The launch of the latest campaign to promote Scotland as a great place to visit, live, study and work provoked a little bit of controversy recently. As the Herald reported, for some the imagery relied too much on the traditions of kilts and bagpipes. It was, they said, playing it safe.

China's national image has been improving over the past few years, with President Xi Jinping becoming a highlight, according to a survey report.

Ahead of hosting the 2020 Summer Olympics, the country is ramping up government-sponsored efforts to promote its culture abroad.

Public diplomacy scholars and practitioners frequently discuss the “say-do gap,” which refers to the discrepancy between discourse and actions. This discrepancy has an adverse effect on the credibility and legitimacy of a nation brand.

The "information war" against Russia makes any efforts to improve the country's image in the West futile, a Kremlin spokesman said Thursday after the U.S. public relations firm Ketchum said its contract with the Russian government had ended.

In terms of perceptions, many international publics believe the global economic balance of power has swung sharply towards the country. It has exposed the country to greater foreign scrutiny for which it has generally been ill-prepared. This has exposed a growing "soft-power deficit" which is complicating China's rise to power.