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THE JOURNAL OF ECONOMIC SCIENCES: THEORY AND PRACTICE, V.74, # 1, 2017, pp. 34-47
THE JOURNAL OF ECONOMIC SCIENCES: THEORY AND PRACTICE, V.74, # 1, 2017, pp. 34-47

attention of the audience; as once this battle is won, political advantage and
economic dividends are achieved by the nations.
Governments of states try to use popular brands for furthering nations‘ image
worldwide. Leverage for a brand to evolve at its own, is somewhat limiting due to
this growing influence. ―It is no longer a question of 'to brand or not to brand' for a
state's government, but rather a decision of doing the branding or going bust‖ [Van
Ham, Maarten. ―Job access, workplace mobility, and occupational achievement.‖
(2002)]. It is the buyers, not the sellers ‘opinion which matters. In other words, a
country should be selling what the ‗buyers‘ - that is, tourists and consumers abroad
- are interested in paying for, rather than what a ‗ seller ‘ - that is, a country, its
politicians and population at large - decides to offer or sell. ―Ad hoc brand
campaigns rarely if ever bring expected 'dividends'. To be effective, image-
formation not only needs to be constantly managed, but also needs to rely on time-
tested marketing techniques.‖ [Ausra Park, ‗Selling ‘a small state to the world:
Lithuania‘s struggle in building its national image, Place Branding and Public
Diplomacy‖ (November 2008) 67-84].
Nation Branding in Practice. Nation branding can be defined as ―the
phenomenon by which governments engage in self-conscious activities aimed at
producing a certain image of the nation state.‖ [Bolin, G. & P. Stahlberg. ―Between
Community and Commodity. Nationalism and Nation Branding.‖ In Communicating
the Nation. National Topographies of Global Media Landscapes, edited by Anna
Roosvall and Inka Solivara Moring, (2010) 79–101]. By employing soft power tools
intelligently, brands can heighten the national identity. Despite varied implications
of principles and practice of nation branding, the embedding of national identity in
brand campaigns enhances the consumers‘ understanding as national citizens and
global subjects. ―Nation branding is the art of applying the branding and marketing
communication techniques to promote nation‘s image‖ [Ying Fan. ―Branding the
Nation – What is being branded? Journal of Vacation Marketing, (2006) 12:1, 5-
14.]. ―Nation Branding is an issue beyond national pride. A nation‘s brand affects its
economy - it matters what others think about us.‖ [Tim Lincoln, 2015. ―Nation
Branding: Perception Can Be Reality — So Manage It‖].
―Nation branding may be taken as a commercial practice, which has emerged
since the end of the Cold War, as a mean for the nations to redefine and reposition
themselves within the master narrative of globalization [Jansen, S. C. ―Designer
Nations: Neo-Liberal Nation Branding – Brand Estonia.‖ Social Identities 14 (1): (2008)
121–142.]. Apposite nation branding complements the commitment of citizens to the
terms of political self-determination and ideals of public communication.

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