A World Top 200 university, Times Higher Education 2018

National Branding and its Necessity
Dr Keith Dinnie, Head of Management and Marketing, University ofDundee School of Business (UDSB)JTTRI International Symposium, 13 March 2019, Tokyo, Japandundee.ac.uk

Aberdeen

DundeeEdinburgh
BelfastNewcastle

Glasgow

DublinManchester
Liverpool
Cardiff

Birmingham

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Background• Founding member of the International Place Branding Association (IBPA)• On the Editorial Board of the journal Place Branding and Public Diplomacy• Have advised the Korean Presidential Council on Nation Branding, the UK Government’s Department forEnvironment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), and Brand Scotland• Published in journals such as International Marketing Review, European Journal of Marketing, Marketing
Theory, Tourism Management, Place Branding and Public Diplomacy• Member of Dundee City Council Brand Group• Non-Executive Director on Board of Visit Dundee Ltd.

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Place branding at city, region and country level

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Recent publications• ‘Contingent self-definition and amorphous
regions: A dynamic approach to place brandingarchitecture’.
Keith Dinnie (2018). Marketing Theory, Vol18, No 1, pp. 31-53• ‘Cultural intermediaries in place branding: Who
are they and how do they construct legitimacy
for their work and for themselves?’
Giannina Warren and Keith Dinnie (2018).
Tourism Management, Vol 66, pp. 302-314

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Increasing interest in the field of nation branding
With every passing year, there is increasing interest in the theory and practice of nation
branding.
Rising numbers of journal papers are now being published on topics related to nation
branding, and student dissertations and theses on nation branding are also becoming
more numerous.
In this context of continuing development in the field of nation branding, the JTTRIInternational Symposium on ‘Current Worldwide Trends in National Branding and its
Necessity for Japan’ is a very welcome and important event.

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The ICON model of nation branding
Based on many years of involvement in the field of nation branding, I have developed theICON model of place branding (Dinnie, 2016) as a means to encourage countries of all
sizes to adopt approaches that are integrated, contextualized, organic, and new.
I will describe the different elements of the ICON model before illustrating the model with
examples at city level (Dundee), region level (Scotland’s Tay Country), and country level(United Kingdom).
I will then go on to discuss the necessity of nation branding for Japan, in particular for
tourism and the Olympic legacy in the post-2020 era

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The ICON model…
-provides a framework for the development and implementation of place brand strategy-is applicable at the level of nations, regions, cities and other localities-can be applied at any stage of place brand strategy-is not a judgemental audit; rather, the model is future-facing and designed to open newhorizons-acknowledges that each place should develop its own unique approach to the specificchallenges it faces

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Key elements of the ICON model
Integrated
Contextualized
Organic
New

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An integrated approach to nation branding involves high levels of inter-agency
collaboration, as well as collaborative public-private sector programmes.
At country level, a natural setting for the encouragement of inter-agency collaboration lies
in a country’s network of embassies in foreign countries. An embassy can bring its
country’s representatives (in trade and investment, tourism, culture, security, and so on)
together and initiate nation branding activities through its close contacts with relevant
audiences in the host country.

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Contextualized
Nation branding must be contextualized rather than conducted according to an off-theshelf template.
Nation brand strategy should respond both to stakeholder needs and capabilities andshould also match the values of target audiences.
This implies granting a reasonable degree of empowerment to professionals on theground in foreign countries, such as diplomats and trade and investment officials, so thatthe nation brand is customized appropriately to the values of local populations and target
audiences.

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Organic
There is an organic dimension to nation branding that should be welcomed by nation
brand strategists.
In our digital era, a nation brand evolves not according to a tightly controlled master plan,but subject to a plethora of activities and incidents that may be planned or unplanned.

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NewTo be noteworthy and interesting for domestic and international audiences, a nation
brand should deliver something that is new.
This could take the form of innovative products, services and experiences or at a more
abstract level the creation of new place-related narratives.

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City level: Dundee
Dundee is a city on the east coast of Scotland.
After being somewhat overlooked for several years, the city has begun attracting attention
for its thriving cultural scene and large-scale redevelopment, particularly of its waterfrontarea.
The opening of the new V&A Dundee museum in September 2018 has provided further
momentum to the city’s rapid rise.
The city’s brand is being constructed largely on the new element of the ICON model. The
narrative of a once industrial city reinventing itself through creative design andinfrastructure development has been recognised and amplified by positive media
coverage in outlets such as Lonely Planet, Wall Street Journal, GQ magazine, and CNN.

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Dundee – A city getting worldwide recognition..
• “A new cultural capital for a new Scotland..” -Condé Nast Traveller• “There’s never been a better time to visit the Scottish coastal city” -National Geographic• “Dundee – A little pot of gold at the end of the A92” -The Guardian• “The coolest little city in the UK” -GQ Magazine• Hailed the ‘cultural comeback kid’ and named as one of the seven most ‘designsavvy’ cities in the world -CNN
• One of the top ten ‘hot destinations’ for world travellers in 2018 -Wall Street Journal• “An up-and-coming cultural hub..” -Bloomberg Pursuits• The UK’s first UNESCO City of Design -UNESCO Creative Cities Network

Region level: Scotland’s Tay Country‘Scotland’s Tay Country’ is a new region brand that was launched in May 2018.
The new brand illustrates the integrated element of the ICON model, aiming as it does toprovide a cohesive identity for the many tourist attractions to be found in a region whichcrosses administrative borders of four separate areas: Fife, Angus, Perth and Kinross, andthe city of Dundee.
The integrated approach is designed to encourage visitors to stay longer in the region andto enjoy experiences both urban and rural.
The new brand is an interesting example of how amorphous regions can redefine
themselves in a way that is relevant to target audiences rather than being limited byinflexible administrative boundaries (Dinnie, 2018).

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Country level: United Kingdom
The United Kingdom’s ‘GREAT’ campaign exemplifies the use of an integrated approach to nation brandingin which multiple stakeholders collaborate to maximise the campaign’s impact.
Stevens (2016) has described how, reliant simply on the ‘Great’ element of the United Kingdom’s full nameof ‘Great Britain and Northern Ireland’, the GREAT campaign was rolled out in 2011 and sought tounderscore the United Kingdom’s assets and achievements in the arts, sports, heritage, retail andtechnology (e.g., ‘Countryside is GREAT’).
The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) was responsible for developing the campaign onbehalf of the Prime Minister, alongside the FCO and Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS), as
well as key bodies the British Council, UK Trade and Investment (UKTI) and Visit Britain (as well as London
government through promotional agency London and Partners).

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Page 23Current trends in nation branding
Varied emphasis on:• traditional marketing communications• citizen engagement• digital and social media
A trend towards user-generated content
The rise of city brands as powerful – if not more powerful – than nation brands

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The necessity of nation branding for Japan
 Maximise the opportunities provided by hosting 2020 Summer Olympics (and 2019 Rugby World Cup) Shape the post-2020 legacy
 Move beyond ‘Cool Japan’ Manage the relationship between the Tokyo city brand and the Japan nation branddundee.ac.uk

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Applying the ICON model to Japan’s nation branding
How strongly is Japan’s nation branding:Integrated?
Contextualised?
Organic?
New?

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Been there!
Been here?

References
Dinnie, K. (2018), ‘Contingent self-definition and amorphous regions: A dynamic approach to place brandarchitecture’, Marketing Theory, 18, 1, 31-53.
Dinnie, K. (2016), Nation Branding: Concepts, Issues, Practice, Second Edition, Routledge, London, UnitedKingdom.
Stevens, A. (2016), ‘HM Government ‘GREAT’ campaign – United Kingdom’, in Dinnie (2016) Nation
Branding: Concepts, Issues, Practice, Second Edition, Routledge, London, United Kingdom, 204-209.
The Great Britain Campaign (2018), http://www.greatbritaincampaign.com/#!/home
Visit Dundee (2018), www.visitdundee.com

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