The Physical and Non-physical Values of Nation Branding

The improvement of its nation brand becomes the challenge for all countries. In the new system of globalization where the world becomes interconnected, it is also the time of advanced technology especially in communication. “Brands are amazingly valuable: if you subtract the value of the tangible assets of Coca-Cola from the market capitalisation of the company, you can find out how many billions that brand is worth”, (www.guardian.co.uk/books/2003). The world is becoming increasingly competitive; many countries seek to strongly assert their identity on the international stage to ensure better radiation and a positive perception of their brand, both internally and externally. But today, in the era of communications, with the Internet the world’s population has access to the daily reality of all nations around the world, e.g. an event that is happening in Argentina could be known at Kazakhstan, thus the perception of the brand depends on how it is designed and promoted by the country seeking to improve it.

Branding a country is represented by a set of values, both physical and non-physical, that can be evaluated by a symbol, a sign or a product name of each country, such as the flag of Great Britain, the monarchy, culture represents the brand image of the nation of Great Britain. “The way a country is perceived can make a critical difference to the success of its business, trade and tourism effort, as well as its diplomatic and cultural with other nations”, (www.gfkamerica.com/practice). The image of a country is dynamic; it is either directly or indirectly affected by many parameters such as its bilateral and multilateral relations on the international scene, the representation of its products on the domestic market or international, currency, language, its economic strength. More on international markets the brand image of a country depends on many factors, including the policy of each government to promote its image abroad. “For example, Coca-Cola may be seen as unhealthy, or as a symbol of global ‘imperialism’ by American brands”, (www.designcouncil.org.uk/resources). So the influence that branding can have is an impact on exports of a country, which is an important indicator of its economy. There are situations in some countries where their images are affected by how management policy is good or bad, an example is of Greece and Cyprus who do not have a good image in the European Union because of poor management of both countries, and there are consequences in their economies. This can be found especially with the tourism industry which plays an important role in their economies and is affected because of the poor image that the two countries are represented with outside. “The history of modern business is to a large extent a question of branding”. (http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2003)

Products from countries that are on the national and international markets reflect the image and prestige of where the products originate, for example the concept of ‘Made in’. Through some products or items labelled seen producing countries
‘Made in France’- Peugeot, Renault,
‘Made in Germany’- BMW, Mercedes Benz…
‘Made in India’ – TATA, Bollywood Movie
‘Made in Italy’- Fiat, Giorgio Armani…
‘Made in Japan’ – Toyota, Nissan, Samsung…
‘Made in UK’ – Burberry, Pound sterling (England currency), English as the world’s language, Monarchy…..
‘Made in USA’ – Military Superpower, Hollywood Cinemas, Boeing Company, Nike, Coca-Cola,
‘Made in Sweden’ – Ikea, Volvo…

The positive impact of branding a country can come in different ways, either by establishing a policy of internal promotion of the country, organizing regional summits or global sporting events such as the successful 2012 Olympic Games, an international sporting event that has improved the image of the United Kingdom around the world.

The brand image of a country in international markets depends on many factors, such as its economic, cultural, political, religious, military vis-à-vis its international relations and geopolitical strategies in the world. This strategy may compromise its image if policy decisions are negative. In this case, the perception of other countries towards one country affects its image because of poor governance, or whether diplomatic relations, such as the attitudes of Chinese boycotts against Japanese products or Pakistanis against Indian products. Thus, international relations can improve or even compromise the brand image of a country.

Nowadays, terrorism has led to many cases of international animosity against many Islamic countries. In these cases, the branding of a country can easily be affected because of their relationships, e.g. from the September 11 attacks, Western countries are wary of Arab countries, especially Muslim countries, and Americans consider every Muslim as a terrorist. So that’s how religion can affect the brand image of a country, however when looking at this particular example, we can also say that the way the West conducts itself in response to animosity against Islamic countries can seriously damage the west’s credibility and nation brands abroad.
______________________________________________________

[1]. Gfl, The Anholt-Gfk Roper Nation Brands Index, http://www.gfkamerica.com/practice_areas/roper_pam/nbi_index/ [Accessed on 28/03/2013]
[2]. Stephen Bayley , The Guardian, Saturday 18 October 2003, On Brand, by Wally Olins 256pp, Thames & Hudson, http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2003/oct/18/society2 [Accessed on 25/03/2013]
[3]. The power of branding: a practical guide. http://www.designcouncil.org.uk/resources-and-events/business-and-public-sector/guides/the-power-of-branding/ [Accessed on 25/03/2013]