Nation Branding and its Potential for Differentiation in Regional Politics: The Case of the United Arab Emirates and Qatar
Abstract
Simon Anholt, who fathered the concept of nation branding, values the nation brand as the most important resource of a state as it contributes to obtaining a competitive advantage and a consolidated position in the international marketplace. This paper pinpoints how Anholt’s paradigm for nation branding applies in the case study of two Middle Eastern countries: the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Qatar and its benefits for this regional context. The Middle Eastern countries operate less with the nation branding concepts when compared with the Western world. However, the UAE and Qatar used nation branding techniques quite savvy, Anholt’s model internalization being relevant. As of today, the UAE represents Middle East’s most powerful brand, while one of its main cities- Dubai- has gained a reputation for its cosmopolitan vibe, whereas Doha of Qatar is consolidating its fame on the international sports circuit. Overall, the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) bloc - a region of great wealth positioned between the Persian Gulf and the Arabian Peninsula- has become acquainted with the advantages of nation branding. Despite the fact that these countries did not target creating a nation brand per se, they took measures for economic development that resulted in nation branding and regional differentiation. In the recent years, Qatar and the UAE have developed strategies for branding attractions that help in distinguishing themselves from their neighbors. The study uses Anholt’s conceptual framework for assessing the two countries in their different development stages and from a comparative viewpoint, identifying both communalities and differentiating strategies while developing nation brands. The conclusion is that nation branding can be particularly beneficial to nations from emerging economies and that the GCC specifically can benefit from this process.References
Al Ayedrous Bani Hashim, A. (2012). Branding the Brand New City: Abu Dhabi, Travelers Welcome. Place Branding and Public Diplomacy, 8, 72-82.
Anholt, S. (2000). Anholt-GfK Nation Brands Index. Retrieved from http://nation-brands.gfk.com/.
Anholt, S. (2005a). Some important distinctions in place branding. Place Branding and Public Diplomacy, 1(2), 116-121.
Anholt, S. (2005b). Anholt Nation Brands Index: How Does the World See America. Journal of Advertising Research, 45(3), 296-304.
Anholt, S. (2005c). Nation brand as context and reputation. Place Branding and Public Diplomacy, 1(3), 224-228.
Anholt, S. (2006). Why brand? Some practical considerations for nation branding. Place Branding and Public Diplomacy, 2(2), 97-107.
Anholt, S. (2007). Competitive Identity: the New Brand Management for Nations, Cities and Regions. London: Palgrave MacMillan.
Anholt, S. (2009). Should place brands be simple? Place Branding and Public Diplomacy, vol 5 (2), 91-96.
Anholt, S. (2010). Definitions of place branding - working towards a resolution. Place Branding and Public Diplomacy, 6(1), 1-10.
Anholt, S. (2011). Beyond the Nation Brand: The role of Image and Identity in International Relations. The Journal of Public Diplomacy, 2(1), 1-7.
Anholt, S. (2013). Beyond the nation brand: the role of image and identity in international relations. The Journal of Public Diplomacy, 2(1), 1-12.
Balakrishnan, M.S. (2009). Strategic branding of destinations: a framework. European Journal of Marketing, 43(5/6), 611-629.
Beauregard, R. (2003). City of Superlatives. City and Community, 2(3), 183-199.
Blair, T., Kung, S., Shieh, M., and Kuo-Hsiang, C. (2015). Competitive Identity of a Nation. Global Studies Journal, 8(1), 13-30.
Coombe, W., and Melki, J. (2012). Global Media and Brand Dubai. Place Branding and Public Diplomacy, 8(1), 58-71.
Diaconescu, M., Nicolescu, L., and Pânzaru, F. (2007). The European Identity – between reality and hope. In Proceedings of International Conference “Romania within the EU: opportunities, requirements and perspectives” (pp.135-141). Sibiu: University of Craiova.
Dinnie, K. (2007). Nation Branding: Concepts, Issues, Practice. Chicago: Butterworth-Heinemann.
Dinnie, K. (2008). Nation Branding: Concepts, issues, practice. London, New York: Rutledge.
Dinnie, K. (2009). Destination branding for small cities: The essentials for successful place branding. Journal of Brand Management, 17(2), 159-161.
Dubai FDI (2016). Statistics. Retrieved from http://www.dubaifdi.gov.ae/StudiesAndResearchDocument/Dubai_FDI_MONITOR_Highlights_Report_2016.pdf
Export.gov (2017). Qatar - Information and Communication Technology. Retrieved from https://www.export.gov/apex/article2?id=Qatar-Information-and-Communication-Technology
Forbes Middle East (2017). The World’s Safest Arab Cities. Retrieved from https://www.forbesmiddleeast.com/en/the-worlds-safest-arab-cities/.
Foroudi, P., Gupta, S., Kitchen, P., Foroudi, M., and Nguyen, B. (2016). A framework of place branding, place image, and place reputation. Business and Economics-Marketing and Purchasing, 19(2), 241-264.
Freire, J.R. (2005). Geo-branding, are we talking nonsense? A theoretical reflection on brands applied to places. Place Branding and Public Diplomacy, 1(4), 347-362.
Gilmore, F. (2002). A country - Can it be repositioned? Spain - The success story of country branding. Journal of Brand Management, 9(4/5), 281-293.
Grix, J., and Lee, D. (2013). Soft Power, Sports Mega-Events and Emerging States: The Lure of the Politics of Attraction. Global Society, 27(4), 521-536.
Haider, D. (2008). The Age of Branding. Borderless Culture. Retrieved from http://www.borderlessculture.com/2008/04/age-of-branding.html
Ham, V.P. (2008). Place Branding, the State of the Art. ANNALS of the American Academy, 616, 1-24.
Hazime, H. (2011). From City Branding to E-Brands in Developing Countries: an Approach to Qatar and Abu Dhabi. African Journal of Business Management, 5(12), 4731-4745.
Issac, J. (2016). 63% jump in non-oil exports spur Abu Dhabi's foreign trade. Khaleej Times. Retrieved from https://www.khaleejtimes.com/business/economy/63-jump-in-non-oil-exports-spur-abu-dhabis-foreign-trade.
Kapadia, Y.S. (2016). Dubai, most cosmopolitan city in world; 83% foreign residents. Khaleej Times. Retrieved from https://www.khaleejtimes.com/nation/dubai/dubai-most-cosmopolitan-city-in-the-world.
Karolak, M. (2014). Tourism in Bahrain: challenges and opportunities of economic diversification. Journal of Tourism Challenges and Trends, 7(2), 97-114.
Kotler, P., and Gertner, D. (2002). Country as a Brand, Product and Beyond: A Place Marketing and Brand Management Perspective. The Journal of Brand Management, 9, 249-261.
Lee, H., and Jain, D. (2009). Dubai's Brand Assessment Success and Failure in Brand Management-Part 1. Place Branding and Public Diplomacy, 5(3), 234-246.
Ministry of Development Planning and Statistics (2017). Qatar labor force statistics, second quarter of 2017. Retrieved from https://www.mdps.gov.qa/en/statistics/Statistical%20Releases/Social/LaborForce/2017/Q2/LF_Q2_2017_AE.pdf
Nicolescu, L. (2007). Imaginea României sub lupă! Branding şi rebranding de ţară. Bucharest: ASE.
Nicolescu, L., Cojanu, V., Popescu, A.I., and Drăghici, A. (2007). Developing Country Branding: A Key Factor for International Competitiveness. In Proceedings of International Conference „Globalization and Policies of Development” (pp.285-291). Bucharest: Comunicare.ro.
Peterson, J. (2006). Qatar and the World: branding for a Microstate. The Middle East Journal, 60(4), 732-748.
Priya Dsouza Communication (2017). Population of Qatar by nationality - 2017 report. Retrieved from http://priyadsouza.com/population-of-qatar-by-nationality-in-2017/
Reuvid, J. (2007). The Handbook of Country Risk 2006-2007. London: GMB Publishing.
SCAD (2016). Abu Dhabi’s Statistical yearbook. Retrieved from https://www.scad.ae/PressRelease%20Documents/SYB-2016%20Press%20Release.pdf
Szondi, G. (2007). The role and challenges of country branding in transition countries: the Central and Eastern European experience. Place Branding and Public Diplomacy, 3(1), 8-20.
VisitDubai.com (2017). Dubai’s Tourism Performance Report. Retrieved from http://www.visitdubai.com/en/tourismperformance-report
Zeineddine, C. (2017). Employing nation branding in the Middle East - United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Qatar. Management & Marketing, Challenges for the Knowledge Society, 12(2), 208-221.
Zenker, S. (2009). Who’s your target? The creative class as a target group for place branding. Journal of Place Management and Development, 2(1), 23-32.
Downloads
Additional Files
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs license, the users are free to share (copy, distribute and transmit the contribution) with the condition to attribute the contribution in the manner specified by the author or licensor. They may not alter, transform, or build upon this work.
