Issue 101: Rebranding a Country
Welcome to Backstory, a weekly newsletter turning global technology shifts into a three-minute read. This week, we’re thinking about country names – Mary Ames, Director of Strategy
THE BIG TAKE
Rebranding a Country
It’s not often that countries change their names. Some countries are known by several names like the UAE or the United Arab Emirates or the Emirates. But seldom will a country change the actual spelling and pronunciation of its name. This is what is happening with Turkey. The country’s foreign minister sent a letter last week to the United Nations requesting that the international body and all member states refer to it as “Türkiye”, which is the Turkish spelling and pronunciation. What’s driving this seismic shift?
Internal audience: It’s not often that a country changes its name from English spelling and pronunciation to the non-English version but that is what Türkiye is doing. Driving this shift is an attempt by the country’s leadership to rebrand Turkey in the image of its former imperial self. Harkening back to the days of the Ottoman Empire, Türkiye is looking to recapture the spirit of its former self. It’s unclear if this is going to work out the way its leaders envision it and it's most likely for local approval.
Keep it simple: This name shift is jarring since most people outside the country don’t speak Turkish. While it is noble to project an air of pride in one’s country, forcing the world to speak, understand, and spell a relatively minor language causes more confusion than anything. None of us can change the fact that English is the world’s dominant language. Perhaps the best way to rebrand is through simplification. The United Arab Emirates has done this well. What could be easier to remember and say than the UAE.
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
“A brand is a voice and a product is a souvenir.”
– Lisa Ganksy, American entrepreneur
OUR VIEWS THIS WEEK
Local fintech: Have you heard about BNPL? If not, we have you covered as it is one of the fastest-growing sectors in global fintech. BNPL stands for “Buy Now Pay Later”, and it is driving growth in the untapped market of people who can’t or won’t use credit cards — and the UAE is an emerging hub. If you want to peer into the future of the local technology sector, start with fintech.
Digital wellbeing: It's time to get serious about well-being. Let’s face it: the world is still a very tense place. The pandemic remains an ever-present threat. The global economy is up and down. Complicating matters is that we have never been more addicted to scrolling on our phones. Getting off one’s phone is much easier said than done these days, but even thirty minutes a day can make a big difference in one’s mental health. This is especially true if that screen time break happens before bed. We explore more tips and tricks in this piece published by Xische about digital health.
SPOTTED ELSEWHERE
Apple is coming for the car. Apple held its developers conference this week and announced a host of new (and exciting) features for its ecosystem. Perhaps the most interesting was a new approach to car play, the company’s auto software. There have been a lot of rumors about Apple building its own car and the new features hint at what that car might look like. With the UAE embracing self-driving cars, these subtle hints from manufacturers like Apple foreshadow what the future of the car looks like (and it looks exciting!)
Supply chains and chili peppers: If you want to buy any of the new products Apple announced, you are going to have to wait. Supply chain shortages are affecting the global economy in a big way. This is even hitting chili peppers and much-loved sriracha sauce. Huy Fong Foods, one of the world’s biggest producers of sriracha sauce is suspending production of its famous sauce because it can’t get enough chili peppers. Tough times all around.