Sloganeering in nation branding

Stolen from www.whisperbrand.com:

We found this country slogan analysis performed by the Wall Street Journal.

WSJ Place Brand Slogans From Incredible India to Uniquely Singapore, each of these place brands make the often repeated mistake in believing that cheerleading is branding. An approach of “let’s trump the competition by use of a chest thumping slogan” is a zero-sum game. The reason is any nation competing for business development and tourism dollars can trot out a one-up message such as Korea’s Something More.

Trumpeting a country or other place brand as unique does not make it so, as any effective brand strategy offers a demonstration rather than an explanation of uniqueness.

In addition, each of these exotic and dynamic slogans are all about me, me, me…rather than about the tourist or business audience a country seeks to attract. The only way such messages have any chance for a cultural breakthrough is if they are supported by large advertising spends over a number of years. For any country seeking a breakthrough onto the global stage, an advertising strategy is a money loser.

The solution is for government leaders and tourism officials to grasp the stark difference between advertising and branding. Unless they wish to don those cute little cheerleader outfits.