This is the story of how a people shook off its troubled past to become a new symbol of hope and optimism.On February 17th 2008, Kosovo declared its independence. It was clear from the start that the country's future success would lie in people's attitude towards it. Until then, the world had seen only images of the Balkan War: Conflict. Fear. Refugees.Our agency was asked to create a campaign that would reposition the country and we found the answer on the streets of Kosovo - in the masses of young people we saw everywhere around us.In fact, Kosovo has the youngest average age of any European country - only 25. The European average is 40.Unlike traditional national branding campaigns, based on images of sun, heritage, or investment, our approach was to be radically different – focusing not on the country itself, but on its young people and their dreams for the future.Our aim was clear: To bring the spirit of youth to the old continent. Kosovo - The Young Europeans.

Our brief from the Government of Kosovo featured a broad range of target audiences and goals:- World governments - to achieve recognition- Investors and donors - Investment- The domestic audience - National confidence - Neighbouring countries - Message of peace- The European Union - Accelerate EU integration - General international audience - Public acceptance - Travellers - Increase tourismResearch interviews conducted by AMR London in UK, Germany, Netherlands, Belgium, Spain, and Austria - presented a challenging starting point. In all 6 countries, Kosovo's image was very much rooted in the past, with primary associations of 'War', 'Poverty', and 'Refugees'.

A public diplomacy campaign combining paid-for and free media:- First spot aired 26/10/2009, on CNN, Euronews, Sky, with print in Economist, Newsweek.- Political and business leaders targeted with European Voice, The Banker, in-flight magazines on Austrian Air, Brussels Airlines.- For Kosovo's 2nd Independence Day - 17/2/10 - people around the world were invited to record and upload video greetings. Best clips aired on CNN.

- New 'Arabic' version of commercial aired on Al Jazeera.- Ads in El Pais, El Mundo targeted Spanish leaders - Spain held EU presidency at that time.- Europe Day 6/5/10 – ads in newspapers of the 'non-recognizing' EU countries: Spain, Romania, Greece, Cyprus, Slovakia.

- In Brussels, boxed puzzles were delivered to 250 MEPs.Branded events across Europe: - Leadership training- Sporting events- Film festivals- Rock concertFeatured during Kosovo visits of Joe Biden, Bill Clinton, Tony Blair, and Hillary Clinton.* see Confidential Information

With less than 0.5% of global spend on place branding the campaign has achieved the following:- 13 more countries recognised Kosovo's independence; Kosovo's legitimacy was upheld by The Hague (ICJ).- The campaign received special mention from Tony Blair who said:"I love your recent publicity slogan - Kosovo: the Young Europeans.You are the newest country in Europe also with Europe’s youngest population."- Hillary Clinton - US Secretary of State, commented on the 'youngest in Europe: "Now that's exciting to me".- Dozens of international news sites covered the campaign.- Best Ad Of The Day on CampaignLive and Adforum.- The work had a major effect on people exposed to it.

- In a survey with 900 European respondents, after being shown the ads, attitudes changed dramatically:Kosovo's image:Before exposure - After exposure Young 20%- 67% Positive 33%- 78%European 27%- 61%Optimistic 26%- 68%(Source: AMR Research - London)

The big idea for this campaign sought neither to romance the country’s natural wonders nor to promote a certain investment-based offering.

Instead, its intention was to share an attitude with the continent in which it exists. To bring the spirit of youth to the old continent.The feeling is based on a fact. The average age of Kosovo's population is just 25. Amongst larger European nations it's closer to 40. In fact, Kosovo has the youngest average age of all European countries.To address so many audiences and goals on a limited budget (the published sum was just 5.3 million Euro) the campaign would need to adopt a unique approach in the arena of nation branding.In short, to position the Kosovars as: The Young Europeans.

The images of the Balkan War of the late 1990s broadcast around the world on TV news channels had left an enduring impression on the minds of the billions of viewers who had seen them. A decade later, this troubled image remained.Kosovo declared independence in 2008, and two years on its Government started a public diplomacy campaign for the country.In creating this campaign we would need to define a strategy that would dramatically shift perceptions from the problems of the past, to the potential of the future.