While the athletes have been competing for medals at the London Olympics, their countries have been duking it out in a different type of games. Think of it as the Branding Olympics, with the competitors being more than 40 national hospitality houses set up across London to host VIPs and medalists, welcome visitors and showcase what the countries have to offer.

...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.

Legendary former Singaporean PM Lee Kuan Yew was way ahead of his time. He was the world’s very first Marketing Director for a country brand. He believed in the power of country marketing long before the Mad Men of Madison Avenue even thought about it.

Israel’s brand used to be a producer of conflicts and bad news. ...he thought Israel should focus on building a relationship that is meaningful to both the country and consumers by broadening the conversation beyond conflicts and finding ways through research to better communicate Israel’s assets such as creative spirit and innovation.

As Jamaica celebrates its golden anniversary of independence on Aug. 6, its Olympic sprinters look set to dominate in London...Beyond Jamaica's impressive national branding and Olympics fame, how would you describe the country's feeling of accomplishment, and perhaps also disappointment, as it approaches its 50th anniversary?

This new age of brand-aware governments is both good and bad news for NATO. It’s bad, because it gives member states yet another reason to shy away from conflicts that don’t concern them directly, for fear of contaminating their image ... On the other hand it’s good, because if NATO gets this right, it can offer a way for states to enhance those all-important reputations.

The Olympics are on and over 200 countries are in showcase mode. As the host nation, Great Britain has pulled out all the stops to creatively package its people, athletes, major city and culture. It’s a global Cirque de Solei feast for the senses. Of course the United States is there in full force, as the world expects, reminding all who is the super power in media, entertainment, business and—oh yeah, sports.

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.