The easiest method of understanding the motivation behind the creation of a proprietary brand of Transylvania is a comparison, for example, with the brand of Disney Company.
THE BEGINNINGS OF THE BRANDS
Disney
In 1928, Walt Disney turned a simple sketch of a mouse in the main character of the Disney Brand, which today is worth around 40 billion dollars.
Transylvania
Jules Verne published in 1892 the novel „The Carpathian Castle” in which he resurrected a concept invented by the ancient Sumerians – the vampire. Jules Verne placed his setting in Transylvania because of its mystic appeal generated mainly by the ancient Dacian mythology. In 1897, five years after Jules Verne’s novel, Bram Stoker wrote ”Dracula” forever linking the vampire to the vampire Count Dracula and places his setting (again) in Transylvania – its traditions being well documented. In 1922 the first unofficial Dracula screening is shown – ”Nosferatu”, and in 1931, Universal Studios launches the first official screening, ”Dracula”, which was to become the foundation of a billion dollar industry.
Conclusions
Mickey Mouse and Dracula appeared during the same years. Mickey Mouse determined the appearance of Disney, of a world of magic and dreamy landscapes for children and families, while Dracula generated a world of vampirism, werewolves, occultism in a genre of (then) modern gothic-horror, science-fiction, fantasy and adventure for adults.
The difference between the two characters is that Mickey Mouse and the entire industry it spawned remained owned by Disney, under a single entity brand management, while Dracula became a general character; the vampire, the werewolf and their mother-territory, Transylvania, became elements which thousands of companies of all domains regularly use.
Today thousands of products of a vast number of worldwide companies include in their name terms such as ”Dracula” and ”Transylvania” without any obligations towards a global proprietary brand and without the existence of a global brand manager.
BRAND AWARENESS ON IMDB
Transylvania World association conducted a series of research on imdb.com, International Movie data Base, the most popular online source of information about the worldwide movie industry.
The results show two important facts. The term „Dracula” can be found in 255 results while the term „Mickey Mouse” is found in only 66. The term „Transylvania” appears in 116 titles while „Disney” can be found in 437.
Conclusions
Without a global Dracula or Transylvania brand and only dissipated brands, one cannot conclude a real comparison between Disney brands and Dracula or Transylvania related brands. But, judging by the awareness in the movie industry world, the above mentioned example is self-explanatory showing that Transylvania has gigantic potential.
Also, with a unitary management a Transylvania Brand can be created and developed into a future billion dollar industry. The value of the brands Jules Verne, Bram Stoker and Hollywood launched is hard to estimate, but it exists and Romania can and has to use this advantage.
Romania has a few advantages over any potential competitor who would try to develop a global Transylvania proprietary brand.
Romania has what today is called „the first mover” – the advantage the first player always has. There is not a single global Transylvania brand administrated by a single entity. The advantage of being the first player, as a global brand manager, is gigantic, and by Transylvania World’s initiative, this advantage goes to Romania.
The advantage of owning the mother-territory of a regional brand is extremely important; any other competing country would be disadvantaged, as Transylvania is part of Romania’s territory.
Both of these trump cards combined make a solid statement for any possible future competitor.
Other main advantages would be the following: documented existence of Cucuteni Civilization on Romania’s North-East territory (part of Transylvania World), the ancient Dacians, predecessors of today’s Romanians (also lived on Transylvania’s territory), the Dacian mythology which generated the werewolf concept and who resurrected the vampire legend as well, the existence of Vlad the Impaler, Romania’s rich and diverse folklore and, of course, the mystical area of the Carpathian Mountains. The traditions, the unique Transylvanian village and household settings may introduce worldwide hundreds of traditional organic food and hand-made products, without considering the tourism services, thousands of any tipe of licensed products and a potential thematic rosorts network.
All these elements determine favorable conditions for launching a global brand and drastically reduce the danger from a competing brand.
Why is there no global proprietary brand for Transylvania and Dracula? Surely because any company who wanted to open a global brand took into account the risk of a competing brand on Romania’s territory, in the heart of the real Transylvania.
In other words, by fails to initiate a global brand, in fact Romania was invited to develop its own. Transylvania World association took this initiative and Transylvania World brand, alongside the future related brands and sub-brands will fill this gap and take the necessary premises so as Romania gets to benefit from it.
Romania owns the mother territory of a regional brand, Transylvania. This brand is in direct connection with the Dracula brand, these two being non-proprietary. Therefore, there is no global brand manager for these brands.
The value of the developed brand could be comparable to the value of a top global brand. One can take the Disney brand for example, an industry worth billions of dollars.
Such a potential market value represents serious motivation which encourages the initiation for a Transylvania global brand and the development of related industry on almost all the niches.
The motivation is even more powerful as the risk of a potential serious competition is almost inexistent, and a series of valuable (but inestimable) investments are made (indirectly) by the movie industry and by the thousands of businesses which used the terms ”Transylvania” and ”Dracula” for a whole century.
Romania has the chance to develop a proprietary, global Transylvania brand and has a duty in this regard. Besides the financial competence of brand development, Romania has to fix the false negative image of the real historical character Vlad the Impaler, owned due to the false advertising of Transylvania by the cinematographic industry.
Not in the least, by initiating this brand, by developing strategies, activities and projects related to the brand, Romania can step up a level and preserve its traditional values and traditional heritage.