Chile launches its new country image strategy for the next 10 years

It is rare that a country going through a period of historic transformation does so in a manner that is revealed so clearly and at a global level. The Chilean paradigm is changing and so is the image that Chile will be projecting to the world over the next 10 years. In the past, Chile may have been known abroad for its scenery and nature, but as of today, it will also be recognized for its people and the talent we have to contribute from this corner of the world. Starting today, beyond inviting people to visit Chile, we will venture out into the world with something to contribute through agents of change.

That is the essence of Chile’s new brand strategy for 2020-2030, which Foreign Affairs Minister Andrés Allamand and Imagen de Chile Director Constanza Cea launched today at the Museum of Visual Arts.  The first audiovisual piece of the "Chile Creating Future" (#ChileCreatingFuture) campaign premiered today and is to be rolled out internationally. 

Also attending and participating in the event were the people highlighted in the campaign: Chileans whose businesses have gained traction abroad and created value and brands with purpose, like NotCo, Betterfly (Burn to Give), Wheel the World, Karün, Viña Emiliana, Bosque Hundido, Solubag, Algramo, Fundación Basura, Balloon Latam, Socialab and ArchDaily. Their stories reflect the creativity and social and environmental awareness that are characteristic of Chilean innovation. They aim to inspire the world and contribute towards building a better future.

Minister Allamand presented the new brand strategy for 2020-2030 as one designed to differentiate Chile from other Latin American countries by focusing on what Chile has to contribute to the world. This is a departure from previous international promotion strategies – rather than inviting people into the country, we are moving towards portraying Chile as having something to contribute to the world.  Minister Allamand, who is also the president of Fundación Imagen de Chile, welcomed the work done by the institution and emphasized that it is now time to “switch from scenery to people, from geography to innovation, from growth to sustainability and from what the country receives to what it contributes.”  

“What we want to begin instilling is the idea that Chile is a country with international drive, that cares about the world, is integrated with and feels part of this world, and aims to contribute. To that end, we want to portray an image where inviting visitors in begins to coexist with positioning ourselves abroad,” emphasized Minister Allamand.

Imagen de Chile Director Constanza Cea noted that the strategy is renewing the way in which Chile portrays itself to the world: “The core message about how we want to portray Chile to the world needed to be updated and unified. ‘Chile Creating Future’ (#ChileCreatingFuture) is a message that speaks about the Chilean people of today, about how our talent and creativity can provide different answers and contribute to shared needs around the world. We are a young country that is connected to the world and building its future. The future is not just technology and AI; the future is connecting with nature, healthy lifestyles, clean energy and collaboration. All this adds value to the Chilean brand, which in turn translates into opportunities for all Chileans.”

The audiovisual work was directed by Gaspar Antillo from production company Fábula and has an original soundtrack by Carlos Cabezas. This is the first stage in a campaign that was launched internationally today. The campaign consists of 15 pieces that will be disseminated in three languages (English, Portuguese, Spanish) in the United States, the United Kingdom, Spain and Brazil between November 2020 and January 2021. The people making them have worked all year with Imagen de Chile, gathering, capturing and portraying the stories of the 12 entrepreneurs who are being featured during this first stage.

The stories being used in the campaign were chosen through a lengthy selection process with the goal of highlighting people and brands that embody the attributes and values which Imagen de Chile intends to reflect in the brand message and purpose. All of them are agents of change in different areas, such as conservation, nature, tourism, inclusion, healthy food and sustainability, and each of them is changing paradigms from their own respective areas of action. This new strategy and campaign is designed to continue over time, expressing the concept of "Chile Creating Future" (#ChileCreatingFuture) throughout, but from different dimensions and featuring different people. 

“Starting up a business is never easy. You fail many times before reaching your goal. In Chile, there are thousands of innovators with something to offer. We are part of the initial kick-off of this campaign and we know it will tell the stories of many other people like us. So being part of this campaign will also motivate many others who are making the same journey," explained Thomas Kimber, the founder of Karun.

“At NotCo, we're proud to be part of this campaign and to be contributing towards the new international image that we are building as a country. It’s important to recognize the talent we have here in Chile and to export it… We think that if you have this, along with having the desire and a sense of purpose, you can achieve anything,” said Max Silva, Country Manager of NotCo Chile, whose business has international investors like Jeff Bezos, the founder and director of Amazon.

A panel of experts also attended the launch, comprising: María de los Ángeles Romo, the CEO of public start-up accelerator Start-Up Chile; Mónica Retamal, Executive Director of a nonprofit dedicated to building digital talent, Fundación Kodea; sociologist, columnist and consultant Eugenio Tironi; and the President of the Confederation of Production and Commerce of Chile (CPC), Juan Sutil, They took part in a conversation moderated by Imagen de Chile Director Constanza Cea. During a series of directed questions they all welcomed the new strategy and campaign presented today, emphasizing the way in which they will contribute to generating value for Chile in general. They also highlighted how useful it will be for Chile to have a shared message and for different actors from the public and private sectors to be invited to get involved and adopt the message in their communications.