Nations can and should nurture their brands much as consumer products and other companies do, a bevy of speakers said Friday at the Wharton Nation Brand 2016 conference. [...] Countries have branding as part of their DNA, panelists said, pointing to Germany's reputation as a powerhouse of skilled engineering, France's reputation as a haven of culture and Brazil's fame as a place of soccer, beaches and fun.

Corruption, disorganisation, empty, expensive, violence and fear are just some of the words used to describe the Rio Olympics held this summer in Brazil’s cultural capital. The sporting competition itself came off without a hitch, but the impact the negative perception that this Games will have on Brazil’s nation brand is yet to be seen. 

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) revealed the branding for its “Visit ASEAN@50 Golden Celebration 2017” tourism campaign.[...] The new campaign will promote the twin objectives of commemorating the 50th anniversary of ASEAN in 2017, and embracing the ASEAN region of Southeast Asia as a single and united, yet diverse, tourism destination.

Italian architect and interior designer Francesco Librizzi and Taiwanese interior designer Timmy Chou were guest speakers in the "Design Excellence: Country Branding Through Design" discussion on efforts at building and managing a country's reputation through valuable products. Both discussed ways local values and national pride affect the design industry in their respective countries.

For their 2016 Best Countries report, Reibstein and his associates surveyed 16,200 business experts and ‘informed elites’ around the world and divided their findings into nine sub-rankings like adventure, quality of life, open for business, heritage, and cultural influence. India came in at No. 22 among 60 nations. 

The World Forum on Sport and Culture will be held in Kyoto and Tokyo from Wednesday to Saturday to discuss and exchange information about the international contributions of sport, culture and the economy. [...] We need to show international society that there are women in Japan with credibility and a strong voice in each of their fields. 

“Travel Book. Kazakhstan,” a unique art project containing 700 of the most interesting facts about the country, was presented as a joint project Sept. 8 by the Foundation of the First President of Kazakhstan – the Leader of the Nation and Green Penguin Agency. Mass sales of the first book about Kazakhstan published in edutainment format will start this month.