International Political Marketing: From Public Diplomacy to National Branding

Religion and Thought Service of Iran Book News Agency (IBNA); “International Political Marketing: From Public Diplomacy to National Branding” is the title of a book authored by Dr. Nader Jafari, Hassan Vakilzadeh, Amirhossein Arabpour, and Mohammadsadegh Rahimi, published in autumn 1404 by Hamshahri Publications.

In today’s complex and dynamic world, politics and marketing have become two inseparable pillars. The knowledge of political marketing has expanded from elections to the international arena. Managing national image and aligning other international actors with one’s interests and policies has formed half of power politics, and international political marketing aims to achieve this crucial goal. The intersection of national image and national power constitutes international political marketing. In essence, international political marketing is an integrated combination of three disciplines: management, politics, and communications, creating a common ground in ‘international relations’.

Now, “Why is international political marketing important?” This is the key question of the first authored-translated work in Persian in this thematic area; a book that, beyond clarifying and expanding on related concepts, theories, and scientific models, seeks to emphasize a practical approach and introduce the applications of political marketing, from public diplomacy to national branding. This book aims to show academic readers, policymakers, and relevant executive agents in the country how other countries worldwide have presented their nations and cultures to the world and utilized political marketing in the international arena to enhance their national brand and image.

Historical studies show that despite a lack of integrated theoretical knowledge regarding public diplomacy and national branding, the use of nationalist imagery to promote trade and tourism in Austria and Switzerland throughout the 20th century; efforts to promote China’s commitment to transnationalism to gain Western sympathy during the 1930s crisis; Japan’s efforts during the same period to repair damage to its national brand due to aggression against China; and Franco’s government’s efforts in Spain to restore its credibility in Britain after World War II, are all successful examples of practical applications of international political marketing by various governments worldwide.

In subsequent periods, small and seemingly less important countries like Austria and Switzerland, which embarked on this path nearly a hundred years ago, or countries like former Yugoslavia and later Croatia, Suriname, and Kosovo, which followed them; or large and powerful countries like Germany, Russia, and China, which despite significant industrial and political advancements, have not ceased their efforts in nation-branding and national branding, and from the past until now, purposefully engage in the political marketing of their industries, people, and national name in the global environment. In this endeavor, they utilize all common and even innovative tools and methods, from major sporting events like the Olympics and World Cup games, to employing famous social figures and renowned global stars, supporting prestigious scientific awards, and even establishing impressive and luxurious museums. All these countries have for years utilized public diplomacy, cultural diplomacy, scientific diplomacy, tourism diplomacy, urban diplomacy, sports diplomacy, celebrity diplomacy, and dozens of other capacities to enhance the credibility, reputation, and good name of their nation and country, and aim for a desirable and popular image through national branding.

This book attempts to move beyond theoretical foundations to case studies and comparative analyses of countries’ political marketing to introduce distinct aspects of national brand and national image. For this reason, the main feature of the present book is its second section, which, in 8 chapters, examines the experiences of 8 countries with different approaches, emphasizing national branding. These approaches have been studied in small countries like Austria and Switzerland, and powerful countries like China, Germany, and Russia, and finally, the last chapter offers approaches for public diplomacy and national branding for the Islamic Republic of Iran.