One of his daughters and three of his grandchildren are using the former South African president's name in such pursuits as wine marketing and a reality television show, Being Mandela. His relatives also were embroiled in two lawsuits to secure control over his trust funds and the burial places of the remains of three of his children.

The contrast between LA and another great city, Seoul, is remarkable. I have been going to Seoul for about 20 years now, and I just brought a group of USC students there for a comparative international development class. Back in 1992, when I first visited Seoul, it was an emerging city of considerable promise, but also with considerable poverty. It has since become one of the world’s rich cities.

The XXXII Olympic Summer Games in 2020 will be hosted by one of three candidate cities: Madrid, Istanbul, or Tokyo, following the 2016 games in Rio De Janeiro. The three candidates were selected by the International Olympic Committee out of a group that also included non-selected applicant cities Baku, Doha, and Rome (which withdrew its bid shortly before the applicant files were due). The International Olympic Committee will elect the host city on 7 September 2013. Here is a look at the logos of each of the hopefuls (and not so hopefuls).

The Philippine Department of Tourism’s (DOT), “It’s more fun in the Philippines” campaign has been successful, with memes that started with only four and now multiplied to 55,000, according to DOT. The campaign used powerful images, a catchy slogan, and a memorable theme song. However, Thng notes, that the country also fell short in allowing Hollywood film “Bourne Legacy” film in slum areas. “Personally, I wouldn’t have approved that,” she says, “because that is not the face of the Philippines.”

BRAND USA has embarked on its first ever dedicated youth marketing campaign, signing at $4 million two-year deal with STA Travel. The youth tour operator is aiming to increase its global sales to the US by 30% over the period. The mainly online campaign has launched in the UK, northern and central Europe, Asia, Australia and South Africa with a competition to win a road trip to the States.

The extension, previously most commonly associated with the Southeast Asian country Laos, is meant to "appeal to local business owners — those in Los Angeles and possibly also Louisiana — who haven't been able to secure the name of their businesses using .com, .net or .org extensions," according to Mashable.

Giant pandas are not only one of China's most visible symbols, but are probably the country's biggest brand. One third of all tourist revenues in the province of Sichuan come from pandas, putting the equivalent of $16bn into the government's coffers.