As anyone involved with branding municipalities knows, there are three primary audiences for municipalities – residents, businesses and tourists. (There are other audiences as well, but for the sake of simplicity, I will focus on these audiences.)
The World Cup approaches and, once again, the English nation hopes against hope that it can win the tournament and finally end 44 years of hurt. Meanwhile, in South Africa the dreams are just as bold but aimed in a very different direction. FIFA’s World Cup presents its hosts with, what they believe to be, their biggest ever opportunity to build a stronger country brand.
Just as a product with brand vitality will better compete and succeed, so too will a nation with a strong brand. Perceptions about an entire nation will be vast. In evaluating stakeholders’ perceptions of a country, marketers should look for and evaluate the following characteristics when surveying stakeholders impacting the perceptions of a country:
Just as businesses rely on their brand recognition and public perception to help improve commercial success, a country’s reputation and global image is a reflection of the strength of its “brand.”
In my current role, I am often asked why I believe place branding is a right strategy for accelerating the economic growth of a location.
