KINGSTON, Jamaica -- Usain Bolt had just been crowned the undisputed sprint king when a businessman boldly walked into the government office here hoping to cash in on the Jamaican track star's record-setting dash. The visitor from the Cayman Islands sought to brand his creative ideas: U-Sane Energy Drink and Lightening Bolt Energy Drink.

``Our antennas went up immediately,'' said attorney Carol Simpson, who heads the Jamaica Intellectual Property Office, which oversees trademarks, patents and copyrights. ``The truth is we are very, very careful in looking at instances like this.''

Before Bolt's world records in Beijing and Berlin, the gentleman might have gotten his way. Not any more. In an unusual move for one of the most marketed countries in the world, Jamaica has launched an aggressive campaign to protect its image -- and profit from its brand.

``That Jamaica Brand, that sort of thing that pops up in people's minds because of the Bolt-mania, that can lift you over the edge,'' Prime Minister Bruce Golding told The Miami Herald, referring to the renewed interest in all things Jamaican after Bolt set world records in the 100 and 200 meters at the Beijing Olympics last year then broke them at the recent World Championships in Berlin.

Brand Jamaica is everything distinctively and creatively Jamaican: from Blue Mountain coffee and Bob Marley, to reggae and Rastafarianism to herbs and seasonings.

But while Jamaica has one of the strongest images of any country in the region, thanks largely to its successful tourism marketing campaigns, the country's economy doesn't profit much beyond tourism from its powerful identity.

``Lots of firms around the world use Jamaican imagery to promote their products and services but Jamaica remains firmly stuck in a holiday destination stereotype,'' said Simon Anholt, who advises governments on how to improve their image.

``We don't have a problem creating stuff; the problem is monetizing it,'' said Dillon Powe, marketing executive with Passa Passa, a popular street party in one of Jamaica's roughest neighborhoods. ``Whether it's music or culture, there is something about Jamaica that draws people in. It's just a question of how to capitalize on it.''

GOING TOO FAR?

Still, Anholt said Jamaica may be going too far with its branding campaign.

Though Jamaica's campaign is centered around creating a ``Nation Brand'' -- a term Anholt coined in 1996, Anholt believes the term ``encourages politicians in the belief that they can simply spin their way into a better national image.''

``Countries have images, and those national images are as important to the prospects of those countries as brand images are to corporations,'' he said. ``Countries with a powerful and positive image find that everything they do ... is easier and cheaper.''

The Jamaica campaign is not unlike what South Africa did after apartheid, rebranding itself into the ``Rainbow Nation'' under Nelson Mandela.

No one can say with certainty how much Jamaica loses every time its name or black, gold and green colors appear on a pair of Puma tennis shoes, or when its familiar flag is hoisted.

Everybody seems to be benefiting from the Jamaica craze -- except Jamaica, said Finance Minister Audley Shaw.

``From Puma in terms of Bolt and his shoes to major entities that are using things that were created right here in Jamaica,'' he said. ``We are going to take a very aggressive and proactive approach to the branding in so many respects, in sports and in foods... to make sure we benefit.''

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