Countries as Brands: Owl Wisdom Podcast

In this edition of the Owl Wisdom Podcast, I would like to talk about brands, which is linked to my profession of advertising and brand communications. However, this time the focus is on countries as brands.

I have always believed that countries too are brands, though in a different way from companies, products and services. What they have in common, though, are all the elements that go into creating the brand architecture, most important of which are the core values.

The Covid-19 pandemic has shown us how different countries have responded in quite different ways to the same virus. I look at the possible reasons why this might be so and what it says about these countries as brands. I explore this through the prism of Geert Hofstede’s cultural dimensions of countries and I hope you enjoy listening to this podcast.

Below, I also share links to articles as well as links to the cultural dimensions comparison on Hofstede’s website.

Links for further reading:

https://www.academia.edu/40069201/1.3_Anholt_Editorial_-_Nation_Brand_as_Context_and_Reputation

https://www.academia.edu/40072568/6.3_Anholt_Editorial_Place_image_as_a_normative_construct_and_some_new_ethical_considerations_for_the_field

https://www.goodcountry.org/

http://www.worldvaluessurvey.org/

https://www.eiu.com/n/quality-of-oecd-countries-response-to-the-pandemic/

https://www.economist.com/leaders/2020/07/04/covid-19-is-here-to-stay-people-will-have-to-adapt

Compare countries

This edition of the Owl Wisdom Podcast uses the music tracks of Alexander Nakarada, Yoshinori Tanaka and Dee_Yan-Key from free-stock-music.com in the main sections of the podcast and the music of Twisterium from freebackgroundtracks.net in the introduction and interlude sections and is grateful to all for the same.