Melania Trump as an advertising figure: Your home country Slovenia does without the First Lady
The almost unknown Slovenia initially had a lot to do with its first lady. But six months after her husband Donald Trump's inauguration, no Melania effect really wants to set in. The example shows: a half-hearted commitment to a testimonial can never work. In the end, Slovenia received marketing support from a completely unexpected source.
A first lady shines over Ljubljana. Her grace and charm enchanted hundreds last Sunday evening at the open-air cinema in the castle high above Slovenia's capital and took them on a journey into the tragic but also fascinating world at the side of the most powerful man in the world. It is probably part of the ironic Balkan humor that tickets are sold out for a film about Jackie Kennedy of all places, as the Slovenes have their own first lady in the USA in Melania Trump. “It's a different league, even if it tries to make Jackie,” says a visitor who was able to buy one of the last tickets.
Melania Trump was born Melanija Knavs in eastern Slovenia and when her husband was inaugurated six months ago she actually remembered Jackie Kennedy in her light blue Ralph Lauren dress. But that's where the similarities for the Slovenes end again. In the meantime, the country had big plans for “its” first lady.
Melania as an opportunity?
Slovenia has a perception problem and Melania Trump has an image problem. Now things rarely turn out well when two problem cases come together. The small country the size of Hesse between Austria, Italy, Hungary and Croatia was criminally neglected by travelers in the past. Wrong, as anyone who has been there knows. Nowhere else are the Adriatic and the Alps so close together, in hardly any other country can tourists discover glacier valleys, crystal clear rivers and lakes, hike through forests and wine regions, visit mysterious karst caves, enjoy the Mediterranean flair on the coast and dine with the world's best cook Ana Roš in just one weekend . Although tourism is also increasing in Slovenia, most holidaymakers only stay on their way to Croatia for an overnight stay.
With the “I feel sLOVEnia” campaign, Slovenia has created a really good tourism marketing concept and achieved a high reach by placing commercials in front of the daily news in Germany, for example. According to the tourist office, the growth curve for overnight stays in 2016 showed a clear upward trend, at around eight percent, but it cannot be said to be a boom.
And then Trump set out to become President of the United States. The hopes of the Slovenian tourism industry could hardly be stopped. The country with a population of two million wanted to score points with the Americans. In fact, eleven percent more tourists came from the USA since last year, but even behind this only a small presidential effect can be seen.
The relationship between the Trumps and Slovenia is extremely tense. Donald Trump visited his wife's home country exactly once. But more than a three-hour stopover with the private jet was not possible. People still resent the fact that Melania even refused to speak Slovenian at the time. Nevertheless, after the candidacy was announced, the Slovenes wanted to raise the bar. In fact, the posture also improved. Hardly anyone laughed more at the poor girl who wanted to leave her home as quickly as possible and ended up with Trump, of all people. The University Clinic in Ljubljana even confirmed to a local journalist that the number of newborn girls with the name Melania had increased significantly at the beginning of the year. The magnificent Christmas tree on Ljubljana's most beautiful square was also christened Melania at the end of 2016 with a wink.
Melania as a flaw?
The Slovenes are practical people. If an opportunity arises, don't let it slip away. Above all Melania's hometown Sevnica, a sleepy 5000 inhabitant town 100 km from Ljubljana. The plan initially seemed to work: Whether the New York Times, the FAZ or dpa, umpteen journalists made a pilgrimage to the village and rattled off on their admittedly short tour of Melania's school, their apartment block and their parents' current house. Around it, the residents formed more Melania pilgrimage sites. The local shoe factory brought White House felt slippers onto the market, Melania wine was sold at the castle, the Julija bakery created the Melania cake and sold it for EUR 4.50 each. Tourists could book the Melania tour at the nearby travel agency. The inauguration of office was celebrated for three days.
Now, six months later, the travel agency is again promoting last-minute offers to Greece or Croatia, the piece of golden Melania cake costs a mere 2.50 euros. The wine has also moved into the second row of sales, only rarely does an American accent echo through the town. And nobody wants to be really happy about it anymore. This is also due to Melania herself. She did everything so that her likeness didn't end up on plates, magnets and T-shirts. Verbally, she further distanced herself from Slovenia and finally hired a lawyer - after all, he is a Slovenian - to prevent her and her husband from being marketed at home. So the Slovenes only had a limited opportunity to turn “their” First Lady into money.
The lawyer didn't have to intervene anyway. The example of Slovenes and Melania clearly shows that half-hearted marketing is bad marketing. If you are not proud of your testimonial, you should not make it one, especially if the person refuses it. The retailers and individuals in Sevnica are now sitting on their ideas and products.
VIn the capital Ljubljana, city guides mention Melania in a subordinate clause, but are more than happy to dismiss further inquiries. And indeed, in times of terror in other holiday destinations, the Slovenian tourism authority did better not to jump on the Melania train on a grand scale and instead market itself as a safe and versatile destination with a wide range of cultural activities, such as the cinema summer with Jackie Kennedy.
In any case, Pope Francis did the greatest service this year to the Slovenes: During his meeting with Melania Trump, the head of the church asked if she would give her husband “Potica” to eat. Since then, the Slovenian rolling pin has enjoyed unexpected popularity. Now Slovenia wants to have desserts recognized as a guaranteed traditional specialty (STG) in Brussels so that Potica can enjoy EU-wide protection.
