If you haven’t heard the song by now, you soon will; Mas Que Nada by Sergio Mendes and Brasil 66 will be a big part of this summer’s soundtrack. As the World Cup in Brazil fast approaches, the 1963 Jorge Ben number is on tv, in adverts, cafes, bars—in fact, everywhere. One translation of the song’s title is “whatever”, a perfect country slogan for a track that seems to personify the stereotypical view many of us have of Brazil and Brazilians. 

Advertising agency Dentsu recently released the results of its annual Japan Brand Survey, in which it asks people from around the world for their opinion on the country. This year’s study involved 3,600 men and women living in 17 different countries, whose responses were used to compile a list of 10 things they feel Japan does better than anywhere else in the world.

Three historical events have hindered Nigeria's brand building effort, said Mr. Ben Bruce, Chairman of Silverbird Group.

We learned first-hand from Promote Iceland that travel surpassed their fishing industry only four short years after the disruptive actions of eruptions of the Eyjafjallajökull volcano in 2009. In response, 2010 was the first time that Iceland’s government, businesses, and citizens collaborated on a joint digital promotion effort. According toInga Hlín Pálsdóttir, Director, Tourism and Creative Industries at Promote Iceland, the message was “Iceland is not for everybody, but are for people who have the spirit of adventure, exploration and creativity.”

No-frills eco-tourism appears to be a thriving, if limited, sector amid Iran's generally bleak economic landscape. Zhivar, one of a number of ecologically minded boutique travel agencies that have sprouted up, has seen its clientele quadruple in three years, to more than 2,000 in 2013.

Sometimes, you hear about the controversy surrounding something before you actually hear about the thing itself. Such was the case with European Attraction Limited, an art exhibition that opened in Oslo, Norway, last week. 

Twitter finally has a toehold in Israel: The social networking company has retained the services of the public relations firm of Daphna Triwaks, whose Triwaks Public Relations will start representing the company locally this week.