1. Nation branding and country
image: Opportunities and
limitations of a media-centric
approach
Keith Dinnie
Temple University, Tokyo, Japan

2. 2

3. Nations have always competed
with each other
 The shifting balance between ‘hard’ and
‘soft’ power
 Investment attraction
 Export promotion
 Tourism
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4. Many countries do not know
what to do
 The use of brand management techniques
is relatively new
 Many governments are not familiar with
these techniques
 Every country should develop its own
original nation branding strategy
4

5. A blind faith in the power of
advertising
 Much public money is spent on expensive
advertising campaigns
 However, very little evaluation is made of
the effectiveness of these ad campaigns
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6. Public relations consultancies
 Generate positive media coverage
 Develop ongoing relationships with
journalists and editors
 But reality must underpin the spin
6

7. A more balanced approach is
required
 A media-centric approach operates via:
– Paid-for advertising in relevant media
– News management through PR officers and/or
consultants
 However, the range of nation branding
tools extends far beyond a media-centric
approach
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8. Complementary nation
branding tools and techniques
 Activation of diaspora networks
 Improved coordination between different
stakeholder groups
 Cultural diplomacy
 Increasing the entrepreneurialism of
Embassy networks
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9. Key concepts in nation
branding
 Identity versus image
 The identity-image gap
 The facets of nation-brand identity
 Deconstructing nation-brand image
 Positioning the nation-brand
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10. 3 key elements of branding
theory
 Brand identity
 Brand image
 Brand positioning
10

11. Identity versus image
 A simple but robust perspective:
– Identity refers to what something truly is, its
essence
– Image refers to how something is perceived
 There is frequently a gap between these
two states
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12. The identity-image gap
 This tends to be a negative factor
 Many nations struggle with the frustration
of not being perceived correctly by the
rest of the world
 Stereotypes and clichés can dominate
perceptions of some nations
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13. Would you allow
this man to brand
your nation?
13

14. Nation branding attempts to
reduce the identity-image gap
 By identifying prejudices and
misperceptions
 By enabling nations to dismantle and
oppose the negative forces that could:
– Hold back the nation’s economic development
– Damage the nation’s standing in the world
community
14

15. Constructing the nation-brand
narrative
 Narrative identity theory
 Imaginative & creative input in brand
identity development
 Poets, novelists, and other creative writers
could play a significant role in enhancing
their nation’s reputation
15

16. The facets of nation-brand
identity
 Nation-brand identity is built upon a limited
range of all the constituent parts of national
identity
 External audiences are unwilling to process huge
amounts of information about a country’s
history, culture, society
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17. Deconstructing nation-brand
image
 The mental representations (images) that
people have of countries can derive from
various influencing factors
 Nations have varying degrees of control
over these influencing factors
17

18. Image-formation factors
Personal
experience
Nation-brand Word of
campaigns mouth
Behaviour of COUNTRY National
citizens IMAGE stereotypes
Export
Politics
brands
Sports
performances
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19. Assessing brand image via
brand personification
 ‘Brand personification’ is a qualitative research
technique
 The question: “If brand X were a person, what
kind of person would it be?”
 Product brands have been using this technique
for years – there is no reason why it could not
be applied to nation-brands
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20. Perceptions of Brand Spain
amongst Japanese
students aged 18-25
“If Spain was a person, what kind
of person would it be?”
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21. “Spain is a cheerful girl, she
always smiles for everyone,
she makes everyone happy.”
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22. “Passionate dancer. It is
because the image of Spain is
passion.”
22

23. “A girl, aged 25 years old. Beautiful
and sexy. Likes dancing and
singing. She has 5 boy friends
who are waiting for the day they
can date her.”
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24. “Man, 30 years old, wears red
clothes. He is confident in
himself.”
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25. “A man in his middle age
drinking and singing
every day, all day long.”
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26. Perceptions of Brand
Portugal amongst
Japanese students aged
18-25
“If Portugal was a person, what
kind of person would it be?”
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27. “A young very ambitious
woman.”
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28. “Spain’s younger sister, but a
bit more calm.”
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29. “Mysterious”
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30. “Thoughtful person who likes
to communicate with
others.”
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31. “Male. Quiet and a big guy. In
his 40s. Wise man. Has a wife.
The wife is very beautiful. Has
few friends but very close.”
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32. Conceptual model of nation-
brand identity and image
Key components:
Nation-brand identity History Language Territory Political
regime Architecture Sport Literature Art
Religion Education system Icons
Landscape Music Food & drink Folklore
Branded exports Sporting achievements
Communicators of The diaspora Marketing communications
nation-brand identity Brand ambassadors Cultural artefacts
Govt foreign policy Tourism experience
Prominent personalities
Audiences:
Nation-brand image Domestic consumers External consumers
Domestic firms External firms Inward
investors Governments Media
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33. Positioning the nation-brand
 The concept of positioning is a key issue
in brand management and strategy
 The work of advertising agencies and
branding consultancies includes:
– Establishing effective positioning platforms
– Designing campaigns for successful
implementation of the desired positioning
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34. Positioning defined
 “Positioning is the act of designing the
company’s offering and image to occupy a
distinctive place in the mind of the target
market”
– Kotler & Keller, 2006
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35. National tourism campaigns often
lack distinctive positioning
 Such campaigns score low on distinctiveness
 They make generic, undifferentiated claims for
their sandy beaches, sunshine, etc
 Risk of commoditization
 Higher-end cultural tourism offers potential for
better positioning
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36. Nation-brand positioning
platforms
Nation-brand Positioning platform
South Africa “Alive with possibility”
Bolivia “The authentic still exists”
Scotland “The best small country in the world”
India “India Shining”
Thailand “Amazing Thailand”
Malaysia “Truly Asia”
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37. 37

38. The New France – Breaking
Through the Perception Barrier
 Mr Philippe Favre, French Ambassador for
international investment, Chairman and
CEO of Invest in France Agency
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39. Background
 Now the world’s 5th largest economy, France is a
modern and dynamic country located at the
heart of the largest market in the world –
Europe
 It has reinvented itself over the past few years:
– Significant privatizations & reforms across key sectors
to become more internationally competitive
– Business formalities have been simplified
– First-class infrastructure & talented workforce
39

40. The perception gap
 France’s leading edge technology and
innovation in healthcare is familiar to
investors in China and Japan
 However, this is overlooked by companies
in the USA and the UK, who are
preoccupied with outdated perceptions
that go against the modern actuality of
France
40

41. Changing the world’s opinion
 The French government recognized that
correcting the discrepancy between the
myth and the reality of France’s image
was important for:
– The success of its economy
– Inward investment levels
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42. Invest in France Agency (IFA)
 Government organization responsible for
promoting international investment and helping
foreign investors succeed in France
 As part of its mission, IFA has helped erase
misconceptions about France over the past 3
years with the rollout of an image campaign:
– “The New France. Where the smart money goes.”
42

43. Collaborative approach
 With a total budget of 35 million Euros,
the campaign was developed & run by IFA
in collaboration with several French
government bodies, including:
– UBIFrance, Maison de la France, information
service dept, Ministry of Foreign Affairs,
French Economic Mission, Sopexa,
EDUFrance, Treasury Directorate, etc
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44. Campaign goals
 Raise France’s economic profile among 5
leading target investment countries:
– USA, UK, Germany, Japan, China
 Improve foreign investor opinions of
France
 Create solid relationships with foreign
investors for long-term dialogue
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45. Campaign strategy
 Focus on boosting visibility & credibility
 Tangible facts and testimonials from
international corporations already doing business
in France
 Senior executives from 12 reputable global
companies (e.g., FedEx, Toyota, Xerox, GE,
Sony) described:
– The ease of setting up; the access to qualified talent;
the convenience of a central location
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46. Emphasizing France’s
attractiveness
 Flexible labor laws
 Superior healthcare system
 Diverse business clusters
 Statistical benchmarks displaying
competitiveness in categories such as:
– Real-estate costs, employee salaries, tax rates
46

47. High-impact advertisements
 Over 185 ads endorsed “The New France”
in top economic news publications:
– Financial Times, Wall Street Journal,
Handelsblatt, Nikkei
 Billboard ads also appeared at major
airports in:
– USA, UK, Japan, China, and Roissy Charles de
Gaulle airport in Paris
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48. Supplementary marcoms tools
 Sector videos
 A comprehensive multilingual
communications kit
 A book available in 5 languages
 A microsite, www.thenewfrance.com
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49. Face-to-face contacts
 IFA executives met with economic leaders
and potential investors at nearly 150 high-
profile events during the campaign,
including:
– World Economic Forum in Davos
– Business Week Leadership Forum
– Fortune Innovation Forum
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50. Campaign results
 61% of respondents in USA and UK said it
made them view France in a new light
 40,000 new jobs created in France in 2006
from foreign investment projects, a 33%
increase over 2005
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51. Conclusions
 Media strategy needs to be balanced by
face-to-face contacts
 Allocate resources to building long term
relationships with investors and other
target audiences
 Develop a collaborative approach between
different Government Ministries and
Departments
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52. The FIST (fully inclusive
stakeholder) approach
Government
Public sector Private sector
Citizens
organizations organizations
Tourism board
Inward investment Trade associations
Not-for-profit
agency Chambers of commerce
organizations
Economic development PSC brands
Diaspora
agency
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53. Thank you for your attention
END
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