Small and large countries play different game. A giant might dictate the rules of trading and war, but the small ones might bright by the imagination. But countries’ success is not only about politics and economy. It’s also branding - whether you and your country are desirable enough.
Today, the world is one market. Simon Anholt writes in the Monocle that the advance of globalisation means that every country, city and region, rich or poor, competes for its share of the world’s consumers, tourists, investors, students, entrepreneurs, sporting and cultural events, and for the attention and respect of the international media, of other governments and of people in other countries.
According to Paula Scher the USA is suffering from very poor image and low approval overall the world. Elsewhere Africa suffers from “continent brand effect” as the little knowledge on individual nations allows the continental picture dominate. But what the Switzerland holds? An image of mountainous and safe, thou expensive tax paradise?
Branding the nations is not fancy advertisements or PR speeches. Branding a nation is acting and actually changing the country. The perceived image might stay short while, but the experienced one lasts forever. If your river water is not clean enough to drink, your country is polluted. A beautiful poster won’t change the reality.
A good image seduces investments and tourists. Unfortunately politicians seem to be bad branding people. And bad decision makers as well. Otherwise all the countries would enjoy the status of Switzerland. Wouldn’t they?
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