Wally Olins on the branding of nations

Getting the branding identity of a country right has led to many positive results, Wally Olins explains.

Wally Olins talks about the branding of nations. He says that while no nation is perfect, by focussing on some of their unique characteristics, they can draw many people. Olins also talks about making countries more international and more open, and how to manage an image.

Upon working in tourism, Wally Ollins thought about Africa and South Africa and the way other countries percieved those places. He then went on to look at other countries as brands, with their good and not-so-good characteristics.

Humanity is going through unprecedented change, breaking traditional boundaries and designing innovative solutions. It is important that countries send out the right kind of message through their branding, says Olins.

In an increasingly globalised world, the branding of a nation is a very real issue where products and their nations are very tightly connected. In order for us to be successful in selling ideas, we need to reimagine the branding of our countries.