Nation Brand and Destination Brand Used In National Campaigns

Nation Brand and Destination Brand Used In National Campaigns

Nation Brand and Destination Brand Used In National Campaigns

Introduction

Nation branding and nation brand are two different concepts. A nation has a brand image with or without nation branding. This paper examines the concept of nation branding, focusing on the central question of what is being branded. It differentiates nation branding from product branding, and draws comparisons between nation branding and product-country image. Paradoxical issues around the concept and the wider context in which nation branding can be applied are also discussed. More research is needed to find out if and how nation branding could help the economic development in a country. As many other non-marketing factors also affect a nation's image the role played by nation branding may turn out to be only a modest one.

Analysis

Nation branding is a relatively new area though studies of the effect of country image on product purchase have been around for several decades (Keller, 1993). Despite the recent surge in interests amongst both academics and practitioners and growing publications, research on nation branding is still in the infant stage, and the topic itself remains as a complicated and somewhat confused construct. The purpose of this paper is to explore the concept of nation branding; in particular, it discusses the following: a) what is being branded? b) what are the differences between the nation brand and product brand? c) the link between nation branding and the country of origin effect; and d) the paradoxical issues and the wider context in which nation branding can be applied (Taylor, 2001).

A nation generally refers to a large group of people of the same race and language (Roth, 1995) while a country means an area of land occupied by a nation. Although nation and country are used interchangeably in the literature there is a subtle difference between nation brand/image and country brand/image. Terms such as the country of original effect (COO) are closely related with the product. The product-country image is imbedded as part of the product brand, and is meaningless if separated from the product. The concept of nation brand or country equity refers to the nation as a whole; it describes the country's intangible assets without any explicit links with a product. Product-country image is a subset of the country image (Keller, 1993). Other terms such as national identity and cultural stereotypes have little direct implication in branding or marketing because they have a clear focus on the culture and people of a nation (Taylor, 2001).

There is no single definition about nation branding. To some it is simply another term for country of origin effect or place marketing. To others it refers to a consistent and all-embracing national brand strategy which determines the most realistic, most competitive and most compelling strategic vision for the country, and ensures that this vision is supported, reinforced, and enriched by every act of communication between the country and the rest of the world (Anholt, ...