Poland appoints new official to promote country’s brand internationally

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Notes from Poland is run by a small editorial team and is published by an independent, non-profit foundation that is funded through donations from our readers. We cannot do what we do without your support.

Poland’s government has appointed a marketing and branding expert to develop a unified strategy for promoting the country abroad, saying the move will help boost tourism, support Polish products and attract foreign investment.

Barbara Mróz-Gorgoń, a professor at Wrocław University of Economics, noted that her appointment signals “a shift” from simple promotional activities to “managing the reputation of our great country”.

The move comes as Poland seeks to capitalise on its economic success, including growth in tourism and continued investments. But the government says that current promotion efforts lack a single strategy and are fragmented.

Last year, Poland’s sport and tourism ministry appointed Mróz-Gorgoń, who also advises companies and institutions on branding strategy and founded a think tank dedicated to promoting Poland, to an interministerial team tasked with developing a comprehensive new branding strategy for Poland.

The government said, however, that efforts to promote Poland were so far fragmented and lacked a single strategy, which is why it created the post of commissioner for promotion of the Poland brand.

As the first specialist to take the position, Mróz-Gorgoń will be tasked with preparing a strategy to build a national brand and help implement it, coordinate activities to help grow tourism, support investments, and improve Poland’s position on the world stage.

“We will create one programme resulting in the joint promotion of our country’s brand,” said Tusk. According to the government, this will come at no further cost, but ensure that existing funds will be spent in a more “coherent and effective way”.

Mróz-Gorgoń, meanwhile, noted that “the Poland brand is not the property of the government. It is created by entrepreneurs, artists, athletes, local governments and millions of Poles at home and abroad”.

Developing this brand “means more investment, recognition of our brands and products abroad, and it also provides greater strength in international relations,” she continued.

Poland has been one of the world’s fastest-growing economies in recent decades. The growth has coincided with the international expansion of its firms, more foreign investments, and a rapidly expanding tourism sector.

Last year, the sport and tourism ministry announced that it wants tourism to contribute 9% of GDP annually within a decade, from about 5% now, and for Poland to become a leader in the sector in central and eastern Europe.

Foreign direct investment in Poland grew from just under 15.5 billion zloty in 2003, a year before the country joined the European Union, to around 61.3 billion zloty last year, according to figures from the National Bank of Poland (NBP).

Various state and private companies – such as delivery giant InPost, insurer PZU, and train manufacturer Pesa – are establishing themselves abroad by buying some of their rivals.

The international success of some Polish athletes – including football player Robert Lewandowski and tennis star Iga Świątek – has also helped Poland improve its international recognition.

Notes from Poland is run by a small editorial team and published by an independent, non-profit foundation that is funded through donations from our readers. We cannot do what we do without your support.

Main image credit: Kancelaria Premiera (under CC BY-SA 4.0)

Olivier Sorgho

Olivier Sorgho is senior editor at Notes from Poland, covering politics, business and society. He previously worked for Reuters.