international perception
![Composite image from Alex Prolmos and Donkey Hotey | CC BY-NC 2.0 and CC BY-SA 2.0](https://uscpublicdiplomacy.org/sites/default/files/styles/275x168/public/uploads/election2016_1.jpg?itok=F7uh5TkW)
Explore the relationship between politics, perception and public diplomacy in this special U.S. Presidential election blog roundup.
Given Trump's increasing erratic foreign policy positioning, the fact that he remains a frontrunner for the Republican presidential nomination is sending shockwaves around the world. And this is damaging the reputation of the United States (so-called ‘Brand America') internationally.
Nigeria is in a state of crisis. The Nigerian brand has never been so bad. Recently Future Brands, a leading international brand evaluation agency, issued a Country Brand index. It ranked 75 countries in the same way they measure consumer or corporate brands - according to strength of global perceptions across association dimensions.
Companies carefully nurture their brand names because they know it affects business: A good name can bring in higher returns. Is it time for countries to cultivate their own brands? In this opinion piece, Wharton marketing professor David Reibstein explains that nations should pay attention to how they are perceived by others.