News

Brand Jamaica "Wows" Japan

In a global marketplace, developing countries often get lost in a throng of larger competitors. Sometimes, however, they can build a world brand through innovation and clever promotion.

A team from HEART Trust/NTA discovered the power of Brand Jamaica a few weeks ago, when they opened the Jamaica booth in the Global Village at the WorldSkills International Competition in Shizuoka, Japan. The Global Village was a key feature of the Competition, where WorldSkills Jamaica was represented in four categories.

The Jamaica booth was overwhelmed by patrons seeking samples of products from Grace, Busha Browne, Wray and Nephew, Jamaica Standard Products and Chef Works International, all sponsors of WorldSkills Jamaica. WSJ Project Manager Gregory Wint and Karen Gayle, Director of Institution Based training at HEART, managed the booth.

They report that over four days there seemed to be an insatiable appetite among the event's 200,000 visitors for products such as hot pepper sauce, packet soups, jerk seasonings, coffee and rum. Grater cakes, Drops and Gizzadas, made by HEART students, were also a big hit.

"The response was overwhelming," says Gayle. "Our booth crowded most of the time, and the crowd kept coming to sample our products. Blue Mountain coffee and Grace soups were extremely popular."

The promotional strategy was decided long before the team left for Japan. Gayle and her team initially gave away hundreds of Rasta bracelets so the Jamaica brand was everywhere in the Global Village. They displayed banners at strategic locations, and their multi-media presentations included promotional material on products from WSJ sponsors. One CD documented the production process for Wray and Nephew rum.

The Jamaica Tourist Board's promo featuring the island's resorts and attractions drew delightful response from visitors. "It was amazing, people were hungry for information about Jamaica. We handed out a hundreds of brochures. It's clear our tourism product is much appreciated in the world," says WorldSkills Project Manager Gregory Wint. Given Jamaica's success in the Global Village, Wint expects to find sponsors easily when Jamaica competes again in 2009 in Calgary, Canada. "It's an opportunity that they cannot afford to miss," he says.