Marketing and branding advisory
Helping countries, sectors and small enterprises build visibility, reputation and value in digital and international markets.
The challenge
Good products can stay invisible
Buyers and consumers increasingly discover, compare and judge products online — through search, social media, visuals and reputation.
For small enterprises and producers in developing countries, the challenge is growing: without strong positioning and visibility, good products and services can remain invisible or trapped in low-value markets.
ITC supports partners to address this challenge through practical marketing and branding advisory. We work with governments, sector institutions and enterprises to research markets, align stakeholders, develop credible positioning, create promotional assets and implement campaigns that connect branding with quality, sustainability, e-commerce and market access.
How the work fits together
From insight to visible market activation
Research & strategy
Audiences, markets, competitors and perceptions define a credible positioning.
Alignment
Institutions, sector bodies and enterprises commit to a shared purpose.
Creative development
Messaging, identity, storytelling, photography, film and digital content.
Launch & learning
Campaigns, digital channels, trade fairs, buyer connections — and learning.
- Visibility
- Reputation
- Value uplift
- Over time — jobs & livelihoods
ITC’s marketing and branding work links research, strategy, stakeholder alignment, creative development and practical implementation across national, sector and enterprise levels.
How we work
Practical, participatory, and built to last
We take partners from research and strategy through to launch — so a brand is owned by the institutions and enterprises behind it, not just designed for them.
Research & strategy
We analyse audiences, markets, competitors, buyer expectations and existing perceptions to define a credible positioning and practical marketing direction.
Alignment & facilitation
We help public institutions, sector bodies, private enterprises and partners align around a shared purpose, so branding becomes a collective commitment.
Creative development
We support messaging, visual identity, storytelling, photography, video, packaging, digital content, campaign materials and buyer-facing communication tools.
Launch & learning
We help partners launch campaigns, strengthen digital channels, prepare for trade fairs, connect with buyers and learn from what works.
Selected cases
Marketing & branding in action
Selected examples of ITC’s advisory work at national, sector and enterprise level. Open any story to read the full case.
Sector branding · National promotion
Uganda Coffee: from soil to soul
A new national sector brand helping Uganda communicate the richness, diversity and quality of its coffee — with launch support for World of Coffee Brussels 2026.
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Uganda Coffee: from soil to soul
A new national sector brand helping Uganda communicate the richness, diversity and quality of its coffee — with launch support for World of Coffee Brussels 2026.
›Uganda is one of Africa’s leading coffee origins, with remarkable diversity across regions, landscapes and flavour profiles. Yet the sector needed a stronger shared platform to communicate this diversity, quality and origin story to international buyers, roasters and consumers.
ITC supported a facilitated national branding process to help the Ministry and sector institutions align around a shared positioning for Uganda Coffee — research, stakeholder consultation, brand development, messaging, visual identity, institutional coaching and preparation for international launch.
The brand positions Uganda Coffee around the idea that coffee is deeply rooted in the country’s soil, landscapes and people. Launch materials use the messages “From soil to soul” and “It’s in our nature” to connect quality, origin, sustainability, people and national identity. ITC also produced the full range of promotional materials for the launch at World of Coffee Brussels 2026.
Key messages
- National sector brand for Uganda Coffee
- Facilitated process with ministry & institutions
- Positioning around origin, nature, quality, people, sustainability
- Launch at World of Coffee Brussels 2026
- Campaign, marketing materials & social media support
- Training and coaching for institutional staff
Outputs
- Uganda Coffee visual identity
- Launch brochure
- Social media campaign materials
- World of Coffee 2026 promotional campaign
- Regional flavour-profile content
- Institutional coaching & campaign support
Available collateral
Funded by European Union (MARKUP)
National branding · Place branding
Authentic Comoros: one banner for national promotion
A national brand and label connecting origin, quality, sustainability and identity — a platform to promote key products today and more sectors, including tourism, tomorrow.
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Authentic Comoros: one banner for national promotion
A national brand and label connecting origin, quality, sustainability and identity — a platform to promote key products today and more sectors, including tourism, tomorrow.
›Comoros depends heavily on a small number of cash crops, including ylang-ylang, cloves and vanilla. These are strongly associated with the country, but face increasing competition from other origins. There was a need to connect product quality, origin and sustainability with a broader national story spanning sectors.
ITC supported the development of Authentic Comoros, a national branding and labelling approach that brings quality products and services together under one shared banner — linking national identity, product origin, quality, sustainability and market visibility.
The initiative goes beyond the three core cash crops, providing a platform that can support future promotion across agrifood, natural products, tourism and other sectors connected to Comorian identity. ITC’s contribution included research, brand strategy, visual identity, photography, film, website and social media assets, plus support to national institutions on how to use the brand.
Key messages
- National brand and label
- Connects origin, quality, sustainability, identity
- Beyond a narrow commodity story
- Strong visual and film collateral
- Links branding with quality standards
- Extendable to future campaigns, incl. tourism
Outputs
- Authentic Comoros brand & label
- Website
- Photography
- Film / documentary
- Social media content
- Coaching & practical tools for institutions
Available collateral
Funded by European Union (APILE)
Tourism sector · Enterprise capability
El Salvador: strengthening orange tourism
Helping tourism businesses improve experience design, branding, digital presence, pricing, online channels and buyer readiness — linking sector promotion with enterprise capability.
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El Salvador: strengthening orange tourism
Helping tourism businesses improve experience design, branding, digital presence, pricing, online channels and buyer readiness — linking sector promotion with enterprise capability.
›The Ilamatepec / Orange Tourism initiative supports tourism-related businesses in El Salvador to strengthen their visibility, competitiveness and market readiness, focusing on authentic, sustainable and creative tourism experiences while helping enterprises improve how they present, price and promote their offer.
It supports a diverse group — travel agencies, tour operators, guides, hotels, lodges, restaurants, artisans, designers and coffee farms — creating opportunities to link tourism with local culture, gastronomy, coffee, crafts, nature and community-based experiences.
ITC’s support combines sector promotion with enterprise-level capability building: research with European travellers and operators; training and coaching in branding, pricing, content creation, website optimisation, OTAs, social media, SEO and email marketing; audiovisual content; trade-fair preparation; familiarisation trips for international buyers and media; and partnerships with travel platforms and media.
Key messages
- Tourism support linked to enterprise capability
- Authentic, sustainable, creative tourism
- Support across multiple business categories
- Strong focus on digital visibility & readiness
- Training + content + buyer/media linkages
- Bridges branding, tourism, digital & market access
Outputs
- Support to over 70 tourism-related businesses
- Training across branding, pricing, OTAs, SEO, email
- Growth Lab for top-performing businesses
- Audiovisual content
- Trade-fair preparation & participation
- Familiarisation trips; platform & media partnerships
Available collateral
Read the case study (Expédition Maya) →
Funded by European Union (Ilamatepec)
Enterprise storytelling · Coffee
Gorilla Highlands Coffee: coffee, conservation and community
An enterprise story connecting specialty coffee, mountain-gorilla conservation, eco-tourism and community livelihoods — making the case for value beyond a commodity price.
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Gorilla Highlands Coffee: coffee, conservation and community
An enterprise story connecting specialty coffee, mountain-gorilla conservation, eco-tourism and community livelihoods — making the case for value beyond a commodity price.
›Gorilla Highlands Coffee is a mission-driven company from the Kigezi subregion of southwest Uganda, near Lake Bunyonyi, Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, Echuya Forest and the Virunga region. It grows and promotes high-quality Ugandan coffee from landscapes associated with mountain gorillas, biodiversity and community-based tourism.
The company’s story connects coffee quality, conservation, community livelihoods, women farmers, local value addition and eco-tourism — positioning coffee not only as a commodity, but as a product rooted in a place, a community and a conservation story.
ITC supported the company in strengthening its market-facing narrative and presenting its value more clearly to international buyers and consumers. The case highlights its work with coffee farmers, its “Coffee that Cares” message, roasted-at-origin value addition, eco-tourism links, and connecting conservation with community opportunity.
Key messages
- Enterprise branding & storytelling example
- Coffee, place, conservation & tourism
- Communicating differentiated value
- Moves beyond commodity positioning
- Strong formal case study already exists
- Fits the Uganda Coffee / sector narrative
Useful facts
- Supports over 2,400 coffee farmers in southwest Uganda
- Works in a region connected to mountain-gorilla conservation
- Promotes value addition through roasting, packaging and export from origin
Available collateral
Funded by European Union (MARKUP)
Enterprise · B2B branding · Trade fairs
Cardic Instruments: building a B2B brand for global opportunities
Helping a surgical-instruments manufacturer sharpen its value proposition, improve digital presence, prepare for trade fairs and strengthen international buyer engagement.
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Cardic Instruments: building a B2B brand for global opportunities
Helping a surgical-instruments manufacturer sharpen its value proposition, improve digital presence, prepare for trade fairs and strengthen international buyer engagement.
›Cardic Instruments is a surgical-instruments manufacturer from Sialkot, Pakistan — a city known globally for surgical and dental instruments. Despite a strong local manufacturing base, Sialkot is not always recognised internationally as a source of high-quality instruments, and Cardic faced a competitive market, rising costs and limited capacity to invest in international marketing.
Through the UK Trade Partnerships Programme, ITC supported Cardic with branding, digital presence and trade-fair preparation — clarifying its value proposition, strengthening messaging, improving social media and online visibility, developing more professional marketing assets, and preparing more effectively for international trade fairs.
The case shows that B2B branding is not only about design: it is about helping a company present technical capability, build buyer trust, communicate clearly at trade events and follow up after trade events — the groundwork for stronger buyer relationships in international markets.
Key messages
- B2B branding example
- Relevance beyond food, tourism, consumer goods
- Links positioning, digital presence & trade-fair performance
- Strong formal case study already exists
- Practical buyer-facing support
- Marketing assets → negotiation → follow-up
Outputs
- Improved value proposition
- SEO & LinkedIn strategy; social media
- Professional photography
- Marketing kits & collateral
- Trade-fair messaging & preparation
- Negotiation & follow-up support
Useful facts
- Sialkot produces around 70% of the world’s surgical & dental instruments — Cardic is one of many manufacturers in this hub
- New client contacts and partnership opportunities through international trade-fair participation
Available collateral
Funded by UK Trade Partnerships Programme (UKTP)
More examples
Further marketing & branding work
Further ITC marketing and branding initiatives across different regions and sectors.
By Iraqi Hands / Made in Iraq
A national campaign building confidence in Iraqi products — including fresh horticulture — through shared branding, digital media and retail promotion across Iraq’s communities.
Funded by European Union (SAAVI)
Chyangra Pashmina
A sector branding initiative helping Nepal’s pashmina producers communicate authenticity, quality, origin and community value through shared promotional materials and a documentary film.
chyangrapashmina.com →Funded by Enhanced Integrated Framework (EIF)
Island of Ingenuity — IT services
Translating a national IT-services positioning into practical B2B digital communication tools, a campaign website, promotional materials and company-facing case studies.
islandofingenuity.com →Funded by EU Regional Multi-annual Indicative Programme for Asia 2014–2020
Work with ITC on marketing and branding
Better visibility and reputation can support higher value, stronger market access and, over time, better jobs and livelihoods.
Donor acknowledgement. The initiatives shown were delivered by ITC with the support of the donors named in each case. Their contents are the sole responsibility of ITC and do not necessarily reflect the views of the European Union or the other donors.