Nation Branding and Place Marketing - II. The Product
Nation Branding and Place Marketing - II. The Product
Nation Branding and Place Marketing - I. The Market
Nation branding is about how a nation, or part of a nation, is packaged and presented to external audiences. People are given the opportunity to choose whether they want to place their orders or stand in line. Nation Brands are marketed by showing them a slick commercial featuring upbeat images over text that tells them who they'd like to be if they buy what brand.
The prices of these products vary greatly depending on the target audience's demographic and lifestyle, with most products aimed at the more affluent generation because that's where the money is. The less affluent tend to turn away from branded products due in part to the lack of time afforded them.
Nation brands are very much like the fashion industry and their goods are in many ways similar to those produced by luxury goods makers such as Gucci and Chanel.
Nation branding must have a commitment from its audience if it wishes to succeed. One way this is accomplished is through nationalism, which is seen all over the world. There are many forms of nationalism including left nationalism and right nationalism, or religious nationalism, or even cultural nationalism. Nationalism can be seen as the marketing campaign behind nation branding. The campaign's slogan is "buy this product, it's good for you." In order to buy into the brand you have to be a true believer.
These brands are everywhere and most are available in different sizes and different varieties. They're designed to appeal to everyone. As with any product, there will be some consumers who want the real thing while others will settle for less expensive substitutes. Nation branding has its share of imitation products that are marketed as close-enough copies of the real thing.
Nation branding was created as a way to increase international trade in the 1970s. It's also used to perpetuate political or economic goals and to create antipathies and prejudices against those who are not like the queen of England.
The use of nation branding has been very beneficial for many nations such as Britain. The brand is very well known especially among younger people. The word has gone global and is used even in Japan by the Japanese themselves.
In China, nation branding is seen as an important part of their propaganda campaign that also includes billboards, posters and other pictorial oversights. This campaign is called "The Rise of Great Powers." It's also a way for them to get the world to view them as a world power, even though they are not.
Nation branding has never been successfully applied in the United States, no matter which group has tried to do it. I'm going to explain the failure of this country's nation branding efforts.
In the U.S., nation branding was first used in 1776 with the adoption of the American flag and other symbols such as bald eagles and red white and blue bunting. These early efforts weren't very effective because there was no commitment from the people; they weren't sold on what was being marketed to them.
The country changed its brand name in the 1980s to the United States of America. This was about the time Reagan became president and his administration coined the phrase "the shining city on a hill." They used it to describe America as a light that would shine forth unto the world.
The shining city was soon embraced by conservatives who considered it their mission to spread capitalism, Christianity and democracy throughout the world. At least that is how they described it. They also wanted to export American entertainment, including movies and music, as well as its products. The problem for them was that their policies did not resonate with everyone else in the world.
Another nation branding attempt was done in the 1990's under President Clinton. This time, the slogan was: "Bold leadership in a new century." I must say that it didn't have much success and they were trying to pull out of the internet boom at that time.
Finally, Bush took office with his nation branding slogan "a thousand points of light." Most people believed it was a catchphrase for good things he would accomplish as president rather than a slogan for his administration to use. I believe it was more of an endorsement than anything else; it simply did not fit the administration's overall goals.
Since then there have been many failed attempts at nation branding. I believe that the reason they haven't succeeded is because they are not really nation brands. They are more like product brands. They have the surface appeal of what should be branded. They're made to look like products but they're not the real thing at all.
When people see these slogans, they want to like them and buy into them but it's not about agreeing with what is being said, it's about wanting to be part of the group associated with it, or even buying into their message in some sense. This is true for any slogan or marketing campaign without a commitment from the audience.
Conclusion
One of the most important things to remember about nation branding is that it is a continually changing process. This can be seen with the latest changes to the U.S. flag and at many other levels, including language and culture.
Nation branding isn't about telling people what to do, what color to paint their houses or how they should worship God. It's about representing who they are and what they're all about as a country; not just as a government, but all aspects of life.
Nation branding has been used throughout history as a way for countries to project their power in the world; like when Britain was at its heyday in the 19th century. It was also used by fascist Italy under Mussolini.