“It is more important to be attractive than to be right"

By Stuart Littlewood

18 October 2008

Stuart Littlewood considers the impossible mission of a British public relations firm hired by Israel to boost the image of the Middle East’s most notorious land-grabber, ethnic cleanser and all-round threat to world peace.

As many others have remarked, Israel is among the worst brand-names on the planet.

That’s understandable considering the regime was founded on terror, is massively armed and subsidized by the US, thrives on lands seized from its neighbours at gun-point and is bent on making its illegal occupation permanent. As a brand it never had a chance to flourish in any nice way. 

So what’s to be done? Could clever public relations hush the bad vibes and amplify the good – and change our perceptions?

The Israelis seem to think so. A report in the Guardian says they’ve hired a British firm of image consultants.

The top brass in Tel Aviv are right to be worried. "Israel’s brand image does not serve its interests right now,” warns Ido Aharoni, head of brand management at the Foreign Ministry.

The Israel-Palestine struggle has been a stain on it for years and Mr Aharoni blames the unwillingness of the Palestinians to curb their “terrorism”. In an interview with The Tartan, the student newspaper of Pittsburg's Carnegie Mellon University, he said: “It is time for the Arab world to look in the mirror... What is the future of a society that nurtures the culture of death?”

Good question. Mr Aharoni’s own government assassinates opponents, routinely abducts Palestinians in the dead of night, demolishes their homes, confiscates their lands and strangles their economy. Some 10,000, including women and children and MPs, are banged up in foul Israeli jails, many without charge or trial. Let’s not go into the number of kills, especially the children. It’s too upsetting. And let’s not even mention the murderous Lebanon adventure.

Research shows that the brand spells conflict and Israel is seen as the bringer of bad news. "The conclusion is that it is more important for Israel to be attractive than to be right," says Mr Aharoni.

I do hope he wasn’t charged too much for these findings.

Summoning up the magic powers of “chi”

After behaving as they have for 60 years and earning worldwide opprobrium, it’s no surprise that Israelis are eager to re-brand. But do they realize what it involves? There’s more to it than a new logo, a new prime minister, a slick new website and early retirement for Mark Regev. Deep reforms to the whole Israel project must go hand-in-hand.

The firm that has accepted the challenge, Acanchi, says it aims to “unlock the magic that can be used to create a compelling brand positioning”. To achieve this it will tap into a mysterious inner energy or life force called “chi”: “We believe that success for a country, city or region brand can be achieved by discovering, defining and channelling this chi into a brand positioning that reflects the core truths of a place."