Nairobi — A national conference seeking a new marketing strategy for Kenya opened yesterday.

The two-day Brand Kenya Conference, organised the Marketing Society of Kenya, and sponsored by tyre-maker Firestone East Africa Limited, is expected to fashion out a plan for packaging Kenya as a brand, and projecting it to the world.

The society's chairperson, Patricia Ithau said the conference - which has attracted participation from the professional society for local marketers, industry figures and government officials - would take her organisation's "Brand Kenya" initiative to the next level.

"Time has come to take this initiative to the next level. We want to put it out to the public so that it can develop a momentum of its own and move. We only see ourselves as facilitators, enablers," Ms Ithau said.

Later, the participants were taken through the South African model, which has been hailed as one of the most successful attempts at country branding, championed by President Thabo Mbeki himself and partly underwritten by consumer goods giant Unilever.

Started one year ago, with seed funding of about 50 million rands (about Sh500 million), the venture has today matured into a consistent brand image and advertising messages under the motto, South Africa: Alive With Possibilities.

Ms Yvonne Johnston, the chief executive officer of the International Marketing Council, the body handling South Africa's branding effort, advised that any successful national branding effort had to be scientific, long-term and focused.

"Branding is a long-haul business. You must maintain consistency in the entire process.

That is how we have managed to change the international perception of our country from that of a pariah state to a nation of hope, rebirth and leadership for the rest of Africa," she said.

Other states and cities which have recorded huge success in positioning themselves in the global psyche as international brands of note include Australia, Singapore and Dubai.

The conference was officially opened by Planning and National Development minister, Anyang' Nyong'o who urged Kenyans to discard pessimism and reform their liabilities in order to become marketers of Kenya's potential.