The Netherlands will soon be going through an international rebranding, as Dutch authorities have decided to drop “Holland” in favour of “The Netherlands".
Even today, many people from around the globe refer to the Netherlands as “Holland”, which is largely due to the country's international branding. The country’s current branding features the “Holland” moniker, illustrated with an orange tulip.
The country wants to institute a new international branding strategy that has been developed by the country’s major cities, ministries as well as sporting and cultural institutions. According to the marketing magazine Adformatie, the new strategy will be “less promotional and more about content”.
Even though Holland is but a region and former province of the Netherlands, the name is frequently accepted by the international community, and sometimes even the Dutch themselves, as a reference to the whole country.
The Netherlands is set to switch to using “The Netherlands” as its official branding. This will replace “Holland” on its online accounts, including its official tourism website. Orange will remain as the official colour of the Netherlands, however, there has been no confirmation that the tulip will survive the rebranding.
The change will happen ahead of the Olympic Games in Tokyo and the Eurovision Song Contest 2020, which is being held in the Dutch city of Rotterdam next year. This is no doubt a strategic move, allowing them to expose and showcase the new branding at highly publicised international events.
In recent years, many places have taken a more serious approach to branding in order to raise awareness and boost tourism or simply to present a more positive image. Marketing professionals in the Netherlands, who have been briefed on the rebranding, report that the country will portray itself as “co-creating pioneering solutions to global challenges”.