Abstract
The article presents and discusses the contemporary transformation in nation branding practices, noting the shift from streamlined uniqueness narratives to pluralist and performative events of endorsement. This shift highlights the need for developing a culturally sensitive relation to the audience. Using the case of Welfairytales, The Danish pavilion at the Shanghai World Expo 2010, we argue that cultural sensitivity and a higher level of reflection are needed when nation branding events seek to include the audience. The dilemma of including the audience versus managing coherence is presented and the implications of performative branding practices are elaborated upon.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Anholt, S. (2004) Branding places and nations. In: R. Clifton, J. Simmons and S. Ahmad (eds.) Brands and Branding. Princeton, NJ and London: Bloomberg Press, pp. 213–226.
Anholt, S. (2007) Competitive Identity. The New Brand Management for Nations, Cities and Regions. New York: Palgrave Macmillan.
Antorini, Y.M. and Schultz, M. (2005) Corporate branding and the ‘conformity trap’. In: M. Schultz, Y.M. Antorini and F.F. Csaba (eds.) Corporate Branding. Copenhagen, Denmark: Copenhagen Business School Press, pp. 57–76.
Aronczyk, M. (2008) ‘Living the brand’: Nationality, globality and the identity strategies of nation branding consultants. International Journal of Communication 2 (2): 41–65.
Aronczyk, M. (2009) How to do things with brands: Uses of national identity. Canadian Journal of Communication 34 (2): 291–296.
Ashcraft, K.L., Kuhn, T.R. and Cooren, F. (2009) Constitutional amendments: ‘Materializing’ organizational communication. The Academy of Management Annals 3 (19): 1–64.
Blichfeldt, B.S. (2005) Unmanageable place brands? Place Branding and Public Diplomacy 1 (4): 388–401.
Danish Entreprise and Construction Authority. (2008) Welfairytales. The Danish Expo 2010 Pavilion. http://www.ebst.dk/file/17483/Welfairytales-The-Danish-Expo-2010-pavilion.pdf, accessed 8 August 2010.
EBST- Erhvervs- og byggestyrelsen. (2010) EXPO 2010. Den Danske pavillon. Dommerbetænkningen, p. 8, http://www.arkitektforeningen.dk/sites/arkitektforeningen.dk/files/DB_expo2010.pdf, accessed 27 September 2010.
Faber, K. (2010) Havfruen fortsætter triumftoget i Kina, http://politiken.dk/kultur/arkitektur/ECE1047242/havfruen-fortsaetter-triumftoget-i-kina/.
Global Times. (2010). http://china.globaltimes.cn/society/2010-07/547663_2.html, accessed 7 October 2010.
GMD. (2010) Baggrund (Background), http://www.mfonden.dk/baggrund, accessed 20 November 2012.
Guillin, M. (2010) Shanghai 2010 Expo: The good, the bad and the downright ugly, http://www.cnngo.com/shanghai/none/shanghai-expo-267939.
Gyimóthy, S. and Ren, C. (2011) Dansk nation branding: praksis i forandring? Økonomi og Politik 84 (4): 56–88.
Hankinson, G. (2007) The management of destination brands: Five guiding principles based on recent developments in corporate branding theory. Journal of Brand Management 14 (3): 240–254.
Hansen, R.H. (2010) The narrative nature of place branding. Place Branding and Public Diplomacy 6 (4): 268–279.
Hashim, A. (2012) Branding the brand new city: Abu Dhabi, travellers welcome. Place Branding and Public Diplomacy 8 (1): 72–82.
Hervik, P. (2006) The predictable responses to the Danish cartoons. Global Media and Communication 2 (2): 225–230.
Karmark, E. (2005) Living the brand. In: M. Schultz, Y.M. Antorini and F.F. Csaba (eds.) Corporate Branding. Copenhagen, Denmark: Copenhagen Business School Press, pp. 103–126.
Manning, P. (2008) Barista rants about stupid customers at Starbucks: What imaginary conversations can teach us about real ones. Language Communication 28 (2): 101–126.
Olins, W. (2002) Branding the nation – The historical context. Journal of Brand Management 9 (4–5): 241–248.
Ooi, C.-S. (2011) Paradoxes city branding and societal changes. In: K. Dinnie (ed.) City Branding: Theory and Cases. Hampshire: Palgrave Macmillan, pp. 54–61.
OPRW. (2010) Familiarity and Interest in World Expo 2010 Shanghai. A joint report by Ogilvy Public Relations Worldwide/Shanghai and Millward Brown-ACSR Shanghai, 27 January, http://www.slideshare.net/worldexpoblog/familiarity-interest-in-world-expo-2010-shanghai-by-ogilvy.
Østergaard, U. (2010) Nation branding og historieskrivning. In: M. Sylvestersen, M. Mordhorst, R.K. Rasmussen and B.V. Sørensen (eds.) Den danske nation branding-indsats: Erfaringer og refleksioner. Copenhagen, Denmark: Branding Denmark, pp. 24–36.
Pedersen, S.B. (2004) Place branding: Giving the region of Øresund a competitive edge. Journal of Urban Technology 1 (1): 77–95.
Ren, C. and Blichfeldt, B. (2010) One clear image? Challenging simplicity in place branding. Scandinavian Journal of Hospitality and Tourism 11 (4): 416–434.
Schultz, M. and Nielsen, K.U. (2007) Der skal handling bag ordene. Børsen, 17 June: 5.
Therkelsen, A. and Halkier, H. (2008) Contemplating place branding umbrellas: The case of coordinated national tourism and business promotion in Denmark. Scandinavian Journal of Hospitality and Tourism 8 (2): 159–175.
van Ham, P. (2001) The rise of the brand state: The postmodern politics of image and reputation. Foreign Affairs 80 (5): 2–6.
VisitDenmark. (2011) Branding af Danmark som rejsemål, http://www.visitdenmark.com/danmark/da-dk/menu/danskturisme/markedsforing/branding-danmark/samlet-oversigt-2010.htm.
VisitDenmark. (2012) Det Gode Liv. Målgruppeanalyse [Good Life], http://www.visitdenmark.dk/sites/default/files/vdk_images/PDF-and-other-files/Analyser/2012/maalgruppeprofil-det-gode-liv-2012.pdf.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Ren, C., Gyimóthy, S. Transforming and contesting nation branding strategies: Denmark at the Expo 2010. Place Brand Public Dipl 9, 17–29 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1057/pb.2012.25
Received:
Revised:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/pb.2012.25