Abstract

The place of ‘branding’ in contemporary public and corporate relations cannot be overemphasized. States with reputation-damaging attributions have often engaged in reputation management drive on a global stage with a view to redeeming their image and restoring international confidence. Even un-stigmatized countries have also had to resort to the services of profile experts to help them frame their images, often through tourism and diplomacy. The emerging trend from this scenario is what has come to be known as ‘nation branding’. In this paper, an attempt is made to examine how a country comes to terms with ‘spoiled identity’ and image crisis in international arena, with particular reference to the national ‘rebranding’ initiative of Nigeria.

Key Words: (Re-)Branding; stigma; reputation management; national image;  image crisis.

^JCMRJournal of Communication and Media Research, Vol. 5, No. 2, October  2013, 81–87

©Delmas Communications Ltd.

About the author

*Al Chukwuma Okoli is with the Department of Political Science, Federal University, Lafia, Nasarawa State, Nigeria.

Full Article

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