Dish in the World. Devon House – among the top 5 places in the world to eat ice-scream.
- Blue Mountain Coffee, Jamaican Jerk, Red Stripe, Ginger Beer have all become global export commodities. Jamaican Patty is slowly making its way into the global marketplace. (According to Nation brand theory “Products produced by a country are powerful ambassadors of each country’s image. Exports commodities become part of a nation’s brand. If they are good quality products, they become part of the brand image of the nation).
- Beyonce globalised the ‘Dutty Wine’ at America’s SuperBowl in 2013. But unless people associate her dances with Jamaica, then it does nothing for the nation’s brand.
- Way before this – The Film Cool Runnings about the triumph of the Jamaican bobsled team at the 1988 Winter Olympics in Canada took Jamaica and Jamaican values to cinema screens on every continent.
THIS IS WHAT IS MEANT BY SOFT POWER. This is Jamaica’s Soft Power. How do we THEN leverage this ‘soft power’ through Sport?
I continue this presentation in another post entitled ‘Leveraging Jamaica’s Soft Power Through Sport.
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Dr. Hume Johnson is a Political Analyst and Professor of Public Relations. She writes and speaks extensively on nation brand, civil society, governance and social movements. Her book Challenges to Civil Society: Popular Protest and Governance in Jamaica is published in 2011 by Cambria Press.
By Samantha Christopher and Hume Johnson
Kevin Garnett, centre – Boston Celtics
NBA team Boston Celtics got a brand boost as the world’s fastest Man, and six time Olympic gold medalist, Jamaican –born sprinter Usain Bolt showed his support for the NBA, specifically the Boston Celtics and center Kevin Garnett.
Usain Bolt – longtime fan of Boston Celtic’s Kevin Garnett.
Known for his dominance in sprinting, the track and field icon grew up playing basketball as much as he could until his track and field coaches told him to stop. Bolt remains an avid fan of the professional game. In an ESPN live interview on Tuesday February 12, 2013, Bolt says he particularly enjoys watching Boston Celtics’ center Kevin Garnett play, as he can relate to the basketball player’s tough mentality and winning mind set. To watch this interview, click on this link –> http://www.celticslife.com/2013/02/video-celtics-fan-usain-bolt-shares-his.html?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter
“I like KG the most. He’s a fighter and I’ve seen him go through a lot. He’s very tough mentally, when he goes out he’s always 150%, which for me is the biggest thing,” stated Bolt.
He also appreciates Kevin Garnett’s hard work and team efforts on and off the court. “I remember when he [KG] was injured, he was always there with his team every day, always pushing them to do the best, so for me that’s the biggest thing because in track and field there are a lot of injuries also,” Bolt said.
Boston Celtics centre, Kevin Garnett
In an age of brands and reputation capital, this is a powerful morale boost for the Boston Celtics and for Kevin Garnett going into the 2013 playoffs. This public association with the Boston Cenltics brand is also important for the brand image of Bolt. The 5 time World Champion has numerous impressive world records under his belt in Track and Field but his sport remains largely unpopular among world sports, only having a presence every four years during the Olympics. Bolt’s enormous talent and infectious personality, however makes him an unforgettable athlete. He has a chance to raise his profile in the lucrative United States market and move it beyond Track and Field.
Bolt not only played in the 2013 NBA Celebrity All Star Game but has attracted heavy media attention. In an article for Reuters after retaining his Olympic title at London 2012, reporter, Keith Weir writes that ‘He [Bolt] needs a higher profile in the United States to join the ranks of the very richest athletes but that should not be beyond the fastest man in the world. The gangly 25-year-old, tall for his sport at 1.96 metres (6ft 5in), is an advertising man’s dream. His name is made for his profession and he has won fans on the biggest global stage with a unique cocktail of cheek and cool’.
Usain Bolt doing victory lap with teammates at Beijing Olympics 2008
“The fastest man of all time is a big statement to be able to make,” said Joel Seymour-Hyde of sports marketing agency Octagon. “Beyond that, you have his stature. He is an iconic-looking figure. “Then you have the charisma and personality. 100 metre runners are always big on bravado but it’s unique to have someone so smiley and relaxed,” he said. Famous for his much-mimicked “Lightning Bolt” pose at the end of races, Bolt has a series of lucrative sponsorship deals. He is the face of German sportswear company Puma, which also sponsors the Jamaican national team.
Fellow Jamaican, Public relations Professor and Nation brand consultant, Dr. Hume Johnson says “Bolt has not only helped to refresh the image of Jamaica but he has the kind of brand value that can help to sell the island as more than just sun, sand and sea but a progressive nation with skilled people”.
Bolt, much like Kevin Garnett has a lot of talent in his field and hasn’t earned his six gold medals without a fight. Kevin Garnett also has a championship ring, but it did not come easily as he waited 13 years after entering the NBA to win it.
“I work really hard for what I want. Over the years I’ve learned you have to work hard for what you want,” Bolt said. Anyone who watches the NBA, specifically the Celtics, knows how hard Kevin Garnett has worked to get to where he is, a future hall of famer. Bolt’s own hard work and dedication to his training has made him one of the world’s greatest athletes. Bolt’s marketability has been compared with that of former England soccer captain David Beckham, one of the most well-known sports celebrities Britain has produced.
In the Reuter’s publication, Mike Principe of TLA, a company which represents U.S. hurdler Lolo Jones as well as baseball players and golfers.”He absolutely has the ability to crack the U.S. market,” Although Track and field does not have the regular exposure enjoyed by the biggest U.S. sports, Bolt brand value includes his big personality, smile and humour,” Principe said. “Demographically, he is going to appeal quite heavily to the younger American male,” he added. “I think you will also find a fair number of women interested in Usain as well.”, Principe said.
Bolt’s participation in the 2013 NBA Celebrity All Star Game, the only non-American involved, and his public endorsement of a popular NBA league team, Boston Celtics has done as much for the Celtics brand as it has for the iconic Jamaica sprinter and his home country Jamaica.
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Samantha Christopher is a Sports PR and Community Relations Practitioner. She can be reached at Schristopher137@g.rwu.edu
Dr. Hume Johnson is the Founder and CEO of the Re-Imagine Jamaica Project. She can be reached at reimagineJamaica@gmail.com Twitter: https://twitter.com/OneLoveRepublic
Facilitator – Village Tourism Project – Petersfield, Westmoreland
Mathias Brown, a 70 year old native of Petersfield in Westmoreland parish, Jamaica is a man on a mission. His goal is to introduce and embed a new kind of tourism in Jamaica – ‘village tourism’. He is off to a great start. For the last few years, Mr. Brown – through his role as the Chairman of Petersfield’s Association of Clubs – has been welcoming American college students to his small rural township of Petersfield to undertake what collaborating organisation, Amizade, calls ‘learning through service’.
Village Tourism is a concept where people enter a small town and essentially join the community for a set period of time. Students for example live in the homes of residents of the area whom become their ‘house mothers’. They engage in some kind of community or service project such as school painting, education, erecting fences or any other need of the community. This is an essential component of the ‘village tourism’ concept.
According to Mr. Brown, the lead organiser of the Petersfield ‘village tourism’ project, ‘our goal is to get people closer to the culture of the location. More than a mere visitor, people become members of the community’ and contribute to its development’. Importantly, village tourism provides tourism income to a part of the country not usually visited while bringing attention to the troubles and successes to the unadvertised parts of Jamaica. The Jamaican media is yet to get wind of this project. Neither has the local Jamaica Tourist Board- which promotes a sun-sea-sand-all-inclusive resort-focused tourism model aimed at putting in their words ‘heads on beds’. For a tourism-dependent Jamaican economy, this model is inadequate. The enormous potential to attract increased tourism revenue by expanding what tourism means and what it looks like is yet to be explored, and is long overdue. I asked one of my students, American Kevin Terbush, one of the participants in the 2013 trip to tell me about his experience of ‘village tourism’ in Jamaica. The latest project was to live and work residents in Petersfield, Westmoreland on an autism awareness project. Here is what he wrote:
My experience of ‘Village Tourism in Jamaica (By Kevin Terbush)
Kevin Terbush – American student and participant in Village Tourism Project. Here, he sits on the steps of a Petersfield community centre and takes notes about his experience in Jamaica.
It was sometime in October when a trip to Jamaica was first brought up to me. I was sitting in the Commons, the college dining room of Roger Williams University (Rhode Island, USA) eating dinner when my friend Lilly ran up to me and said that Dr. Spritz (program organizer) was offering a winter intersession trip to this tropical location. Given that I was already freezing in October, I knew that by January I would be truly sick of the cold. So I decided to attend the information meetings for the trip. I wanted to be somewhere warm when my house’s temperature would likely be -4 degrees. In my head were the images of Jamaica that I always see on TV. Commercials for Sandals resorts, and cruise ship destinations were basically all I knew about the island. For me, it was the ultimate tourist destination, and probably still is, but after my trip, I really look at tourism in a completely different light.
During first meeting with Dr. Spritz, we were told that we would not be in traditional Jamaican resort
Remnants of a sugarcane plantation in Petersfield, Westmoreland.
areas of Negril or Montego Bay the whole time. We were informed that we would stay in a small town called Petersfield in Westmoreland parish. The town is where a [slave] plantation once was and is not particularly known for its booming tourism industry. It’s surrounded by sugar cane fields and its a small community where many students come in through the Amizade foundation to experience ‘village tourism’.
Most of these village tourism trips required the student group participating to perform some sort of service project to the local community. For our trip, Dr. Spritz decided to focus on Autism at the behest of the town’s Association of Clubs facilitator, Mathias Brown. Telling my parents I wanted to go to Jamaica was quite a job in itself. They had heard from various family members who had gone on cruises to the island that the people were mean and lived solely to sell you whatever they had. My parents did not particularly want me to go to an island full of greedy people who would steal my money. Personally, I did not look at Jamaica in quite that way, but after hearing from everyone in my family about the people there I did get a little nervous.
Landing in Jamaica – The Road to Petersfield
Finally, January 10, 2013 came around and we got onto our plane and landed in Montego Bay. We quickly made it through customs and in no time were on a
View of the mountains of Petersfield, Westmoreland
bus headed into Petersfield. We were immediately welcomed onto the vehicle by three incredibly friendly Petersfield resident who had driven all the way out to pick us up. We were given patties which had to be the best tasting thing I’ve ever had, and juice. That juice! It was at every meal and was always just as refreshing as that first cup. It was just amazing. We started our drive through the streets of Montego Bay, seeing cars speeding by and vendors standing in the middle of the street. It seemed very different to me. Car horns were blaring everywhere, something I usually only saw in movies. But I quickly found out that they were actually being used to let other people know that they were coming, unlike in America where it just means one driver does not care for another, but usually in a more explicit style.
Houses in Petersfield, Westmoreland.
The drive quickly brought us out of the city and into the mountains which were completely forested and beautiful. I was astounded by everyone’s ability to drive on these tiny roads with ravines one side, but my mind was constantly taken off of that by the beauty of the undeveloped parts of the country. I had always pictured Jamaica as beaches and parked cruise ships, but seeing these forested mountains was truly incredible. We passed by a few small communities on our way out and began to see that the style of building was quite different than that of what we were used to. Most of the houses were comprised of bricks and steel weather plates, and sometime just rusted steel plates. I began to see that there was a lot less money in this nation than what was advertised on television. I started to worry again about what my family had warned me about and how they must want my money. But the second we got to our destination in Petersfield I instantly saw that I was wrong.
Mathias Brown, Our ‘House Mothers’ & that Jamaican Food !
Mathias Brown and a host of house mothers greeted us. They welcomed us into the AOC (Association of Clubs Building) and sat us down, gave us drinks and food, and began to talk to us. They told us how we would split into groups and each would be staying with a house mother. This splitting up section did get a little unusual. We did not know the mothers and they did not know us. Mr. Brown had us put together in groups with students some of us didn’t even know and sent us off with some of the house mothers. I was placed with Mr. Brown’s wife, Alvira Brown, who within 3 days would simply be referred to as Mom. By the time we went inside our ‘host homes’, we had been traveling for hours already so we were exhausted, but we were offered dinner. It was that night I learned that Jamaican cooking is one of the world’s most delicious things ever. The following ten nights we would have curried chicken, jerk pork, beef soup, several kinds of fish, and several kinds of fruit I had never even heard of before.
House mothers who hosted American students on Village Tourism-Service project in Petersfield, Westmoreland.
Our house mother was the sweetest woman ever too. She showed us our rooms, told us about herself, and was eager to hear us talk about ourselves too. One of her sons, Nestor, also stayed in the house with us for some of the time. He was 29 and a professional chef in Negril. Later that night we went out onto the porch. This ended up being the hangout spot for most of the trip. You could just sit and enjoy the nighttime breeze, or lay there in the day, out of the sun. Needless to say, I spent a good deal of the trip sweating seeing as the temperature was usually above 80. But the first night Nestor and Mom came out and we just talked for about an hour before we all went to bed. I already began feeling close to my house family and it had barely been 6 hours.
Jamaican Way of Life – A Firsthand View of Church, School etc.
Throughout the next few days I witnessed a huge amount of the rural Jamaican culture. We went into several schools, colleges, churches and town meetings throughout he trip in order to give our talks on autism. But while we were educating, we were learning a lot ourselves. I personally still wish I could do more to help with the education system. The teachers we met with all seemed so incredible, but having classes of over fifty kids makes it seem impossible. Many times the classrooms would have about forty five kids and there would be no wall between it and another class going on. There was constant shouting in the schools and it looked like a very difficult environment to learn in. What could be done about this, I still don’t know, but it would involve a huge allocation of funds into the Ministry of Education, probably in the billions of dollars.
American students joined Jamaican teachers in Westmoreland to get a feel of the Jamaican education system.
There was also a huge church influence that I was not particularly expecting. I’m used to our [American] government system where church and state are completely separated, but every single event we went to involved a prayer beforehand. Even though many of the people we talked to told us that they were not religious, they still would say a prayer simply because it was tradition. I don’t know if it was the Christian principles or the amazing weather at all times the contributed to the phenomenal demeanor of the entire population of Petersfield. This may have been my favorite thing about the trip and is something I really miss now that I’m home in the most unfriendly region of America [New England], but every single person would say hello to you as you passed by. I would walk down the street, not know a soul, and wave. And just this would strike up a conversation. Everyone was so welcoming and happy to have us in their town. They all had stories to tell and wanted to hear about us. It was great. Sadly now that I’m back on campus, every time I pass someone I don’t know and say hello they look like they want to pepper spray me!
Roaring River Versus Resort Towns (Negril-Mobay)
Bluefields Beach, Westmoreland
Another completely amazing thing was the nature around us. I feel like I would not have gotten the chance to see some of the things I saw if we were staying in Montego Bay. Roaring River was one of the most beautiful places I have ever visited. But probably the most amazing thing to me had to be the view of the stars. Every night, there would be more than I had ever seen before. I live in a rural part of New York, I can see a lot of stars normally. But it’s never been anything like this. Truly astounding. Our last day in Jamaica, we took a day off and visited the resort town of Negril, stopping at local hot spot, Margaritaville and having a fun day on the beach. It felt weird to be there. For the first time in a week, I wasn’t the minority, and to be honest, I don’t know if I liked it. All of the tourists that were there acted so self-righteous. They behaved in the way an American on vacation typically would, but the air they gave off to the local Jamaicans was cold and condescending. After being a part of the Jamaican culture and seeing the kindness and friendship that they always offered so willingly, this situation kind of appalled me. I spent a good amount of my time there talking with the Jamaicans who worked there, and realized that they were much better people than the tourists.
Leaving was definitely a difficult process. I had grown incredibly close with my host family and I cried while trying to give my speech at the going away ceremony. It was something so different from a typical vacation. I had the opportunity to really learn about another culture, and be part of their community. People in the town got used to us being there, but that didn’t stop them from being genuinely kind individuals. We weren’t just a novelty item like people who are different that come to America where the person is fascinating for a day or two and then the population is bored with them. We were a part of the community and that meant much more to them than it does here. I would love to have the opportunity to go back and experience the Jamaican culture again. Definitely not in a tourist area though. I got a taste for the way so many Jamaicans lived and I liked it and wouldn’t mind doing it again.
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To learn more about the Amizade Foundations’ Service Learning Projects around the world, please click on this link – http://amizade.org/ They can be reached at: Phone: 412-586-4986 Email: volunteer@amizade.org, 4 Smithfield Street, Floor 7 Pittsburgh, PA 15222.
This story is a part of the Re-Imagine Jamaica Project founded by Political Analyst and Communications Consultant Dr. Hume Johnson. Re-Imagine JAMAICA is dedicated to the nationalist renaissance Jamaica is undergoing. We explore new narratives, construct & redefine Jamaica’s brand to improve perceptions of us. For more on the Re-Imagine Jamaica project, please follow us on Twitter – https://twitter.com/OneLoveRepublic. Email us at: reimagineJamaica@gmail.com
The following is a blog that I just had to re-post. It is written by branding specialist, Soydanbay. It discusses Canada’s recent rebranding campaign and why the approach taken was wrong.
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About six months ago, Canada launched a tourism campaign called “Know Canada”, targeting Americans. We discussed why the strategy of the campaign was wrong. Here is the key argument: The campaign is based on facts, whereas “purchase decisions” are based on emotions. We also debated that the campaign was addressing to the wrong part of our brain, its cortex. Finally, we concluded that the campaign did not explain the “Canadian archetype”, and for that reason would not be really successful. Well, turns out that we were not alone thinking that the campaign was not good. The Canadian Tourism Commission asked Canadians to submit home videos of their first-hand experiences in their country, in an initiative dubbed “35 Million Directors”, the citizenry responded with 65 hours of video. The result is a two-minute film from DDB Canada that’s made of user-generated clips that were voted on by Canadians called “Canada Shared by Canadians.” The result is… truly, and archetypically Canadian. See it yourself.
Let’s analyze the two campaigns and see what we can learn from their mistakes and accomplishments. Our starting point is the slogans. The original campaign’s slogan is “Know Canada.” Here is more on the idea behind it:
Canada didn’t need to be rebranded or redesigned,” explains BMD President and CEO Hunter Tura. “America needed to be educated. And that is the basis for our campaign: Know Canada.
Clearly, people who created the “Know Canada” campaign assumed that by having access to “factual” information, Americans would be convinced to visit Canada. Unfortunately, “learning” is not a message that “turns on” Americans, it might actually turn them off. In the age of knowledge that we are living in, many people already feel drowned in information. What they want is not to be taught but to safely “explore” That’s the great American archetype, right there! Think for a second: Explorers built America. Actually, most of the west coast was explored within the last 2 centuries. That’s why the explorer spirit is still very strong in the US. Do you think it is a coincidence that it was an American who landed on the moon first? Or, is it by chance that the Curiosity rover on Mars is built by NASA. Probably, Americans will be the first ones to explore microscopic extraterrestrial life (on Mars). Or, is it just a coincidence that “cool” predominantly originates from America? Have you ever though why Hollywood, the world’s myth-making capital is in the US? Or, that all the innovation comes from the Silicon Valley? These are all products of the dominant American archetype: the explorer. That’s why the slogan and the execution of the second campaign, “Explore Canada” is much more effective. It talks to the American collective unconscious.
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Günter Soydanbay
Brand Strategist (514) 882-9646
gunter@soydanbay.com ; Twitter: GunterSoydanbay
230 Chemin du Golf Apt.513, H3E 2A8, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
The Jamaican dialect, called patois, (including elements of Rasta lingua) and spoken by the entire native population, was given a major thumbs up in early 2013, when German car manufacturer, Volkswagon (VW) featured the dialect in their new commercial. This 2013 Volkswagen Game Day commercial is set in a typical office with a “case of the Mondays.” Enter Dave and his new found sunny disposition (that manifests itself in a curious way), all thanks to the his new 2013 Volkswagen Beetle.
For those who missed it, click on this link – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9H0xPWAtaa8
That the dialogue in the commercial begins with a ‘No Worries” version of the Jamaican expression of ‘no problem mon’ which is the typical usage is a bit unsettling for me personally. No worries is more typically used in Australia and New Zealand. I would have much preferred the more accurate and time-honoured phrase- ‘no problem mon’.
Yet what impressed me the most was the incorporation of colloquial expressions such as ‘respec’ and ‘chill’ and the Rasta inversion of the pronoun ‘me’ for ‘I’. The commercial not only recognised the Jamaican way of speaking locally but gave prominence to Rastafari’s influence in the dynamic language of the country. For a sect that has traditionally been oppressed and struggled to find space in the social-cultural and political limitations placed upon them, the commercial returns a sense of power to them.
At the same time, I sincerely hope that this powerful commercial is not used by the local anti-English campaigners as sign that English needs to be done away with, to be replaced strictly by the local language. I insist that our students/graduates must learn to master the English language if they are to compete in a global economy. Despite the beauty and richness of our local tongue and its massive importance in constructing and celebrating our identity, English is still the language of trade.
VW Commercial and the Jamaican Personality
Yet much more than just about dialect and language, the commercial is really a celebration of the Jamaican personality and culture – a sort of carefree, always happy, ‘no problem mon’ mentality which the nation has mastered for better or worse. The tagline at the end of the commercial expresses the motif of the ad – ‘Get in. Get happy’. We are no doubt a happy people – very laid back, we love a good laugh and we make light of things that many other cultures would find mean or insulting. Indeed, the fact that Jamaicans are ‘chill’ about most things and love to have a laugh is a good thing. I enjoy this aspect of the Jamaican people. Yet, I often wonder if this is the predominant image we should be selling abroad. I wonder if this perception of Jamaica is a good thing in a society which needs to project a more industrious image, a serious work force which places high value on good work ethics, hard work, discipline etc – in order to attract investment.
But is it too late? Have we already embed these visions and views of ourselves? If not, we have to shift the narrative just a tad. We are a more complex and dynamic people.. both happy and hardworking, simultaneously chill and conscious….
For now, we applaud VW for choosing us… to thrust our language and personality centre-stage. Its the power of German engineering…. I guess.
They call it the ties that bind, and for Jamaicans all are welcome. Blame it on Bob Marley or Usain Bolt, but everyone these days seem proud to locate, identify with, and announce their Jamaican heritage to the world. The latest were NBC’s Today show host, Jenna Wolfe and Lester Holt, who both have Jamaican connections. In 2012, the pair traveled to Jamaica to trace those roots and what a grand time they had. Lester even discovered that he is a close relative of my close friend and former colleague at Radio Jamaica/FAME FM, Scott Wilson. So proud to see my buddy all up in this video. A fine job Scotty and a great plug for Brand Jamaica. Click on the link below and see for yourself.
http://video.today.msnbc.msn.com/today/48959400#48959400
The following is an excerpt from a presentation I delivered at the international conference, “Sports: Probing the Boundaries”, held in Salzburg, Austria, November 7-9, 2012. I talked about how sports has branded Jamaica on the global stage and the possibilities of using this powerful brand image to foster social transformation at home.
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Track and Field Legend, Jamaican Usain St. Leo Bolt
Jamaica’s identity is, for all intents and purposes, a sporting identity. Barring that pulsating reggae music now known on every continent and its most iconic emissary, Bob Marley, it is sport, which has anchored Jamaica’s stature in the world, and has given other nations, far more powerful militaristically, politically and economically fodder for competition and cause for envy. This tiny nation in the Greater Antilles of the Caribbean Sea, with a population of a mere 2.7 million people, has produced internationally acclaimed athletes in multiple sporting fields, including boxing, swimming, cycling, netball, football, volleyball, weightlifting, wrestling and bobsled, and have won multiple medals across these disciplines.
Herb McKenley holds on for the Silver Medal in the 400 m at the 1948 Olympics (Getty Images)
At the London 2012 Olympics, Jamaica recognized 64 years of participation in the Summer Olympic Games. From the London Games of 1948 (and later Helsinki in 1952), when three black men from Jamaica – Herb McKinley, George Rhoden and Arthur Wint – sprinted into athletic history, and set a precedent for the nation’s extraordinary sporting performance at these Games. Today, Jamaican Usain Bolt, alongside compatriots Shelly Ann Fraser-Pryce and Veronica Campbell Brown have set new bars of achievement in world athletics. Indeed stellar performance of the Jamaican team at the Beijing Olympics in 2008 and London 2012, not only concretized Jamaica’s sporting prowess but also the nation as a global sports brand Jamaica, affectionately labeled the “sprint factory” came into sharp global focus, and truly has captured the imagination of the world.
It is no wonder then that, sport has become a core pillar of Jamaica’s national identity – how the nation sees and talks about itself, as well as its brand identity – how the nation positions itself in the world; how it expects other people to see and talk about the nation. Indeed, sport has always been a means by which powerful nations not only exhibit their skill and superiority, but also define and project their national image. In 1936, Adolph Hitler used the Berlin Olympic Games to illustrate German skill and the superiority of the Aryan race (Wikipedia, 1936 Summer Olympics). At these same Berlin games, American Jesse Owens accomplished athletics history by capturing four gold medals in the 100m, 200m, 4×100 relay and long jump (Wikipedia; Johnson 2008).
America’s triumphant intervention in the Second World War had rendered the United States the new world super power. With no clear rivals except Communist Russia and the entire Soviet Bloc, the post war years saw America becoming increasingly accustomed to domination and power and being atop of the world – militaristically, politically, economically, technologically, as well as in terms of industrial and scientific development (Hume Johnson, 2008). Sport was, for America, another avenue by which to display its ability and exhibit its supremacy. The world naturally basked in America’s glory and stood in awe of the constancy of her achievements. Jesse Owens became the marker of such success and later, Jackie Joyner–Kersee, Carl Lewis, Marion Jones, Gail Devers and Michael Johnson – who, individually and collectively, helped to further and embed American domination in world athletics, and advance its favorability in world opinion, and its national image.
Sports as a Tool of Social Transformation in Jamaica
Jamaica’s now entrenched global brand as a front runner in sport must therefore be exploited for economic, political, cultural and reputational benefits. As a student of politics, I would like to see sports exploitation for the social transformational benefits it can provide for Jamaica. For Edward Seaga, former Prime Minister of Jamaica, ‘Sport speaks an international language. It is a language that almost everybody speaks. Sports break down all borders of inequity and discrimination. Sport is a stabiliser, not just a lightweight, recreational, exciting pastime. It is as powerful as the language of love’ (The Jamaica Gleaner, 2012) .In this quotation, Seaga reproduces and propagates sport’s socio-political potency – its ability to break down inequality and discrimination, and in this sense, create a more unified and stable social order. Likening, the power of the language of sport to that of the language of love, Seaga appears to demand of sport a more dynamic and involved political obligation.
Yet sport has long been acknowledged to have a lasting impact on the development of society. The United Nations, in 2005, recognised sport as crucial to promoting human rights, development and peace. It contends that ‘access to and participation in sport and physical education provide an opportunity to experience social and moral inclusion for populations otherwise marginalized by social, cultural or religious barriers due to gender, disability or other discriminations’ (United Nations, 2005). On the national level, the UN has asserts that sport also contributes to economic and social growth, improve public health, and bring different communities together.
Jamaicans celebrate record win against the USA in CONCACAF World Cup Qualifiers, 2012
Recent research (Powell and Waller 2007) reveal that Jamaica is desperately low on social capital. 83.5% of Jamaicans said one could never be too careful when dealing with other people (their fellow citizens). Lack of trust in govt and institutions was the same = 84. 8%. It seems paradoxical that in a society so fully engaged in sports both as spectators and participants, would record such low levels of social capital. In Jamaica, there are many community sports organisations covering a multiplicity of sports, in which citizens are actively involved; Football being the most popular with the National Premier League, Corner League competitions. This politically divided society came together to celebrate Jamaica’s historic qualification for the Football World Cup, 1998. Research shows that Team Sport can build social cohesion and foster unity in divided communities. Football, cricket, Netball – dominant sport in Jamaica = all team activity. It is within the group activity that norms of trust are built and social capital is premised.Indeed, The National Premiere League and other local and community football programmes, as well as the secondary school athletic competitions have been the source of strong social integration in communities across the country. Huge networks of citizens participate as spectators, volunteers, managers and administrators. Other citizens are engaged in a wide range of recreational sporting activities. All this is crucial to building social capital, well-needed norms of trust crucial to the unity and peace Jamaica desperately needs.
Popular researcher on crime and violence in Jamaica, Christopher Charles, in a recent discussion I had with him, argues that for Sport to work as a unifying force among divided communities: “The football teams of warring communities should not compete against each other in a peace match, but they should play together on one team against a team from some other community. All the social psychological research suggests that creating competing groups/teams reinforce the divisions but working towards a common goal (playing on the same team to win) creates unity among former rivals” (Charles, 2012, Personal Communication). Yet, it would appear that for sport to work as peacemaker, it largely depends on its productive deployment in contexts of conflict.
Conclusion
It is important to acknowledge that in many respects, Sport has advanced Jamaica’s image internationally. It has also leveled the socio-economic playing field in Jamaica, breakdown social barriers, and contributed to the empowerment of our young people. Indeed, the majority of Jamaica’s most successful athletes – Usain Bolt, Asafa Powell, Shelly Ann Fraser-Pryce and Veronica Campbell-Brown, have emerged from materially deprived socio-economic circumstances to become international sporting stars, and given them pathways out of poverty.
We are proud of what Sports has done for Jamaica’s brand image. Sport has given the nation a powerful international platform from which chart a positive course for its future. Yet, its potential to restore its domestic situation, resolve social and cultural problems, is yet to be fully explored. Sport can become the catalyst for building social capital – seen to be crucial to the development agenda in Jamaica. Sport therefore needs to become part of a strategic social policy in Jamaica, so that its benefits can be fully activated globally through nation branding initiatives and at home through local initiatives undertaken by civil society.
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Dr Hume Johnson is a Political Analyst and author of the book, Challenges to Civil Society: Popular Protest and Governance in Jamaica.
The following is presentation delivered by Founder and President of the Business of Sport, Jamaica, and publicist for track and Field star, Usain Bolt, Ms. Carole Beckford, at the international academic conference, ‘Sport: Probing the Boundaries’, held in Salzburg, Austria, November 7-9, 2012.
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A country-by-country breakdown finds that the sports industry is growing faster than GDP both in fast-growing economies, such as the booming BRIC nations (Brazil, Russia, India and China), and in more mature markets in Europe and North America (A.T. Kearney). Where does Jamaica fall in the Sports Value Chain? I look at this below:
- Properties – what is it that draws fans with money – leagues, competitions
- Rights Management – gate receipts and the media and marketing rights
- Events Management – live event – EXPERIENCE (which is where JAMAICA has an advantage)
- Content Packaging – a venue has certain limitations, however, how information is packaged for media and sponsors are critical
Twenty20 Cricket is an example of what a sport has done to create a wider fan base for the sport. The standard game is five days and the Twenty20 shortened the game, made it friendlier for television and as a result got far more interest in its television fan base. The ICC World 20/20 was won by the West Indies with exciting performances by two Jamaicans, former Captain Chris Gayle and all-rounder Marlon Samuels. Larger economies have used EVENTS to (1) Drive sport consumption and (2) Encourage investments. By showing that they are a trusted and credible location for the hosting of these MAJOR events and while that is happening the Governments and private sector (or special interest groups) have partnered to lure investments to the respective countries.
Hosting Sporting Events in Jamaica
Jamaica has been hosting major events in the island from as far back as 1966 when it hosted the Commonwealth Games in Kingston. The country had received its independence in 1962. Jamaica was the first Caribbean country to host such an event. There are two issues with this: Wide recognition received with the prestige of hosting such an event and vast amount of resources along with social and economic commitment to stage the event. The following is a list of major sports event staged in Jamaica since 1971:
- 1971 – World Netball Championship – 3rd
- 1993 – Johnnie Walker Golf
- 2002 – World Junior Track and Field Championships
- 2003 – World Netball Championships
- 2004 – World Volleyball Championship Qualifier
- 2007 – World Cup Cricket (ODI)
- League matches
- One semi final
The country has also been the centre of the region for sports by hosting several regional events in several sporting disciplines to include – football, golf, basketball, cricket, netball, track and field, volleyball, boxing, tennis to name a few. What Jamaica has also done is categorise sports based on demand, consumption and its positioning as location which hosts major sporting events
- Core Sports – which Jamaicans participate in for international excellence and is popular among the people at all levels (track and field, football, netball, basketball and cricket)
- Targeted Sports – these are mostly individual sport which the country has had international prominence, though not consistently – badminton, Taekwondo, equestrian, tennis, golf
- Sport for all – coordinated by the combined efforts of Sport, Education and Youth Ministries to focus on school and community Sport
- Network Sport – those with the greatest opportunity to get attention to the destination that does not necessarily include a competitor from the country.
Sports Tourism
With Sport Tourism becoming one of the fastest growth areas of Tourism – sporting events that can have an impact include:
- World Events
- National Events with international relevance – Qualifiers
- Local sporting events – national relevance and value and select international audience
- Boys and Girls Championship – track and field
- High School Football Festival
- Collegiate Sport Festivals
- Community Sport
The collaboration has to take place among the public and private sectors, sports and cultural industries and academia. It must also develop programmes that are planned for sustainability, that attract international media attention along with positive PR, create jobs and use events as an incentive to upgrade and improve facilities. The benefit is knowledge and technology transfer and domestic pride. Of course ,Jamaica has to focus on events which work:
- Best use of facilities
- Select sporting areas which have the best ROI
- Best use of human resources
- Best ability for the country to earn
- Best opportunity for job creation
- Best value from Public Relations
The nation can also empower communities to host multiple event, go after regional competitions – CARICOM community, Caribbean and Latin Ameri, Networking events, as well as Major and Mega events.
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Carole Beckford
Carole Beckford is the President and Founder of The Business of Sport, and Publicist for global track and field icon, Usain Bolt.
Re-IMAGINE JAMAICA 