VIDEO: Jersey told “be bold and innovative” at IoD debate

Friday 16 September 2016

The keynote speaker at last night’s Institute of Directors Jersey Branch annual debate challenged the Island’s administrators to rapidly adopt technology, and to brand itself boldly.

The rousing speech was given by His Excellency Ambassador Ido Aharoni, a New York-based Israeli and a world-renowned expert in branding.

He said: “Celebrate what you have in Jersey. Celebrate the fact that you are safe in Jersey, the beaches are amazing, you have to take advantage of all the beautiful things Jersey has in the present and can deliver in the future. You have to adopt a holistic approach to place branding. You have to be bold and innovative.”

Mr Aharoni, a former Consul-General for Israel in New York and founder of Brand Israel, held the audience captive in his 20-minute speech as he explained how the world of branding works.

Speaking at the Royal Jersey Showgrounds in Trinity in front of over 400 of Jersey’s financial leaders, he said: “What is Brazil known for? What do you think of when you ponder Brazil. Yes, that’s right, bikinis, beaches, carnivals, samba. That is the brand Brazil has, but the product is way lower than the brand. That’s doesn’t matter because the brand is worth millions and millions to the Brazilian economy even though it is one of the most dangerous places in the world for tourists to go.

“The Big Apple, the re-branding of New York, did the same for a city which has been transformed since that brand came to the fore. You couldn’t get Americans to go to New York, but you can now. The ‘Big’ was important in the re-brand because by definition everything in New York is big. The apple was perfect as well, the perfect symbol.

“Jersey has to discover itself and it has to be confident in how it wants to represent in front of the rest of the world.”

The annual debate included an expert panel which was moderated by ITN newsreader Alastair Stewart OBE, pictured below, who fired the questions to the guests, before inviting questions from the audience – with the theme of Jersey’s re-branding and its economy.

Chief Minister Ian Gorst said: “We have got some really iconic images like the cow, the potato, the beaches and we are a successful society and economy. We have a unique history and culture and we do so much better on the better-life index than so many places. That has to be treasured.

“We need to change. We are transforming the way we are dealing with services by using new technology. We are starting to address the aging demographic and the technologies that we have here can only help.

“We need to invest in the health service in the future and we are doing it differently in a way that is best for Jersey. We are investing in education because we know some children in our society are being left behind which is not acceptable.

“There are risks we have to navigate and we communicate very strongly with businesses. We are open and we have plans for the future. We need a new hospital. We need to spend money in health and education and invest in infrastructure. If we do that we are going to have to fund it and the Medium Term Financial Plan (MTFP) is there to fund it.”

Chief Executive of RBS International, Andrew McLaughlin said the way Jersey has dealt with rising immigration has been impressive. He said: “More than half the people in this room were not born in Jersey so it is a remarkable achievement that you can have such a level of change and yet you have managed to bring the people with you. England just voted to leave Europe because it could not cope with inward migration, but Jersey can.

“Because it is small, Jersey can be nimble. That is Jersey’s biggest advantage. You can’t do that in clunky economies like the UK. The biggest threat to Jersey is if it stops using that competitive advantage.

“There are strains between Jersey’s brand and what it wants to be, but Jersey is a long way from losing its reputation.

“Jersey has the opportunity of using the Brexit situation to re-frame what really matters to Jersey and what has sustained Jersey’s success. I think Jersey starts from a strong position and it has to be match-fit when the opportunities from Brexit come along.”

Graeme Millar, CEO of JT, commented on how Jersey makes him feel at home.

“The warm welcome to Jersey is what it is known for. The statistics are half the people on the island weren’t born here. The UK is struggling with newcomers, but half the island weren’t born here yet we have huge social cohesion. There has been a large amount of immigration, but it has been immigration which it has controlled.”

International Affairs Advisor for Jersey, Colin Powell, was a leading light in developing St Helier into a financial centre. He said: “As an economist who has been advising for 47 years I would like to see the economy future-proofed. If you want for anything, it relies on a successful economy. That is being affected now more than in the past, because we are concerned in ensuring our international reputation. We have to future-proof that reputation. It is not about us saying we are great, we need to get other people and other parties to say that.

“Brexit is also an event which we will respond to. Every time there is a threat there are opportunities and Jersey has to take advantage of that. Jersey has to make speedy decisions, in consultation with all the interested parties.”

Gailina Liew, Director of Jersey Policy Forum, said: “I’m a newcomer as I’ve been here for 14 months after coming from Toronto and I’ve been amazed by how this place allows you to do some very sophisticated work, all the way through to incredible archaeological finds, the largest Celtic hoard ever, the tenth oldest building in the world, all here in Jersey.

“It is fascinating to see what is old and ancient and what is new and cutting edge. We have to protect the economy but I would like to see this unique juxtaposition preserved and I’m really happy this is not a Hong Kong, or a Singapore.

“Jersey must try and take the lead in education and give every child the world in the palm of his or her hand. Be bold. The best investment you can make is in education.”

Aharoni, born in Tel Aviv, added: “In Israel we have improved our position many times over through branding. Incoming tourism has been on the rise in the last six years despite what is happening in Syria. Our image and PR has never been better. Israel is a nation of eight million people in the Middle East and yet it punches above its weight because of so many things including branding.

“Why are we here? We are here because we want to do better politically, socially, culturally, economically. Jersey has the right tools and talent and it can go so far in this world.”

DSCF1836 from Bailiwick Express on Vimeo.