Estonia continues to stand out for its blend of digital innovation and deep-rooted natural beauty. At the forefront of shaping and promoting the Estonian brand is Kata Varblane, Director of Country Promotion. With nearly a decade of experience in investment promotion and branding, Kata is now leading the development and refinement of Estonia’s country brand strategy—guided by data, storytelling, and a strong collaborative spirit.
In this interview, Kata reflects on Estonia’s branding journey, the new tools and principles shaping its future, and the island that has her heart.
Kata, if you had to capture Estonia in just three words for someone who has never visited, which would you choose?
Future-oriented. Easy. Digital.
In Estonia, you can experience the new normal. We have gone digital, and now we go beyond – offering people the most natural way of life, where the technology supports your daily life organically. We call it proactive public services. And the same goes for businesses. You can focus all your time on developing your innovative business instead of hassling with bureaucracy. The result is that you have more time for the things that matter to you the most – spending time with the people you love, enjoying nature or developing new inventions.
Estonia has recently refined its country brand, introducing a new central narrative, visual identity updates, and clearer brand principles. What was the thinking behind this refresh?
Over the past 30 years, Estonia has grown from zero to a hero. Estonia’s GDP has increased roughly tenfold over the past 30 years. We want to contribute to the greater good and share our secret formula for what’s behind this success. The Estonian way of doing things makes us resilient and allows us to succeed at change.
Estonia’s brand is rooted in how its people think, act, and succeed—often in the face of challenges. These values reflect the mindset that has shaped Estonia’s rise as a digital society, a resilient nation, and a trustworthy partner.
You’ve mentioned using image surveys to support more data-based decisions in brand development. What have you learned from these, and how have the results influenced your strategy?
We can see from the image surveys that Estonia is not very well known globally, but when people already know about our country, the image is very positive. Especially if we look at the ease of doing business, contributing to global good, sustainability or education – those areas strongly define our international image.
However, the results are somewhat different when looking at the data country by country. Different topics resonate in other countries. Now, we can use that knowledge to adjust our communication accordingly. We can also see how strongly some meaningful actions are reflected in image surveys, so we can confidently continue our honest and trustworthy strategic approach.
Estonia is widely known for its digital capabilities. How do you strike a balance between promoting e-Estonia and the country’s natural and cultural assets?
For us, digital is not the goal itself. Smart use of technology is just a tool to accomplish our real goal: to provide the best living and operating environment for both people and businesses. This is something that makes Estonia special.
Compared to nature and culture, where there is actually so much to discover, the competition for attention is huge in those areas. As a small nation, it is very hard for us to compete. We use our nature and culture as much as possible.
I just returned from performing at our National Song and Dance Festival, which will take the breath away from everyone attending. 100,000 people coming together, singing and dancing as one—this is an incredible feeling that unites everyone and shows the true nature of Estonia as a strong, independent, optimistic, and thriving country.
Which countries do you think are doing especially well in terms of place branding? Any that you look to for inspiration?
Interestingly, New Zealand, a country on the opposite side of the world, has become a role model for us. I want to thank David Downs for his inspiration and openness when sharing their knowledge.
However, it’s also always beneficial to consult with our close Nordic neighbours, Sweden and Finland, with whom we share similar values and much in common.
As we move further into 2025, what’s next for Estonia’s brand? Are there any upcoming projects or areas of focus that you’re particularly excited about?
Last week, our new brand video was shot. Looking forward to seeing the final result. It will communicate the actual vibe of Estonia very well. We showcase our everyday life, which may surprise others, but it is normal for us.
We have a new concept of featuring our story through our talented change-makers – people from Estonia who have achieved something remarkable. In our country, it’s all about people; everyone counts and is dedicated to breaking barriers. We may be small, but the effect that, for example, the e-residency programme has given to the world in terms of everyone having access to becoming an entrepreneur location-independently – is a considerable influence. Exactly how we operate as the country – we don’t close up, but we always find ways to share what we have developed for Estonia to make it accessible for everyone worldwide. We have a natural desire to benefit the world and have a greater impact.
Other examples are from the education field. In September, we will launch an AI programme called AI-Leap for all the schools in Estonia. We want to ensure that we are the first to use the latest tech developments cleverly so our students can continue to be the best talent in the world. Girls’ tech education is also making significant progress in Estonia. The Unicorn Squad initiative provides voluntary tech education in a fun way for thousands of girls every year. We can see the impact very soon in having more inclusion and creativity in the tech field in Estonia and beyond.
We are also preparing a slight update for our brand design system. So stay tuned in the autumn.
We will! And finally, beyond your professional work—what’s one place in Estonia that helps you recharge?
I’m from a small island called Vormsi, in Swedish Ormsö. This small island was inhabited by Swedes for centuries and has a tragic history dating back to the Second World War. Local people had to leave their home island, escaping the Soviet occupation; ~2000 people emigrated to the West, mainly Sweden. Now, we have the best combination of our roots and ancient culture in modern Estonia, living again on a full scale. We have reinvented our talharpa (bowed lyre) tradition, which maybe you also saw at the Eurovision Song Contest in 2024, performed by Puuluup and 5MIINUST.
The island has a remarkable variety of nature at just 93 km2. I invite you to visit and enjoy the freedom of being yourself. It’s about time.
Thank you, Kata.
Connect with Kata on LinkedIn or learn more about Brand Estonia.
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