Experiencing Nation Brands

Abstract

The previous chapters presented two case studies of how each of the eight nations—Brazil, India, Israel, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, the United Arab Emirates and the United States—defined and communicated its national brand through its expo pavilion. These official intentions and approaches aside, the ultimate question for the pavilions was whether Chinese visitors found their presentations interesting, compel-ling, and memorable. As noted in chapter 3, the expo’s national pavilions are constructed as branded spaces for winning the “hearts and minds” of a foreign public. What they offer is a form of “experiential goods,” like going to a movie or visiting an amusement park. Only in this instance, the experience as provided seeks to promote a nation’s image. In contrast to physical goods, the characteristics of experiential goods are hard to observe, and only become known to users upon consumption.¹ In this chapter, we report on a case study based on a survey of Chinese visitors’ perceptions of their experiences at the eight pavilions.