Sri Lanka
A Thriving Private Sector Rewrites a Post-War Narrative
The Challenge
Leveraging the newsworthiness of Sri Lanka’s remarkable transformation following a 26-year civil war that battered its economy, the launch of the Sri Lanka Business Ambassadors Program began to build a new narrative for the country which has since transitioned from state of emergency to state of strong economic growth and opportunity.
Against the backdrop of a peaceful and ongoing political, economic and social transition, the program highlighted a new era in Sri Lanka, hallmarked by its resilient and resurgence private sector that blossomed despite the reintroduced Sri Lanka to U.S. media – as a small island nation steeped in strong market fundamentals and uniquely positioned to become a regional gateway.
The Strategy
Thatcher+Co. targeted a stream of strategic media, attracting a solid confluence of interest in the delegation including Forbes, Bloomberg News, Barron’s, Reuters, OPIC, Standard Chartered Bank, General Electric, and others – despite the Embassy’s inability to participate in the final hour due to a U.S. Government shutdown.
While acknowledging existing challenges, our persistent message focused on Sri Lanka as a rising, untapped market of opportunity and the bottom-line potential for exporters and investors in several key economic sectors, including tourism, IT/BPO, manufacturing, ports and logistics, infrastructure, automotive, energy, and the apparel industry.
The delegation comprised of a cross-section of CEOs and top executives from Sri Lanka’s leading conglomerates as well as industry innovators and entrepreneurs, exemplified how Sri Lanka’s private sector was able to survive and even thrive during the conflict and position itself for growth during this present time of stability.
The Results
We garnered positive feedback from the media who were exposed to new opportunities for investment and gained real insight about doing business in Sri Lanka. Secured 14 Media Placements.
Media appointments: Barron’s, Bloomberg and Bloomberg BusinessWeek, Leaders Magazine, Forbes, Bloomberg TV, Business Insider, Boston Globe, Fox Business, Reuters, World Policy Journal, Washington Post, Global Finance, etc.
