Peter Kentie, the Dutch marketing and branding specialist, has proposed an ambitious and clever nation branding for Estonia, where emphasis is on the ‘-est’ concept and new slogan, “just estonishing”. [...] Kentie told Estonian World that he was inspired to suggest new branding for Estonia, after seeing that the country is struggling to find a coherent nation branding and marketing strategy. 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi always adds a personal touch to India's diplomacy. There are his well-known bear hugs with world leaders. On his foreign trips, the social media savvy Mr Modi posted a selfie taken with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang that attracted over 31 million hits on his Twitter-like Weibo account. [...] In his two years as Prime Minister, Mr Modi has sought to highlight India's soft power.

As a competitive contender to be one of the world’s top tourist destinations in the coming years, Morocco has redeveloped its brand to specifically target the wider, English-speaking audience and further showcase the cultural diversity and historical vibrancy of its country. In cooperation with Spring, a strategic communications design agency based in the UK, the Moroccan National Tourist Office (MNTO) launched the Much Morocco campaign targeted at the English- speaking market. 

Kenya has been recognized for its aggressive campaign to position itself as the best destination for trade, tourism and investment through its initiative "Make it Kenya". The country received the Best Place or Nation Brand [...] in Dubai. The award follows extensive campaign by Brand Kenya that was initiated to revive the image of the country following several terror attacks that kept away investors and tourists therefore affecting the country's economy.

Nevertheless, Indonesia’s coffee export volume is projected to rise this year — which is timely given rising global demand amid volatility of supply. But such ignorance in the US market could eventually undermine Indonesia’s integrity and credibility as one of the largest coffee exporters to the US and the world’s fourth-largest coffee producer. It is a serious wake-up call for all of us to solidify Indonesia’s brand in the world coffee industry.

An international forum held in Barcelona this week provided representatives of civil society and local government a chance to tell their uplifting stories of effort [...] to receive and integrate refugees into their communities. Organised by the Public Diplomacy Council of Catalonia, the one-day event saw a series of experts, officials and activists give their accounts of schemes and initiatives to care for new arrivals and, in the process, cast a much more favourable light on Europe.

Pakistan's UN mission recently organised a cultural festival of ideas for the first time in the history of foreign office in New York, and it aimed to promote Pakistan's diverse cultural aspects including arts and literature. [...] A combination of cultural and public diplomacy is not only a powerful tool that can improve public image but can also help bring economic investment and tourism opportunities. 

Nevertheless, Indonesia’s coffee export volume is projected to rise this year — which is timely given rising global demand amid volatility of supply. But such ignorance in the US market could eventually undermine Indonesia’s integrity and credibility as one of the largest coffee exporters to the US and the world’s fourth-largest coffee producer. It is a serious wake-up call for all of us to solidify Indonesia’s brand in the world coffee industry.