Despite no-expenses-spared efforts to boost its soft power, such as the Shanghai Expo and plans to open a Xinhua news agency office atop a skyscraper in New York’s Times Square, China’s image has taken a beating in recent months...

Prior to the successful rescue of the miners, what readily comes to mind if Chile is mentioned is General Augusto Pinochet Ugarte, one of the most brutal dictators Latin America had ever seen akin to Field Marshall Idi Amin Dada and President Alberto Stroessner of Uganda and Paraguay respectively. These leaders were brand eroders for their nation brands.

In July last year, President Hu Jintao said public diplomacy would be a key focus of China's foreign affairs policy; his administration elevated the new form of diplomacy to a national strategic level. Soon after that, the country launched a "Made in China" advertising campaign in several international media outlets to boost the image of Chinese-made products.

Many images of South Korea in hit American television series have been “distorted,” raising concerns over their detrimental impact on the country’s overall image, a ruling party lawmaker pointed out Thursday.

CPD University Fellow Nicholas Cull was recently quoted on the subject of nation branding by Greg Barns of the ABC blog "The Drum Unleashed." Barns cited excerpts from Cull's CPD blog "Advance Australia Where? Nation Brands and Soft Power Down-Under" as evidence of a decline in Australia's international image.

...if a nation wants to influence people and win friends around the globe it is easier to do if its image abroad is positive. In this context then Australia today has something to worry about.

We all love the idea of Public-Private Partnership in public diplomacy, but always find it easier said than done.  Swedish Pavilion Director Annika Rembe discusses the Swedish approach at the Shanghai Expo.