Olympic effort put in play to market Jamaica

The government investment and trade promotion agency, Jampro, and the island's private sector say they will work together to leverage the island's athletic prowess and the Olympics in London in two years' time for a big push to market Jamaica's goods and services in the British and wider European market.

The initiative, dubbed 'Meet Jamaica at London 2012', was launched in New Kingston on Wednesday night as a joint effort between Jampro and the Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica (PSOJ) and the fillip of six Jamaican firms that either have bases in the UK or do business in that country - the mobile-service providers, LIME and Digicel; the coffee producers, Jablum; the beer company, Red Stripe; the bakers, National Continental; the financial services group, Jamaica National Building Society.

"We interpret this event of 2012 as a game changer," the island's commerce and investment minister, Karl Samuda, said during a glitzy launch ceremony at the Courtleigh Auditorium in New Kingston.

"... This is the time for Jamaica to unleash all that we have been talking about all these years," Samuda said.

Jamaica's athletes are among the best known in the world, particularly since Usain Bolt's record-breaking runs in the 100- and 200-metre races at the Beijing Olympics in 2008 and last year's World Championships in Berlin.

Global athletic power

Jamaican officials have since then talked much about translating the strong sporting brand to other enterprises, which is the basis of this project. But London offers a nostalgic platform from which such a venture - the island's 50th anniversary of Independence and the city where Arthur Wint won the 400 metres at the 1948 Olympics to herald Jamaica's beginning as a global athletic power.

Over the next 22 months or so, Jampro will use promotional links in Britain and elsewhere in Europe to involve Jamaica in trade and other promotional events. The PSOJ will mobilise its members to participate in the events.

In 2012, a Jamaican theme park will be established in the midland city of Birmingham, where the island's athletes will be based before heading to London for the games.

"The international attention focused on Jamaica because of the outstanding performances of our sportsmen and sportswomen at the Beijing Olympics provides us with the captive audience which will be yearning to eat, drink and wear anything Jamaican," said Joseph M. Matalon, the PSOJ's president at Wednesday night's launch.

However, Samuda warned that Jamaica could not merely rest on its warmth and recognition of its brand, but had to ensure the quality of the products it puts on offer. He said things were beginning to fall within the country's favour.

"We have the right people, we have the right team and now we have the right plan," Samuda said.

Indeed, Jampro's boss, Sancia Bennett-Templer, said with a trade balance with the UK of US$439 million (imports of US$500 million and exports of US$939 million), Jamaica has a platform to develop the initiative.

"Our partnership ... with the PSOJ is a bold programme of business missions and promotional events that, when implemented, will target audiences in the UK to experience authentic Jamaican products and services and compel them to want more," she said.