Nation Branding as a Concept: The Application of Project Management Approaches

Abstract

The spreading globalization and technological progression in the area of telecommunication are contributing to the integration of markets which in turn is adding to the growth of competition among countries. This situation is contributing to the growing importance of the role of differentiation and country branding. In this highly competitive era, challenges are high for developing countries and higher for African countries who often become victim to the perception of considering the whole continent as one brand. Simon Anholt, author of the book ‘Brand New Justice’, stressed that the image of African continent is the biggest obstacle in the growth of its countries. He also indicated that if country branding exercise fails or remains ineffective in these countries, it may put a lot of pressure on the economy which is already suffering from issues of development. Therefore, in the given context, ensuring efficiency and effectiveness of country branding project seems important. Main challenges in this area are related to stakeholders management, coordination, coherence and management of political nature of country branding. Findings on common mistakes in European country branding stand as fundamental lessons for national branding initiatives in Africa and strengthens the importance of applying project management principles in order to avoid those mistakes. It is surprising that project management is often associated with technical or production projects. Hence, application of project management in softer areas of management like branding is still a less explored area. This paper will explore the avenues for application of project management approaches to make country branding more effective and efficient.