Hearts, Minds, and Wallets: A Conversation on the Branding of Nations and Cities

Description

Cities often relish the opportunity to host the Olympic Games in hopes of boosting the reputation of both the city and home country as well as encouraging tourism and gaining economic benefits. But the Beijing Winter Olympics will be held this February amid much controversy. Not only is the COVID-19 pandemic still underway, but with China’s continued human rights violations, many nations are diplomatically boycotting the event.

Broadly, efforts to improve or better define a country’s reputation or image, like hosting the Olympics, play a role in what is known as nation branding. When a country or city takes part in branding, a number of actors work together to manage a place’s image among different audiences—whether they be great powers, corporations, or leaders—and the end goal is for that place to benefit from how it is perceived. Nation branding was not initially intended to be a marketing gimmick, but while some places have practiced it effectively, others have not, relying on superficial ways to change their images. And sometimes, even expensive and extensive nation branding efforts can fail.

Join us for a virtual panel discussion on nation and city branding, moderated by SIS professor Robert Kelley. The event will be recorded and livestreamed, and attendees will have the opportunity to submit questions to the panelists during the Q&A portion of the event.

All registrants will receive reminder emails containing the Zoom webinar link.