Regional Branding in the Czech Republic Kateřina Čadilová Asociace regionálních značek, o.s. / Association of the Regional Brands

Regional brand guarantees Origin – opportunity among global products Quality = criteria similar throughout Europe; –Respect to the environment –Maximum content of local raw materials –Specifity within the respective region, restoration or creation of a tradition, extraordinary quality

Regional brands do NOT mean Conservation of tradition – not only keeping and renovation of tradition but also building of new ones Only local raw materials – only one of several criteria, not a obligatory condition Only local entrepreneurs – production site must be within the region, not the official address Certification of all products – only individual products or defined groups get labels

Development of the branding in the Czech Republic: Starting point – tourist areas

Initial project: ‘Natura 2000 – People for nature, nature for people’ Regional environmental centre CR implementation , co-financed by the European Commission – DG Environment, Ministry of Environment

Progress of the branding:

Setting up of the Association:

Association of the Regional Brands

444 certificates pro products, 46 for services  Sophisticated system – know how for introduction and granting of a brand  Inclusion of different players – prevalence of Local Action Groups, but also other types of organisations  Universality – wide scale of products and services  Single visual identity – common visual style  Cross-border potential – Slovakia, Poland, Germany

Establishing a Regional Brand entrepreneurs, public authorities (incl. nature protection), NGOs logo of the brand, borders of the region, rules regional co-ordinator, certification commission promotion of the brand, common activities financial sources Bottom-up principle Working group – workshops in the region

How the Branding System Works Producers Regional Co-ordinator ARZ National Co-ordinator Certification Commission

Certification Criteria Origin in the region - local producer, the main production phase Quality - at least standard No harm to the environment Link with the region - local tradition (0-5 points) - local raw material (0-5 p.) - hand-made (0-5 p.) - regional motive, specificity (0-5 p.) - extra quality / representativeness (0-5 p.)  at least 10 points

Producers’ Duties (2 years) To use the brand for the certified products common labels or stickers, own label, individual solution To meet the criteria random inspection visits To pay a fee to CZE (cca 60 to 200 EUR)

Activities in the Regions printed matter (leaflets, catalogues) seasonal regional bulletins regional media network of selling-points local fairs etc.

Not only the labelling Promotion, presentation - both regional and national level

Additional activities Networking of selling points Fairs and presentations prezentace Co-operation with other organisations in the Czech Republic and abroad

According to the type of the co-ordinator:  Associations of producers (Beskydy and formerly also Krkonoše)  Agencies of destination management (Šumava, Českosaské Švýcarsko, Broumovsko – Český ráj outside ARZ)  Development agencies (Vysočina, Moravská brána)  LAGs (Krkonoše, Moravský kras, Orlické hory, Moravské Kravařsko, Polabí, Podkrkonoší, Haná, Jeseníky, Prácheňsko, Železné hory – otside ARZ Jizerské hory, Lužické hory, small labels in Southern and Western Bohemia)  Others (Górolsko Swoboda, Kraj blanických rytířů – outside ARZ TBK) Special features of regional brands in the Czech Republic:

According to the type of the area:  Popular tourist destinations (Šumava, Krkonoše, Moravský kras, Orlické hory, Českosaské Švýcarsko, Jeseníky)  Border regions (v Čechách většina)  Agricultural areas (Polabí, Podkrkonoší, Haná)  Folklore or historical lands (Prácheňsko, Haná, Moravské Kravařsko, Beskydy, Górolsko Swoboda)  Administrative region (Vysočina)  Micro-region (Železné hory)  Protected landscape areas (Broumovsko)  ‘New region’ (Kraj blanických rytířů) Special features of regional brands in the Czech Republic:

Simple principles – fast, flexible, individual approach Low costs (relatively) Minimal burden for the producers Trust in the branding system, relevant for producers (regional pride) Not only certification: promotion, collaboration, networking, events Strengths of regional branding in CR

Too broad to be understandable (pros invert sometimes to cons – too many types of producers, too many objectives) Unclear definition of areas Weak publicity – low awareness in general public Almost no sale opportunities Dependence on public funds Weaknesses of regional branding in CR

Common plans Unified rules with continuous improvement Keeping and promotion of uniqueness (we are not selling goods but (hi)stories) Networking within regions Multi-source funding Support to retail

Thank you for your attention! Asociace regionálních značek, o.s. office: Senovážná 2, Praha 1 Kateřina Čadilová mobile: