The government has commissioned three government agencies to develop the "New Zealand Story" as an aid to export growth but it says the new tools don’t signal the end of 100% Pure as a national brand.

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.

To better understand Mexico’s attempts to reclaim its global reputation, the Holmes Report recently travelled to the nation’s capital city. The country may not be known as a hotbed of public relations innovation, but the lessons from Mexico’s public relations programme are ones that should be heeded by any government, or indeed organisation, facing its own issues or crises.

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.

With the official launch of the Brand Ghana programme Tuesday morning, then Vice President, John Dramani Mahama discussed the importance of promoting a positive image of the country despite the many challenges Ghanaians currently face.

...cultural diplomacy between our state and Brazil will be engendered for the purpose of exploring our tourism sector for the collective benefits of our people in terms of economy and historical values.

Public diplomacy differs because but it has a broader reach, it goes beyond the influential few to the masses, to those indifferent, ignorant or not seeking to know. It seeks out a new audience and encourages communities to adopt a positive and open outlook towards Australia.

“Today, we have uploaded a collection of UAE nation brand logos, which were proposed during the last Cabinet session. The UAE nation brand logo will promote the UAE & tell its story to the world. I want all of you to choose the design you think is best. All the relevant entities shall coordinate to use the logo to communicate the qualities of the UAE in areas like economy, culture & tourism.”