On-board nation branding: a missed opportunity for China?

Julien Lapka of the branding agency Flamingo has written a good post on how China is not using national carriers to do some nation-branding. The article is originall titled “Airline Nation Branding: A Missed Chinese Opportunity?” Airlines have the potential of being the most persuasive cultural ambassadors for any country. The first and last memory…

Wally Olins on BRIC countries’ brand potential

In January 2011 I wrote a short essay on how Bric countries were not taking full advantage of their country of origin. In there I argued that Brazil, China and India could build larger, more powerful brands by using nationality more, and that the world was ready for that. This is an excerpt from that…

China: Rebranding 101

Even if you’ve been living under a rock, chances are you have heard about China’s impressive economic growth and its continuing rise as an important global player. A few weeks ago, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee released an informative report on the disparities between Chinese and American public diplomacy activities today. Most importantly, the report,…

The Expo 2010 Shanghai as a nation branding tool

International Expos and World Fairs have traditionally been instances for countries to ‘brand’ themselves – to introduce themselves and to tell a story about themselves, not only for the host country but also for guest nations. The USC Center on Public Diplomacy at the Annenberg School’s research team in Shanghai has launched a very interesting…

Brand China reels from lost trust

This is an oldie – an “old” 2008 article first published on Singapore’s The Business Times. It was written by Joseph Baladi, CEO at BrandAsian, shortly after the staging of the Olympics in Beijing, China. Even if somewhat old, some of the points being made in this article around Brand China specifically are still worth…

Interview: China’s nation brand and Shanghai’s 2010 Expo

Looking back through history, international events are coveted by their host countries to promote their nations’ brands. The Olympics had successfully repositioned Greece and Spain as attractive nations. And the 1933 Chicago Expo is regarded as a marker for the US recovery from the recession. With the 2010 World Expo on Shanghai’s horizon, can China’s…

Made in China

Chinese companies must improve their quality and brand image to gain a competitive edge in the global arena, according to a recent survey by London-based Interbrand Consultancy. The “Made-in-China” survey interviewed over 700 business professionals on their perceptions about products made in China and the potential for Chinese brands going overseas. The survey revealed that…

China’s brand

This newspaper has published an interesting article on China’s brand: When they think of China, many people around the world associate it with cultural heritage and, unsurprisingly to some, sport. Tourism, exports and investment are other aspects the country is closely identified with. These are the results of the latest national branding index released yesterday…