Countries are countries, not brands | Opinion | Marketing Week
Thursday, June 3, 2010 at 08:56PM The World Cup approaches and, once again, the English nation hopes against hope that it can win the tournament and finally end 44 years of hurt. Meanwhile, in South Africa the dreams are just as bold but aimed in a very different direction. FIFA's World Cup presents its hosts with, what they believe to be, their biggest ever opportunity to build a stronger country brand. That is a shame because, despite its growing popularity and firm establishment within marketing, the business of country branding or nation branding is nonsense. Countries are not brands. They are countries. Brand strategy should be reserved for brands. I may have a hammer, but it doesn't mean that every problem is shaped like a nail. Real expertise in a field is to know the limitations of that field and behave accordingly. I can appreciate the attractions of country branding. Selling a brand strategy to a public servant in Finland or Ghana must be a lot easier than pitching to a trained marketer from the likes of Unilever or Ford.