The Isle of Man has a respected and effective brand strategy - this was the message delivered by Freedom to Flourish (F2F) coordinator Alistair Audsley in a presentation made to local members and guests of the Chartered Institute of Marketing on 21 May.

Since its launch in March 2007, F2F has since enlisted 33 local businesses and organisations who as ‘Isle of Man Champions’ live, breath and operate with the three core F2F values in mind - to raise awareness of the Isle of Man and its advantages; enhance social cohesion so everyone feels part of our society and its success; protect our heritage and culture.

‘Adopting these values as operating principles rather than just empty brand promises is what sets F2F apart from other country branding initiatives‘, said Mr Audsley, having recently presented on the subject at a conference in the Shetland Isles where the Isle of Man branding effort was reportedly held in high regard.

Mr Audsley gave numerous examples of how Champions have made F2F come alive through projects led by three F2F Task Forces covering Youth, Skills and Awareness. These include a film made by two local 15-year olds entitled ‘The Isle of Man - does it give me freedom to flourish’; a team of young Manx people assisting with village projects in Kenya; the ‘Tell Me’ project where the experiences of older residents are passed on to school children; equipping GCSE school leavers with essential practical and vocational skills; providing over 800 mature people a month with an understanding and ability to use the internet; helping those facing redundancy with practical support and advice through a series of workshops; and a Manx Graduates website to capture and retain the skills of the next generation. In addition, F2F Champions have assisted with positioning the Island as an International Business & Finance centre, have prepared and submitted papers on awareness, PR consolidation and the TTXGP, and created an Awards for Excellence scheme.

Within Government, F2F was credited by Mr Audsley in assisting with creating greater consistency in marketing, protecting us from external threats, diversifying the economy and improving social infrastructure. It has also helped to inform the Island’s position during difficult times, citing the IMF, Treasury Select Committee, OECD, G20 and the Foot Report as examples.

Despite Chief Minister Tony Brown stating in 2007 that ‘Freedom to Flourish is at the heart of everything Government does’, it is was made clear that F2F is far from a Government owned and operated initiative, involving Champions from all of the public, private and third sectors. Indeed Mr Audsley emphasised the importance of the latter, which not only includes not-for-profit organisations, groups and charities but also the various professional bodies, representing some of the Island’s most valuable base of skills and knowledge that it is thought will help to further develop and roll out the initiative in years to come.

Proposed future initiatives include an Opportunities Bus that will serve as a travelling exhibition for F2F, the erection of Honours Boards around the Island to exemplify recognisable Manx people that have demonstrated F2F values, a programme of classroom based sessions to combat bullying and anti-social behaviour by introducing 6 to 8-year olds to young babies, and a professional bodies survey to monitor uptake of local memberships as an indicator of skills growth.

Mr Audsley’s review of progress to date took a realistic approach, identifying that more can and needs to be done in terms of awareness, that not every element has been without mistakes, and that not all the answers are as yet known. However, he encouraged applications for new Champions and ideas to be put forward on the basis that we as residents are all potential ‘champions’ of our nation and should take an active stakehold in it.

A new website www.isleofmanchampions.com will be launched in June, profiling the 33 Champions and providing a resource of further information. In the meantime details of the initiative can be currently found at the Chief Secretary’s Office website www.gov.im/cso/flourish/

To discuss the criteria of becoming an Isle of Man Champion please contact Alistair Audsley on alistair@solus-strategic.com or telephone 666000.

For further information about the Chartered Institute of Marketing on the Isle of Man please visit the website www.cim.co.im or contact Branch Chairman Richard Slee on richard.slee@development.dti.gov.im