Role Of Nation Branding

Nation Branding: Impact and Role in Marketing

1. INTRODUCTION

Imagining the USA without night life, France without fashion, Germany without machines, Japan without automobiles or India without color appears to be hazy. Countries emanate pictures, emotions and associations. The idea we associate with a country, is the decisive factor for its emotional compounding. The increasing competition puts nations under pressure to act through creating their own, distinctive brand, its values, working positively and removing any misunderstandings or negative connotations, if perceived by the public. Limited experiences may have preceded (vacation, prejudices, media reports, acquaintances, circle of friends, etc.) which barely match a country’s actual

To define the role of nation branding and create a strategic management tool on nation branding for the sustainable competitiveness of nations, this research investigates the relevant literature in nation branding and competitiveness contexts.

Most Western European countries have accepted and practiced nation brand. The theory of nation brand has been accepted and practiced, but not developed and criticized whether it is possible to brand a nation. In the academy, nation branding study has four different sources; country of origin (COO), place or destination branding, public diplomacy and national identity. At the first level, the simplest approach to developing a nation brand is through visual symbol or slogan. Therefore, the nation can be easily branded and communicated in this level. At the second level, a nation brand is viewed as an umbrella brand that encompasses many sub-sectors such as tourism or export destinations. At the third level, a nation brand concerns the country’s image, reputation, and positioning which is similar to the role of corporate branding (Roth & Diamantopoulos 2009). Finally, at the fourth level, nation branding can be used as an important tool in developing and maintaining a nation’s political power, as successful nation branding campaign will help create a more favorable image among the international audience and thus enhance the country’s

the effects that determine the choice and purchase of foreign products. Moreover, limited sources study the field of generic country image. The majority of the publications are related to the marketing science although the subject is not exclusive to marketing-focused literature. The recent and the most updated publications are following a new trend, focusing on country image considering to be something that can be positioned and valued on the marketplace, as can be products and brands (Gertner, 2011). This trend has been recognized academically through the formation of a distinct field of science. Gertner (2011) posits that academic literature agrees that a conscious country branding strategy and creating a strong, positive internal and external country image is a the main tool of competition between countries. (see e.g. Kotler et.al. 1993; Friedman, 1999; van Ham, 2002a; Anholt, 2002; Plavsak, 2003; deVicente, 2004; Jaffe – Nebenzahl,