The Azores, its territory and culture have multiple shapes and expressions, thus, the Regional Government decided to value this territorial identification by creating Marca Açores. It is a strategy and a brand that stands for quality, throughout the entirety of the regional productions. It enables the local products to stand out through the most characteristic traits of the Azores – nature, high environmental value, natural diversity and exclusivity. This is of undeniable importance for success in accessing and securing markets, aiming to contribute to the added value of Azorean products and services and to foster exportation. Marca Açores is now one of the major driving forces in promoting the region internally and externally. 

This strategy defines a consistent path through the creation of a visual identity and signature, which ensures that the place of origin of the products and services is the Azores. This stimulates the pre-existing preference for the consumption of Azorean products, while contributing to production growth and ensuring structural conditions to regional enterprises to progress in the value chain, increase their competitiveness, status and promote job creation and wealth. 

Marca Açores may be used by all entities that contribute to the valorization of the territory, to attract investment, to increase exports, with a brand architecture that allows for the distinction of different areas of business in a logic of coherence and visibility. Marca Açores promotes awareness campaigns throughout the value chain with the goal of further valorizing the products and marketing campaigns in strategic markets. 

Marca Açores can be used on its own or in combination with other brands and assumes two main dimensions: a brand that guarantees the belonging to the region and to its patrimony, and a seal of origin for its products and services. The entities that wish to join Marca Açores, or those that wish to use it, must ensure full compliance with the access conditions set for that purpose. These are established in regulations and specific guidebooks thus guaranteeing a standard of quality of the regional product/service. 

The users of Marca Açores are granted by its managing entity access to different services and synergies. Amongst the benefits and advantages of joining Marca Açores are the possibility of benefiting from communication and marketing campaigns of the initiative, put in place by the managing entity, departments of the Azores Government and other partner entities; the straightforward and immediate recognition by consumers of the product’s regional origin and regional incorporation, fostering preference for the consumption of Azorean products; the increased demand for goods that contribute, in a more noticeable manner, to creating value in the Azores, thus promoting the competitiveness of the entities that join; the possibility of Marca Açores products to receive special focus amongst large retail and other participating retailers; The collective participation in regional, national and international promotional events, aimed at different individual target groups or companies. 

Source: marcaacores.pt