BANGLADESH INSTITUTE OF INTERNATIONAL AND STRATEGIC STUDIES

NATION BRANDING OF BANGLADESH: EXPLORING THE POTENTIAL AND THE PROCESS

Author: Sajid Karim, Mohammad Jasim Uddin

DOI Link: https:/www.doi.org/BIISSj2021v42n3

ABSTRACT

What is nation branding? What is it for? These conceptual debates remain food for thought for a growing number of scholars and practitioners in the current milieu. Nation branding is beyond product or destination branding, having a relation with identity, competitiveness, politico-economic and socio-cultural image, and reputation of a nation. This paper applies the nation branding model proposed by Simon Anholt to make a hexagon for Bangladesh to explore the country’s potential for nation branding. Notably, it considers F. Msele’s sevenstep nation branding model to advance Bangladesh’s nation branding process. The paper argues that success of branding Bangladesh will largely depend on practising a cohesive nation branding process. Efforts for branding Bangladesh need to be monitored, evaluated, and changed from time to time. The process has to be inclusive and backed by top leadership. The country needs to show that its idea is globally accepted (e.g., microfinance), the product is authentic (e.g., garments or pharmaceuticals), resource-capability-opportunity is growing, advancement is real (e.g., economic growth), and it is ready to be a “rising global stakeholder”. Usual (e.g., population or poverty) or sudden (e.g., pandemic like Covid-19) events can affect the process of branding Bangladesh as its materialization takes time. In this context, branding Bangladesh, in upholding the nation’s image and reputation, should be a long-term national policy, not a campaign for a particular agency (e.g., tourism board).