Abstract:

Even though 75% of the world surface comprises of water, 97.5% is salt water while only 2.5% is either locked away as ground water or in glaciers. The forecast of this century is that one of most scarce resource of the world is likely to be water. Alarmingly enough, NASA has recently mapped Ganges-Brahmaputra Basin as severely stressed, making the water bodies of Bangladesh more vulnerable. Bangladesh Government under the leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, approved, Delta Plan 2100 on September of 2018. One of the major objectives of this grand plan is to secure future water resources. The major source of this delta plan will be inland water bodies and the ocean. This paper is an attempt to assess the opportunities and outline strategies to help achieve the outcome of Delta 2100 plan through transforming the inland water bodies of Bangladesh into a brand.

What are inland waterways?

Our main source of water for drinking, agriculture, navigation, and industry are surface water and groundwater, which are accumulated through rainwater and snow. The first civilizations formed on the banks of rivers, since they were the source of water for drinking and irrigation, marine nutrition, hunting animals drinking from the river, and transportation. The most notable amongst these civilizations were the Egyptians, on the Nile, Mesopotamians on the Tigris, Chinese on the Yellow, and Indian on the Indus. These early civilizations began to form around the time of the Neolithic (agriculture) Revolution1. Water is distributed unevenly throughout the world through sea, rivers, ponds, lakes, and underground aquafers. The early civilizations taking advantage of this unique asset were called hydraulic empires2 . It is obvious that in addition to navigation, inland waterways can be a resource for many other human services. The foremost being source for human sustainability.

What is a delta?

Deltas are incredibly diverse and ecologically important ecosystems. The name was coined by Herodotus after the Greek letter delta3 . Elliott4 defined deltas as discrete shoreline protuberances formed where rivers enter oceans, semi enclosed seas, lakes, or lagoons and supply sediment more rapidly than it can be redistributed. The National Geographic Society conceptualizes a ‘Delta’ as an outcome of deposition of various sediments comprising of organic and inorganic elements when rivers empty their water into another body of water, such as ocean, lake, wetland, or another river. Though only 5% of the global land constitutes Delta, however, it houses ten times higher than average population5 .

Low lying Delta are highly vulnerable to climate change resulting out of sea level rise and stress imposed by human intervention of the catchment zone. Based on the process of buildup of silt and formation process, Galloway6 introduced a classification scheme where three main types of deltas: river dominated, wave dominated, and tide dominated deltas. This classification was later extended including grain size and other effects7 . The Ganges- Brahmaputra-Meghna (GBM) delta is dominated by tide and is termed as mega delta.

What is a brand?

The purpose of “Brand Building” or “Branding” is to build something of consequence that has a value for humankind. This requires the entity to have social and global identity through making and ultimately keeping the promise resulting in trust8. Thus, it is beyond a trade mark or a symbol as conceived during the earlier scholars9. Branding pioneer Walter Landor’s states “products are made in the factory, but brands are created in the mind.” Thus, Brand is a fundamental entity in marketing and societal wellbeing10 . The concept of place branding according to Dolores is endogenous marketing development process, which integrates social, economic, environmental, and technological dimension of a society with the purpose of maximizing benefit among stakeholders11. The emergence of Nation Branding, coined by Simon Anholt, refers to “the systematic process of aligning the actions, behaviors, investments, innovations and communications of a country around a clear strategy for achieving a strengthened competitive identity12 .” The Anholt model is depicted in Figure 1 below. It is therefore evident that to be globally competitive, nations must rethink about their model and design nation branding strategies after assessing, culture/ nature, heritage/history, adventure/ sports, innovation/technology, trade/ commerce, education, and ultimately human wellbeing that other nations may not be able to offer13 .

Why this paper?

Bangladesh is in the largest Delta of the world14, the GBM basin and is the most densely populated delta amongst large populous nations15. Considering the riverine and oceanic aspects of water, United nations Development Program (UNDP) have recognized that 1.3 billion people in the planet lack access to water while 3 billion have scarcity for at least one month. Over the last 100 years, 53% of wetland on earth has disappeared primarily because of inappropriate human intervention16 . According to NASA, the third world war is going to be fought over water if things do not change soon17.

It is estimated that by 2100, if proper planning is not undertaken, the GBM delta may lose 5% of the land exclusively for sea level rise and more than 10% land will be lost to flood water resulting out of stress imposed by interventions that are unplanned for deltaic plain18. In addition, the two top discharging rivers of the world, Ganges with 3rd highest discharge of 38,129 cubic meters/ second and Brahmaputra ranked 9th with a discharge of 19,800 cubic meters/ second finally pass through the GBM19 delta making it one of the worst floods plain in the world20. In the last five decades, the GBM prograde rate was 17 square kilometers/year when the large deltas of the world experienced sediment starvation21. It is estimated that between 1877 and 2010, Bangladesh was hit by almost 175 cyclones including 50 severe cyclonic storms22. The Asian Development Bank suggests that the annual economic cost of climate change on Bangladesh will be 2% of her GDP by 2050 and 9.4% by 210023. Furthermore, the precipitation ranking of Bangladesh is 10th in the world with almost 2700 mm of rain each year. If things remain the same in terms of global warming, precipitation is likely to increase by 5% by 2030 and 8% by 205024 . Also, Bangladesh Water Development Board reports from 1970 to 2015 there has been a depletion of ground water from 0.16-0.6 meter to 3.5 meters25 .

This perilous forecast made the Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh, under the leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina undertake the Bangladesh Delta Plan (BDP) 210026 . This initiative has been commenced to charter strategic opportunities that emerge out of the challenges Bangladesh is likely to face and the opportunities surfacing from the grand plan laid down by the government under BDP 210027.

Why are waterways and deltas important? Why this paper?

that are unplanned for deltaic plain18. In addition, the two top discharging rivers of the world, Ganges with 3rd highest discharge of 38,129 cubic meters/ second and Brahmaputra ranked 9th with a discharge of 19,800 cubic meters/ second finally pass through the GBM19 delta making it one of the worst floods plain in the world20. In the last five decades, the GBM prograde rate was 17 square kilometers/year when the large deltas of the world experienced sediment starvation21. It is estimated that between 1877 and 2010, Bangladesh was hit by almost 175 cyclones including 50 severe cyclonic storms22. The Asian Development Bank suggests that the annual economic cost of climate change on Bangladesh will be 2% of her GDP by 2050 and 9.4% by 210023. Furthermore, the precipitation ranking of Bangladesh is 10th in the world with almost 2700 mm of rain each year. If things remain the same in terms of global warming, precipitation is likely to increase by 5% by 2030 and 8% by 205024 . Also, Bangladesh Water Development Board reports from 1970 to 2015 there has been a depletion of ground water from 0.16-0.6 meter to 3.5 meters25 .

This perilous forecast made the Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh, under the leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina undertake the Bangladesh Delta Plan (BDP) 210026 . This initiative has been commenced to charter strategic opportunities that emerge out of the challenges Bangladesh is likely to face and the opportunities surfacing from the grand plan laid down by the government under BDP 210027.

The economic benefits derived from major deltas and their associated rivers are often a substantial portion the country’s GDP28 . The importance of riverine delta has been studied extensively and various benefits have been identified as outlined in Figure 229,30,31,32,33,34. The major learning from Delta plan is derived from the strategic plans by the Dutch, who have taught the world how to live with nature and transform threat into an opportunity and ultimately a brand. It is also evident that even for nations such as the United States of America, nature cannot be subsided through force by negating the existence of deltaic plains. Rather, strategic interventions that is conducive for the nature as well as human living should be the focus. This requires proper utilization of the gift of nature, such as rivers and deltaic plains35.

What methodology is followed?

survey and expert opinion (primary survey) for this study. The experts included representatives from planning commission, river economist, Indian joint water resources representative, relevant sector representatives, and Nepalese trade representative along with industry and academic experts. The primary purpose of the study is to first outline the social and economic importance of the plan and help outline deltaic strategies that can make Bangladesh unique as a Global Brand. The following research questions have been attempted.

1. How is ‘Inland Water’ related to Bangladesh Delta Plan (BDP) 2100.
2. What ‘Brand Building’ strategies Bangladesh may undertake to transform threats into opportunities.
3. How to build ‘Deltaic Brand’ through initiating changes in knowledge economy.
4. What strategic options are important for Bangladesh based on the Anholt model.

The scope of this study is limited to focusing on brand building and marketing initiatives along with some new service dimensions or innovative products under the larger umbrella of BDP 2100. The discussion will be limited to wetlands including haor3 , river systems and estuaries (hot spot 3 & 5). The study will not address the infrastructural or technical issues along with the coastal strategies.

What is Bangladesh Delta Plan 2100?

has been chartered as the ultimate outcome of various milestones for the 21st century. Figure 3 depicts the time line planned for Bangladesh under the able and exclusive leadership of the honorable Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

The GBM delta is considered as an agricultural plain with rich alluvial soil perfect for agriculture. For centuries, the Bengal delta has been the source of agriculture while the Nile delta was recognized as the hub for agriculture, industry and tourism. However, it is evident that Bengal was a cradle of civilization and trade for centuries. It is also important to recognize that to ensure sustainability of the delta, one must consider the impact of changing natural and human made forces. There is no doubt that the physical, ecological, economic, social, technological and environmental circumstances will continue to have an impact on the existence of a delta and thus it is the task of the citizens of the delta to ensure sustainability of there home through strategic intervention.

BDP 2100 is designed to ensure that Bangladesh maximizes the economic, environmental, ecological, and social benefits offered by the changes in the delta over generations. The detailed summary is presented in Table 136, followed by the vision and the mission statements37.

The Vision:

“Achieving safe, climate resilient and prosperous delta.”

The Mission:

“Ensure long term water and food security, economic growth and environmental sustainability while effectively reducing vulnerability to natural disaster and building resilience to climate change and other delta challenges through robust, adaptive and integrated strategies, and equitable water governance.”

How Bangladesh is positioned as delta 2100 nation?

Based on the scope of this paper, the discussion is structured around wetlands including haor, and river. Examples from each will be outlined to explain how this can lead to unique positioning. The world’s largest delta is the Ganges- Brahmaputra-Meghna delta in India and Bangladesh38, and empties into the Bay of Bengal. Bangladesh sits almost entirely on this delta39. Bangladesh constitutes 257 large and medium rivers40 and 59 transboundary rivers flowing from outside of Bangladesh41. It drains through travelling across the Himalayas, which is the highest sediment producing mountain range in the world with a sediment load of more than 1 billion tones every year42. This by itself is the most unique feature that can successfully meet the criteria set for place branding. However, to be able to achieve nation brand, one requires focused intervention. Interventions that are linked to the greater national agenda as well as can create an experience for the global citizens.

Three wetlands of Bangladesh are considered globally important. Tanguar haor (Ramsar and an Ecologically Critical Area), Hakaluki haor (Ecologically Critical Area), Sundarbans (Ramsar and UNESCO World Heritage Site and Ecologically Critical Area). During monsoon, at least 7-8 million hectors or about half the country or at times even more are transformed into wetlands43. . Figure 4 depicts the breakdown of wetlands in Bangladesh44. The figure clearly shows the uniqueness of the wetlands in terms of seasonal change and influence of flood water from high riparian regions and influx of sea water during high tide. The inclusion of Sundarbans, the largest mangrove forest of the world makes the positioning even more unique45 . The creation of the wetland is also supported by 2700 mm of rain each year.

The discussion on river systems and estuaries starts with the story of the two rivers along with the connectivity issue with the neighboring region. The Padma, Jamuna, and Meghna are the major rivers of forming the Delta inside Bangladesh. The River Padma originates as Ganges, also known as the Ganga, from the Gangotri Glacier of western Himalayas in the Indian state of Uttarakhand. It is 2,525 Km long and touches India and Bangladesh. The Jamuna is linked to the Brahmaputra; It Originates at Angsi Glacier in western Tibet, southeast of Mount Kailash and Lake Manasarovar, it later forms the South Tibet Valley and Yarlung-Tsangpo Grand Canyon before passing into the state of Arunachal Pradesh, India. After reaching Assam, the river is known as Brahmaputra. It is 2,840 Km in length and touches China, India, and Bangladesh. The Meghna originates in the Mountains of Easter India, it is formed after joining Surma and Kushiyara rivers. It has a length of 264 Km.

Brahmaputra has a unique connectivity found nowhere in the world. The Tsangoo, The Brahmaputra, and Yamuna: one river, three names. It connects Tibet, India, and Bangladesh: one river, three countries. It touches, Buddhism, Hinduism, and Islam: one river, three faiths. Interestingly, all three rivers have a story of an epic journey to the mythological source of Asia’s greatest rivers (Tsangoo/Ganges & Brahmaputra, taking birth in a source hidden among the ice sheets of one of the most sacred regions in the world. The Ganges, a female and the Brahmaputra, a male after each travelling over two thousand kilometers in two different directions, as if searching for lost love, Brahmaputra taking a sudden U turn entering India, and once success is at hand, they merge together in Bangladesh and plunge into the bay.

Two thirds of the population depend on wetlands. The wetlands are the “biological supermarkets” in Bangladesh. They provide for water (drinking and irrigation), food (agriculture and aquaculture), medicine (medicinal plants), animal feed (homestead and wild), transportation, tourism, etc46. They are classified as haors, baors, beels, jheels, lakes, ponds, water storage reservoirs, floodplains, temporary flood plains, estuarine and mangrove system. This is perhaps the largest variety in a small geographic zone such as Bangladesh47. Three wetlands as stated earlier are of global importance, which is another unique characteristic. The information clearly shows that BDP 2100 can build certain unique characteristics associated with wetlands, particularly river and haor, which can help in creation of nation brand focusing on the various parameters of nation brand building as highlighted by Salah48 .

What branding strategies can be undertaken under Bangladesh Delta Plan 2100?

an effort to keep the promise for social wellbeing. The concept of floating community under the purview of Delta 2100 can be considered as both unique as well as essential resulting in Brand creation through focusing on the concept of wellbeing.

Blue Innovations: It is evident that Bangladesh must be doing something right to be able to continue growth, although, scope for improvement exists. Under the threat of flooding and population density, innovative solutions (Figure 5 to Figure 19) are being launched which certainly can put Bangladesh in the Global map. These efforts are unlike planned floating community of Netherlands or Thailand, where the government has taken the lead. Rather, a more bottom up approach is observed, where local community has undertaken various initiatives. Some examples of blue communities are portrayed below. They are largely floating initiatives. Some additional initiatives under the blue umbrella can further strengthen the brand building initiatives.

1. Blue agricultural farms: These are essentially floating gardens, most common in the districts of Gopalganj, Barisal and Pirojpur. Here, during monsoons the farmers gather weeds like water hyacinth or paddy stalks, and place them on stagnant water, beating them into shape and making rafts. They plant seedlings on these organic beds and place them in flooded parts of the villages. Ripening squash, bitter gourd and okra loom over a mass of water hyacinth. This concept has been there for over 300-400 years in the floodplains of Bangladesh are gradually getting more popular with increasing treats of flood49 .
2. Floating market: “Noukar Haat” (boat market) in Kuriana, Swarupkathi, Pirojpur and backwater Bagerhat floating market are doing brisk business during monsoon season. The floating marketplace is noted for the trade in different varieties of boats. The market runs every Friday from May to November. “Panis” or “Pinis”, “Dingi” and “Naak Golui” are the types of boats used. Banaripara, Barisal on the other hand deals almost entirely in rice.

Trading takes place every day, but Saturday (locally known as the haat or market day) is the busiest here, when the river is full of bobbing ‘shops’, and the market stalls in the narrow river lanes leading down to the main river are at their most colorful50 .

3. Floating hospitals: Friendship hospital one of the first Floating Hospital in Bangladesh has brought in a revolution in the health care sector and now many more are providing health care services when large chunk of the country is cut off due to surging flood waters. They are offering basic health care services including restoring of eyesight, hearing or mobility by the help of simple surgical interventions51.
4. Floating schools: Flooding is so common in Bangladesh that students often can’t get to the classroom. So, one local people decided to take the classrooms to the students in the form of schools on boats. Each morning the boat goes along the river picking up students. Once the whole class is on board, they pull over to the riverbank and school starts for the day. They now also have solar powered floating schools52 .
5. Blue solar power station: Technological innovation in Bangladesh has helped reduce dependence on land for solar power through use of river and at times pond based solar PV. The floating as well as hanging platform are used by using anchoring, mooring, and using the side of ponds to create hanger system. The use of floating/hanging system has given tremendous boost in both reaching out to people during floods as well as minimizing use of scarce land resource53.
6. Floating home: Sirajganj is a historic city situated alongside the Jamuna river as the Brahmaputra moves closure to the Bay of Bengal. Efforts to save the city from erosion are often discussed in the news. Jamuna is a braided river which makes channel shifting very common. As a result, the river can get very violent, eroding its banks. On the one hand, people who can afford to raise their house plinths above flood levels can protect their home from inundation. This allows them to stay in place when water rises. However, residents must go through the inconvenience of living in an elevated home year-round, even when there is no flood54 .
7. River Bank Hotels: Dhaka’s river bank hotels are a fixture of the city’s business life and cultural history. These hotels, usually run by Bangladesh’s Hindu minority, have been a part of Dhaka for centuries. The hotels are basically two-story barges, moored along the river Buriganga in Dhaka. They cater mainly to peddlers and street hawkers who travel to the capital from the countryside to sell their goods55 .
8. River cruise: The first-ever modern-day river cruise from Kolkata in India to Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh, clearly showed that this smaller, neighboring country can stand on its own. Its lush greenery, rivers, monuments, historic villages, beaches, and welcoming people make it just as appealing. “It’s not the place that many tourists would come to,” said Deepak Vohra, an Indian diplomat on the cruise. “But it is the sort of place that once you come, you fall in love.” There is also a Sundarbans cruise in 100 years old steamer called rocket which brings nature and people together on the river while on move56 .
9. Floating fishermen: Located mostly in Meghna river, where the boat is also home, as it floats on a canal connected to the river in an area called Sluice Gate, about 7-km south of the district headquarters of Bhola, one can see 50 families living in the 40 or so boats in this canal. The locals call these fishermen “Babaija” but they call themselves the “Sardar”57 .
10. Floating Restaurants: Cruising restaurants in Sylhet on Surma river is very popular in addition floating restaurant in Dhaka has been there for almost 50 years while new floating restaurants are coming up in Padma River and getting popular58 .
11. Floating bridge: In flood plains, portable bridges are required to cultivate during dry season and floating bridges during monsoon. The first bridge was made in Faridpur and made from plastic drums filled with water. The first bridge was made in Togarbandh, Alfadanga, Faridpur. The first bridge was 9000 feet long. Now the importance of such an innovation is considered very practical59 .
12. Flood Rubber Dams: Bangladesh also suffers from extreme draught during dry seasons and thus there is excessive ground water extraction. The local government, based on knowledge from China, has introduced surface water conservation and rainwater harvesting to mitigate water crisis. Rubber Dams have evolved as a cost-effective hydraulic structure for surface water conservation of medium and small rivers. Rubber Dam frequently termed as Dam Bag is made of rubber reinforced by oven synthetic fabric, as compared to the conventional gated structures like sluice gate, regulator, barrage etc60.
13. Blue Sports and Entertainment: Located on the cusp of the Bay of Bengal, Bangladesh is a nation of abundant natural and human resources. And one of its phenomenal but vastly overlooked natural resource is the sea-beach at Cox’s Bazaar which, being a 143 k.m. stretch is the longest uninterrupted coastal beach in the world. Despite being touted as pristine and nominated as one of the new Seven Wonders of the World, this natural marvel remains of low awareness in the international tourism arena. With three feet rise in sea-level predicted to occur by the turn of the next century, the longest uninterrupted sea-beach in the world could disappear forever, submerged under sea water along with 10% of coastal Bangladesh. Therefore, with such a plethora of adversities that loom forward for Bangladesh, there needs to be steps taken to mitigate the potential damage and ensure a sustainable way forward. One of the best ways is to introduce the longest ever off road but a mix of amphibian motor sports that is ecofriendly and promotes the various three and two-wheeler amphibious automobiles. This is expected to be totally new and innovative venture61. In addition to the above, river and even sea beach may be developed for pure entertainment through cross boarder sports such as hiking, boat race, fishing, etc.
14. Logistics and Connectivity: Since the ancient days, these two rivers were major trade and transportation routes connecting the entire of Indian subcontinent. The rivers were a major route connecting the Bay of Bengal through the port of Kolkata and Chottogram. It was at the heart of the silk route and now at the heart of belt and road initiative. It is also at present the connectivity route between the North East India and the rest of India. Also, the tip of the rivers is also likely to be the cyber optic connectivity point with the global submarine cable network. The unique positioning of the river connectivity is depicted in Figure 20 (A: River Connectivity62 , B: Belt and Road Initiative63 , C: Transportation Connectivity64 , D: Cyber Connectivity65).
15. Fresh water reservoir: Bangladesh could house one of the largest fresh water reservoirs in the world. The combination of rivers, haors, baors, beels, jheels, lakes, ponds, water storage reservoirs, floodplains, temporary flood plains, estuarine and mangrove system can together be not only economically efficient but may result safety net for the region. These systems can be used for sustainable supply of drinking water, construction of desalinization plant in the coastal areas and development of piped water supply system in the small cities along the rivers utilizing the surface water. Management of these blue economic resources are the longer-term solution, only water regimes built upon ecological criteria can ensure the security of the environment itself66 .
16. Infrastructure partnering: infrastructural investment specially in dredging which will result in flood protection, land reclamation, and thus huge investment through global partnership. Innovation, research and development in the areas of technology, social development, trade and commerce, connectivity, cluster creation, new sports, compliance with global standards, etc.
17. Religious tourism: As discussed earlier, the Brahmaputra has a unique connectivity found nowhere in the world. The Tsangoo, The Brahmaputra, and Yamuna: one river, three names. It connects China, India, and Bangladesh: one river, three countries. It touches, Buddhism, Hinduism, and Islam: one river, three faiths. In addition, the rivers touching down Myanmar, India, and Bangladesh. This makes it an excellent source of diplomacy and partnership opportunity that does not in any way disturbs the internal water resources management of each of the countries, since it does not talk about sharing of water, but rather focuses on utilization of water as a resource for alternative purpose.

What is the Outcome?

The individual initiatives in isolation may not be sustainable if it does not bring in efficiency if it is not promoted as a combined offering. In addition, the concept will not work, if the strategy in any way defeats the political purpose of neighboring nations or the global community. Thus, a more efficient undertaken using Cluster Branding approach67 is proposed. These innovation cluster models are created through networks of geographically positioned and thematically related offerings that are linked through a singular concept. In our case, the concept is driven through the environment sustainability to tackle global warming affects in low lying countries resulting in tourism and long-term human safety. The article strongly outlines that this will result in creation of a brand since it represents a ‘shared reality’68 having a good lifestyle and lifesaving enduring image within the cluster. Moreover, this also ensures advantages to boarding nations, specifically India, China, Myanmar, Nepal, and Bhutan, which is an essential factor in blue water sharing conflict existing in the region69. Over the years, multilateral agencies have stressed on the community approach to water management70. The present strategic paper fulfills this community approach. It is apparent that inland waterways brand building is not only crucial for fulfilling Delta 2100 vision but can be an excellent strategic dimension for economic and social emancipation and wellbeing.

In addition to the secondary assessment, the primary assessment of the plan in terms of global brand valuation was undertaken using Anholt hexagon matrix. Data was obtained using a ten-point interval scale. Each of the six categories identified by Anholt as a measure of global brand value were further broken down into a total of 23 variables. The result is depicted in Figure 21 below. Global Trade/Export, Governance, Culture, Tourism, and Investment are the categories while the rest are variables within each category. Based on the importance under Anholt model, scores of 6 and above are considered significant. Results indicate that excepting for four variables (competent & honesty, historic building & monuments, vibrant cities & urban attractions, and quality of life; the rest of the variables will play a significant role in the creation of waterbody brand strategy.

Based on the discussions placed above and the conclusion drawn on the importance of the concept, the practical application of the brand proposal will be as follows.

1. Since all nation branding strategy requires link with a national agenda, the overall strategy will be linked with the delta plan of Bangladesh which focuses on “Ensuring long term water and food security, economic growth and environmental sustainability while effectively reducing vulnerability to natural disaster and building resilience to climate change and other delta challenges through robust, adaptive and integrated strategies, and equitable water governance.”
2. The second most important dimension will be to link with a global agenda that not only supports the concept, but more importantly, ensures that a global issue is being addressed with a unique approach. The Sustainable Development Goal 6 focuses on the issues of water and expects a systems approach to solving issues pertaining to water. Very clearly, this paper focuses on this very important global agenda and positions both the water agenda and positioning Bangladesh with a unique value proposition.
3. The third practical aspect is to focus on ‘waterbody brand strategy’ under one single cluster to create a significant impact on the depiction of the brand. Thus, it clearly implies that one must use a cluster approach of placing all the components of blue innovation as an integrated solution and enhance the value proposition to create a significant nation brand impact.
4. The fourth practical aspect is to focus on the hexagon model of Anholt and assess the unique identity of the nation. Of the six categories, five embraces at least one variable of very high significance; contribution to innovation and science, environmental protection, people in general, and natural beauty. This clearly indicates that while developing the branding strategy of water bodies in Bangladesh under Delta 2100, the positioning should focus on innovation using ‘nature for protection of the environment’ as the key value proposition for Brand Bangladesh.

Shariful Islam

Founder & Managing Director Bangladesh Brand Forum

Shariful Islam is one of the leading brand activists and consultants of Bangladesh. With a vision to transform Bangladesh by applying brand ethos, he founded Bangladesh Brand Forum (BBF), a premium thought-leader organization disseminating knowledge required for the next step of the Bangladesh as a nation. Mr. Islam is also Managing Director of Brandzeal Consultancy Ltd. He has a career of more than two decades which started off as the Brand Manager of New Zealand Dairy Products Bangladesh Ltd. (the New Zealand Milk Bangladesh) in July, 1999. Since then, he has worked with many organizations like Novartis Bangladesh, Unilever Bangladesh, Response, and others.

Sajid Mahbub

Chief Operating Officer and Executive Editor, Bangladesh Brand Forum

Sajid Mahbub is a Brand Marketing Professional currently working as a Chief Operating Officer and Executive Editor of Bangladesh Brand Forum. A marketer with ambitious approach towards learning and sophisticated implementation skill on leadership and knowledge dissemination. In his 14+ years of career he has worked for many diverse organizations, starting from Marketing Agency to Telco to Corporate to Development Sector.