the challenge of promoting my culture
Marketing is a lot of things and one part of it is place marketing. At Wichita State University, I had the opportunity to become the cultural ambassador for my country Haiti. I had to give presentations in middle schools, high School, my university, Churches and Museums. I also represents my country in cultural fairs and food festivals.
THe Problem
Haiti have a bad brand reputation and it was hard to bring interest in the presentation. The country is position as a place were there is only poverty, political instability, insecurities, environment issues and natural disasters. People always came to my presentation with a sad face.
The solution
I look in social media for positive news about my country and show it to the public. I recall all the great memories and family history and convey them into my presentation. I also take inspiration from TED presentations. My favorite one was theTED talk: the danger of a single story by Chimamanda Adichie.
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I change the title of presentation as the a presentation of another Haiti. An Haiti, that have a lot of positive news. I talk about the farmers, the Haitians artisans and entrepreneurs, the beaches, the history and the culture.
In order to gauge more interest, I also talk about voodoo and zombies.
Presenting about my country have made me feel proud about being Haitian and I also developed a better understanding of my culture. It also help me become a better presenter.