the role of film in brand, branding, rebranding, and international ...

Arabian Journal of Business and Management Review (OMAN Chapter) Vol. 2, No.3; Oct. 2012
conditions that fostered development in the developed socio-political enclave under survey, in
ours.
Natural endowments (climate, rivers, hills, and other tourist sites, etc), and manufactured
endowments (responsible government, good and visitor-friendly laws, etc), as well as other risk
mitigating factors like socio-political and economic stability of a socio-political entity, are
quantified and qualified by film, which gives these resources adequate leverage that makes them
presentable and gratifying before spectators in the international auditorium, and this helps to
build a global brand. By depicting the beautiful landscapes, natural and manmade resources, and
other cultural artefacts that reside in a sociocultural enclave, film becomes a foundation on
which the pillars of cultural tourism lies, and cultural tourism is not just an aspect of branding,
but a cardinal initiative vital for the development and aggressive marketing of a brand in the
international marketplace.
Cross-border relationships, cross-cultural exchanges, cross-pollination of artistes, and the
seamless linkage and migration between film producers and film crews in different political
entities can be enforced and conducted under the auspices of bilateral and multilateral treaties
and agreements. The presence of Ghanaian artistes like Majid Michel (staring in the movies
“The Shepherd” and “Playboy”), Van Vicker (staring in the movie “Reloaded”), and Yvonne
Nelson (staring in “Local Sense”, and “Princess Tyra”), bears witness to the role of film in
enhancing cross-border relationship, and this elevates and reinforces the potency and patronage
of a brand in the global setting.
Because film x-rays the society, thereafter identifying its problems and proffering approaches
for overcoming them, it can be safely employed in the determination of, and conduction of
brand audit, the measurement of a brand’s value, the creation of brand awareness, the
origination of brand experience, the enhancement of a brand’s equity, the popularisation of a
brand’s identity (or trade dress), the creation of brand franchise, and the resuscitation of a
brand’s image, and these are options too important to be neglected, if the dream to build a
global brand that enjoys global patronage and appreciation is to be actualised. The revival of
ghost or declining brands (otherwise referred to as rebranding) and the creation of brand
knowledge-cum-awareness cannot be paddled through the murky waters of a global competitive
marketplace to safe shores without film, which is why film is indispensable in any conscious
effort geared towards developing a brand that enjoys global acclaim and patronage.
The international space is characterised by competition, and because it is defined by ploys
initiated by states and their actors to obtain maximum advantages and leverages, which mostly
translate to disadvantages within the realms of other states and competitors, nations employ
subtle means to destabilise the strength and potency of other brands, as to promote the viability
of their brand, and film is one scheme introduced by these actors to inject social disequilibrium
and upheaval, misrepresentation and misinterpretation, conflicts and discord, as well as
acculturation and cultural displacement, which irresistibly diminishes the value attached to a
brand’s image, ultimately deforming the brand in the long-run, thus vitiating its capability to
grow or viably compete with other brands, and a film like “The Wild Geese”, which not just
portrays white supremacy, but also exposes security lapses in a black nation, is likely to
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