In this second article of our series on Nation Brand Indexes, Victoria Berry, Strategist at FutureBrand North America, discusses the characteristics of the Country Brand Index and analyses the results and challenges of the Korea Brand in the 2010 edition. The CBI’s objective is to determine how close perceptions are to reality and provide a [...]

Indexes play a major role in evaluating a country brand’s strength and perception on the global stage. In particular, the Anholt-Gfk Roper Nation Brands Index (NBI) and the Futurebrand Country Brand Index (CBI) have both earned a wide international recognition and trust in the way they develop and produce their respective index. In this first [...]

Jay Wang is an associate professor of strategic communication at the University of Southern California’s Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism. His numerous research projects and articles address the role of nation communication in the contemporary process of globalization, with an area focus on China and public diplomacy. He recently led a research project on [...]

This article is the second part of a two-part series based on our discussions and exchanges with Martin Roll, business and brand strategist, former Honorary Ambassador to Korea and the author of the global bestseller “Asian Brand Strategy“. The first part was about Korea’s Image and Global Brands, the second part focuses on National Branding [...]

We had the occasion on June 1st to discuss in depth with Martin Roll, business and brand strategist, former Honorary Ambassador to Korea and the author of the global bestseller “Asian Brand Strategy“. As a world-renowned thought-leader on value creation through brand equity, he was one of the earliest supporters of the Branding Korea Initiative [...]

Paul Rockower is a gastronomist and recent graduate of the Master’s of Public Diplomacy program at the University of Southern California. He is the Communications Director for Public Diplomacy Corps, an organization dedicated to bringing public diplomacy to the public. This article introduces the concept of gastrodiplomacy and focuses on the Korean-Mexican fusion food as [...]

We recently had the chance to discuss with one of our fellow LinkedIn Group Member Grace Wandera, National Brand Manager at the Brand Kenya Board, about her country’s National Branding strategy. In our conversation, and after a high level introduction of the Board, she mentionned some interesting points that could serve as inspiration for other [...]

In order to stimulate awareness and demand for tourism, branding seems to be the new key to success for destination marketers. However, it can also be a dangerous option if the traveler’s experience is not consistent with the brand promise, which should express the realistic benefits and experiences to be expected when visiting a country. For example, Korea is [...]

On the Web Christopher Graves, CEO at Ogilvy PR Worldwide, on the continuing mystery of Korean brands not getting credit; The impact of Kim Yuna’s record on Korea’s Image and Economy; The Olympian will also appear in a new documentary to promote Seoul abroad; Korea will host the next meeting of the G-20 Tourism Ministers (or T-20) in Seoul [...]

Korea’s new ambition to enhance its international positioning has seen the emergence of multiple brands and campaigns. All of which have different strategies, are more or less comprehensible, but share the same target audience and objectives of promoting tourism and improving Korea’s image abroad. This proliferation of brands is a reflection of a certain ambition [...]

We had the chance to recently sit down and discuss with Carla Stanisfer, a United States Fullbright fellow, producer and director of “Lacquer: Korea’s Brilliant Art!”, the first film produced in English about Korea’s Lacquer Arts. The documentary, currently in editing stage, is scheduled to be released later this year, and will be shown in [...]

January 2010 marks the start of a major transition period in terms of communication strategy for Korea. While the “Korea, Sparkling” campaign is about to end, the future of this brand is being discussed among various committees, including the Presidential Council on Nation Branding. Since its launch in 2007, Korea Sparkling’s main goal was to increase [...]

No matter how hard the Korean government tries to change South Korea’s image abroad, the North Korea issue and the De-Militarized Zone (DMZ) are continuous reminders in the media that the country is still technically at war with its neighbor. As such, Time Magazine included the DMZ among its 25 Authentic Asian Experiences, which reignited the debate [...]

It is with great pleasure to launch the BrandingKorea.org website today, a place to comment, discuss, support or critique the multiple strategies & initiatives aimed at raising awareness about Korea internationally while forging a strong, comprehensible and unique national brand. As the twenty-first century progresses and new nations continually emerge, one of the main priorities of [...]