- brand logo
Ten years ago, I went on a school trip to our then capital Bonn which included a a visit of the Slovene embassy. On the way to the embassy I was sitting in the bus and nervously skimming through an Encarta article about Slovenia – printed out in the last minute. When I left the embassy, I already knew a great deal more about the country, in my bag a pile of glossy tourist leaflets. I chucked the Encarta printout in the next bin. The leaflets I kept for a couple of years. Fascinated by a paper wheel thingy which showed different facts on Slovenia when turning the inner part, I promised myself that one day I will find out if you really can ski in the Julian Alps and swim in the Adriatic Sea the very same day. Slovenia’s tourist board thus always had a talent in creating nice stuff. The new trademark though – I feel sLOVEnia – tops every paper wheel thingy. As an attempt to create a single trademark used by government agencies, NGOs and by the business sector alike, this is nation branding at its best (I am thankful that they delivered me some more food for my PhD thesis). Curious about the SlOVENE GREEN, I found out more about this intriguing color: (Source: ‘Trademark of Slovenia – A Story of the Senses, Dec 13, 2007, Eturbonews)
‘In Slovenia, green represents more than just a colour; it is “Slovenian green”, expressing the balance between the calmness of nature and the diligence of Slovenians. It speaks of unspoilt nature and our focus to preserve nature as such. It symbolises the balance of a lifestyle which combines the excitement with which we pursue our personal motivations and a common vision to go ahead with nature. The Slovenian green also shows our orientation to the elementary, to what we feel inside. Last but not least, the Slovenian green speaks of the harmony of all the senses with which we experience Slovenia. Slovenia is therefore not only memorable for its visual images. The memory of Slovenia combines the smell of a forest, a babbling brook, the surprising taste of water and the softness of wood. We feel Slovenia.’
In case you need some slOVE, the Government Communication Office outreach strategy is almost as efficient as Obama’s campaign team, just wait a bit, they’ll come for you….
