The main debate that we had in class today was whether or not you could "brand" a nation. Ultimately it depends on the overall power and influence of the nation that is branding itself. A country like the United States is simply too active in the international community that its actions will send much more of a message than any ad campaign. But a country like Thailand can put out an active advertisement machine showing the country as a great tropical vacation spot and be very successful. Of course, the country is a mess with its domestic politics, which has deterred tourism there. With today's media, nation branding is going to be a lot more difficult. Certainly in the past, where America had the classic image of the land of opportunity, it had a brand as a ideal place for immigrants. But now, anyone can see everything that America does. America could but any amount of money into an ad campaign to get more immigrants into the country, but if someone is able to read or see an event where Americans treated immigrants negatively or see a contradictory government policy, then they would be quickly turned off and would no longer want to come to America. In the past, an immigrant simply didn't have the outlet to find out that America isn't exactly a paradise or that it would not be welcoming as they expected. Therefore, in these times, America actions will determine what other countries think of them. It is too powerful and influential for anything otherwise.
- Jon Raouf
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
While I agree that branding the US would be a tough generalization, it is definitely done. There are many different ways to brand people, their style, the way they talk, the way they act etc. Often, since the US is a well developed nation, we are easy to target as spoiled people. We are also relatively free to do what we wish, wear what we want and be who we want to be, so the US is often looked down upon because other nations might think we are spoiled brats. Since the poverty in our nation is so overshadowed by the glitz of Hollywood, other countries might not be able to see that our nation is not completely like the magazines.
ReplyDeleteIt's probably true that the U.S. cannot actively brand itself, not in the conscious sense. An advertising campaign simply isn't going to cut it. However, I think that America's image abroad is composed of more than just the government's policy decisions. American culture, be it fashion, music, film, products, technology, or whatever else is popular at the time, goes a long way in shaping views of America abroad. Certainly, any country at the top of the scientific and technological world garners at least some respect. Although American culture itself cannot be controlled, the mentality of it at any given time helps determine the opinions of people in other countries.
ReplyDelete