The New Botswana Brand has been launched following a request in 2009 that the nation's brand be re-examined as it was thought not to speak of the aspirations of Batswana.

The Ottawa-born Rowswell is famous throughout China as a comedian and television commentator and he's one of Canada's secret weapons in its bid to create a buzz at what is almost certainly the largest nation-branding event ever staged.

The sad fact is that, for all our perceived virtues — or maybe because of them — Canadians are viewed by many outsiders as tamer Australians, more spaced-out Belgians, or decaffeinated Americans. The lack of understanding — i.e. interest — on the part of our friends and neighbours, not to mention our handful of enemies, is a problem.

With less than two weeks to go before the start of the World Expo Shanghai, the Korea Business Pavilion showcasing 12 major conglomerates was unveiled yesterday. According to the Korea International Trade Association, which oversees Korean participation in the world’s largest exposition, the three-story pavilion is built on a 3,000-square-meter (32,291-square-feet) area.

Unfortunately, the phrase nation brand soon became distorted, mainly by naïve governments in willing collusion with ambitious consulting firms, into nation branding: a dangerously misleading phrase...

In my recent book touring travels down under, I was struck repeatedly by the sense in which New Zealand and Australia seem for a North American at once remote yet accessible, exotic yet familiar. They are in, but not of the Global South.

In my recent book touring travels down under, I was struck repeatedly by the sense in which New Zealand and Australia seem for a North American at once remote yet accessible, exotic yet familiar.

In a world where public diplomacy is critical, Canada needs to brand itself in order to stand out... Over the last three decades, the globalization and the communications revolutions have created the most striking transformation of society since the Industrial Revolution.