Much attention has recently been directed to the measurement of media impact. In public diplomacy, the need to assess impact is readily apparent. Public diplomacy is a persuasive activity. Stakeholders want to know if the effort was able to “move the needle.” 

...the opening ceremony of the 2012 London Olympic Games is estimated to have been watched live by more than 1 billion people. Therefore, for a few hours on the night of July 27th, Britain enjoyed a complete monopoly of television sets across the globe. Through its narrative in the opening ceremony it was able to highlight specific features of Britain and either introduce or remind the world of these.

...Azerbaijan’s desire to pursue more active public diplomacy was driven primarily by the constant concerns over falling behind Armenia in the “information war” front of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, which remains to be the most important issue for Azerbaijanis. Having achieved economic success, Azerbaijan is keen to use it oil revenues in order to promote its image abroad and influence foreign audiences.

The “brand” of a country has a direct impact on the wealth of the nation and its ability to compete and grow in the global economy.

A strong nation brand helps in differentiating a nation’s output and gives it a leg up in competing for financing, top talent and tourism. It can be leveraged by sub-brands within a nation, both public and private, to grow GDP and to help develop resiliency in a nation’s industries during a downturn.