Re-branding America

News reports tell us that Bush Administration communications guru Karen Hughes has been nominated to be Undersecretary of State for Public Diplomacy, to better get across in other countries "the U.S. message", since "foreigners" often think that U.S. foreign policy is concerned with maintaining access to natural resources particularly oil, rather than with helping people and spreading democracy far and wide across the seven seas.

In "Re-branding America" from the Sunday Boston Globe, Clay Risen discusses how "Marketing gurus think they can help 'reposition' the United States - and save American foreign policy." The article discusses the failures of activities by Charlotte Beers, a predecessor in the position, and various projects such as a magazine for Arab youth.

"What sets true nation-branding apart from Beers's efforts, according to its advocates, is its focus on brand management rather than just brand promotion. Beers failed, says Simon Anholt, a British marketing expert and one of the world's leading proponents of nation-branding, because she tried to change people's minds without changing the ''product.'' ''What she and her team were doing resulted, and I'm tempted to use the word degenerated, far too quickly into communications,'' says Anholt, whose latest book, 'Brand America: The Mother of All Brands' (Cyan), coauthored with Jeremy Hildreth, appears in the United States next month." This listing at Amazon links to this and other books by Simon Anholt on place branding.

At the local level "Brand management" is about building great places, not about trying to fool people with messages that aren't based in reality. For one of the better "Destination Assessment" tools I have seen that you don't have to pay for, check out these documents from the Nova Scotia Tourism Partnership Council. Just take out the word "tourist" and go forward with the assessment of your own commercial district. Questions about "amenities" like restrooms, and the size of wine lists are good ones, and help you begin thinking about the kinds of experiences your destination provides. (Remember "We Are All Destination Managers Now.")

Anyway, "Brand management" issues for the United States, particularly the federal government, are far too big for the plate of this blog, except in terms of thinking about planning and development issues as a way to better engage citizens through Deepening Democracy and Empowering Participation. If the U.S. can "export" democracy to Iraq and support the development of democracy in places like the Ukraine and the Republic of Georgia, what's stopping us at home?