Korea wants to shake ‘Korean Discount’ off

It’s over two years ago since South Korea launched a nation branding programme. At first, it looked as just another (fake) ‘nation branding’ project consisting of a new logo, a new slogan, some ads and some press releases. But throughout these two years the South Koreans have proved that were bloody serious about branding, and…

Korea urged to revamp overseas PR system

The South Korean government needs to set up a unified source of information on what’s happening here as well as the country’s unique culture and history to meet the growing interest from foreigners following the successful hosting of the G20 summit last November, a Korean public relations expert told a Korean newspaper. “We must ask…

Lebanon’s brand notoriety declines

Lebanon was ranked in 194th place among 200 countries and territories around the world and in 18th place among 20 countries in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region in the third quarter of 2010, according to the 2010 edition of the Nation Brand Perception Index (NBPI). Lebanon also came in 41st place among…

Antigua & Barbuda plans nation branding for 2011

The concept of nation branding will be put into practice by the Ministry of Tourism from the start of 2011, according to Minister of Tourism and Civil Aviation John Maginley. The tourism minister said the initiative will start by finding out how people view the twin island state. He said the ministry will be “going…

Defining a post-crisis nation brand for Ireland

We’ve touched the issue of before (see our ‘Economic crisis may force countries to re-brand’ post). Small economies like Dubai, Greece and Iceland among others have undergone massive preassures in the last couple of years, and their image, their nation brand so to speak, has been more or less damaged. More recently, Ireland has been…

Branding Indonesia as a challenger

According to Homer Simpson, jokes about national stereotypes are funny because they are true. That is, if we take perception to be reality, and in marketing we do. A country’s reputation is based on the perceptions of others, though these are often nothing more than cliches. People are often wilfully ignorant of what others think of…

Britain at the Nation Brands Index 2010

In mid October we reported about the release of the 2010 Nation Brands Index. Information about the survey results was scarcer than in previous editions, yet substantial details were known across a number of print and online media news. The Nation Brands Index is certainly not a survey for public consumption, but a tool for…

An update on Finland’s country branding programme

The Finnish Foreign Ministry’s press release, according to which former Nokia CEO Jorma Ollila was to start work on creating a country brand for Finland, took many by surprise in September 2008. According to the press release, Minister for Foreign Affairs Alexander Stubb had set up a high-level delegation to develop a national brand for Finland….

Nation Branding at the 2010 World Expo

As one could easily guess, World Expos are a wonderful playground for nation branding. In these fairs you can find most countries in the world, and also find out how they want to portray themselves to the rest of the world. In other words, how they brand themselves. It’s like an (expensive) beauty contest for…

Boost for ‘Made in France’ label on debate

A plan to create a ‘Made in France’ label to emphasize the Frenchness of products has been met with mixed reactions from business people, ConnexionFrance reports. The idea, being pushed by former Overseas Minister Yves Jégo, was labelled “xenophobic” by one businessman, while others said it was ecological or good for the image of their…