Public diplomacy and national branding

Nations can apply tools of public diplomacy to improve their international media and public image as a direct communication with foreign people, with the aim of influencing their thinking and ultimately that of their governments.

The main objective is to create a favourable image about a nation’s actions, policies, political and economic systems. Scholars of nation branding such as Hassan (2008), are of the view that to achieve this goal entails enhancing dialogue among the nations’ citizens, creating relationships among different communities and appreciating their needs and cultures.

This can be achieved by harnessing the press, electronic media and internet to effectively promote cultural, educational and scientific exchange. Public diplomacy includes utilising the tools of international public relations, marketing, advertising and promotion. Countries including Zimbabwe, have long been employing the services of international firms to improve their images in foreign audiences.

However, achieving a positive image is an enormous challenge in this social media frenzy environment. Nation branding advocates argue that promoting a destination in normal circumstances is a difficult task but promoting a destination that faces challenges, whether negative press related or infrastructural related caused by natural disasters is an altogether difficult task. It is therefore important to stress that in such cases, places or nations have to tackle both the physical crisis in services and infrastructural and the intangible damage suffered by the place’s image, a process that might take several years.

Strategic unique selling propositions and communications

Image management is one step towards nation branding. In the case of Zimbabwe some images can actually be negative and the brand needs to be improved so that the audience gradually shifts its perceptions towards positive attributes, benefits and offerings of a place. Wilder’s (2007) core competencies and marketing concepts of concentrating on unique selling propositions become very important.

In this case, a nation carefully identifies the positive attributes that it possess and the benefits that can be derived from the destination and utilise these in key markets and improve the perceptions. If the negative perceptions are unfounded they should be refuted, suppressed or ignored. However, in view of the powerful impact of the media and social media today, this approach can be complicated. But nation branding scholars such as Simon Anhilt (2005) argue that if the perceptions are true, the first step is to address the problem and to provide substantial communication that they are being addressed as soon as real progress can be demonstrated.

The negative perception can either be contextualised to enable target markets and audiences to understand and appreciate them better to keep them in a healthier balance with the positive attributes or de-emphasise the negative so that they occupy less space in the mindsets of the audiences.

The multistep model proposed by Avraham and Kelter (2008), argue for the acknowledgment and acceptance of the negative image and adopt what they call “the new era’ technique. They argue that at times acknowledging the negative image directly is the most effective and most convenient course of action. It can be useful to establish and maintain or regain a trusted image.

The approach of acknowledging the negative image can be applied by the use of “new era” slogans such as indicating that a country has now changed from its past to a promising present or future. For example Zimbabwe can be “ A New Zimbabwe” “ A transformed Zimbabwe” “A Rising Star” “A renewed Jewel of Africa” etc. One other approach to alter or correct the image is to ridicule the stereotype with the idea being to multiply the negative stereotype towards a nation by illustrating how ridiculous it is. Marketers present the stereotype and then knock it down.

Another approach maybe is spinning liabilities into assets. The aim of the strategy is that decision makers recognise a negative factor causing the negative image and spin it unto a positive image. For example in the Middle East, Bahrain launched itself as “Bahrain: Small is Beautiful to spin its small size into an asset. Yemen used the slogan “Land of Mystery and Adventure” to turn the liabilities of insecurity and fear into an asset of adventure.

The Zimbabwean scenario: Practical approach

In the case of Zimbabwe as a destination experiencing the impact of negative perceptions in Europe and USA because of the land question, there is need to give simple empirical information about the history of the land question to foreign markets for them to appreciate and understand the dire need for land redistribution.

There is need to explain the existence of land imbalances between the white minority and the black majority by providing statistical analysis backed by credible research organisations for authenticity. Then as a follow-up Zimbabwe can leverage on tourist destinations such as Victoria Falls, one of the Seven Wonders of the World, Hwange National Park, Mana Pools and Gona ReZhou for their abundant wildlife. The negative perceptions caused by the 1999/2000 land reform and associated violence can be clarified by contextualising the historical land imbalances and the need to address them as basic human rights violations and gross unfairness.

The communication strategy can objectively acknowledge the violence and human rights challenges but then explain the emotional nature of the whole issue of land since 1893, and the Land Tenure Act and other acts. It can be prudent and clinical to demonstrate how the Zimbabwean Land Reform has inclusively transformed the face of agriculture. Information is power.

Positive image is critical in nation branding. Numerous places are unfamiliar to consumers or suffer image problems that impair their ability to compete in the global market place. In some cases, these images are based on inaccurate or half backed information or widespread stereotype recurrently reinforced by the media. It is also argued, in other instances these images are founded on past episodes of political challenges, natural disasters, violence and economic downturns. Nation images may be clouded by these occurrences much longer that it would take to overcome or correct the problem.-ebusinessweekly