A Strategy for Shanghai Nation Branding, Dissertation – Results Example

Results of the study

The researcher involved 6 people as the participants of the focus group in determining the contribution of three essential elements of a national brand that were uniqueness, creativity and identity oriented.  The respondents indicated that uniqueness is a very important feature in determining national branding. The respondents also cited creativity as another important feature of consideration in nation branding. A country’s identity, in particular, its culture and history was also noted as another feature of nation branding. Other important elements that were incorporated in the survey include traditional factors such as life style, time length that will potentially make audiences weary and economic growth which makes Shanghai more and more international and globalization. Cultures, history, customs, arts and music were considered as the important components of traditional factors. The Identified focus group took approximately 90 minutes and consisted of around 6 college students (50% female, 50% male). As a result of the fact that the major focus of this study was Americans, The researcher decided to select the participants for this study the United States.

With regard to uniqueness the guiding question to the respondents was what makes Shanghai different from other cities? Six respondents which accounted for 100 % of the total participants in this research indicated that uniqueness was a very important feature in this respect. With respect to v however, the respondents recorded a frequency of zero which was equivalent to 0%. This therefore implied that creativity does not play any significant role in nation branding. In regard the identity of a country with particular interest of the culture and the history of the country, 5 out of 6 people who took part in this research accounting for 83% indicated positive contribution of this element in positively shaping the image of a country. The participants were asked to respond to the issue of lack of humanity and freedom in China. Five out of the six respondents involved in the study, which accounted for 83%, indicated that traditional factors had significant contribution in positively shaping the image of a country. The lifestyle of people in Shanghai also received a positive response from the respondents with 6 people accounting for 100% indicating positive contribution to the enhancement of the country’s brand. Three out of the six people interviewed indicated that the time length that will potentially make audiences weary had a significant contribution to the improvement of the country’s brand. Two out of the six participants, accounting for 33% indicated a positive contribution of economic growth in shaping the image of a country.

In the course of analysis of the results for this study, the concepts of the ground theory were applicable that involved collection of data and marking the key points with a designated code. The workability of the codes was enhanced by grouping them into akin concepts followed by the formation of categories that form the basis of the ground theory. This is a contradiction to the traditional research models that are guided by the choice of theoretical framework.

Based on the findings of the study, it was evident that, the creation of attractive image in Shanghai improved the status of the nation with regard to attraction of investment opportunities for the business community, becoming an important tourist destination and opening some markets to meet the demands of their exports in a positive way. Nation branding in this study was considered as the application of techniques of corporate branding in the context of a nation. It is also evident that Shanghai has created an appreciable level of awareness concerning the value that is attributed to brand as an important asset of the nation. Catchy slogans as indicated in the advertisements such as the ones that were exposed to the focus group in this study have been proved to be important center of attraction to the foreigners. The efforts of the research in the study were to quantify answers to the research questions that guided this research which gave the direction of Shanghai as a destination for efficient investment in the near future. The management of the image of the nation was another important behavioral aspect that bears significant implication in determining national branding and the future image of the nation. A high level of collaboration is required among business and business leaders to ascertain that messages expressed in the advertisements are a clear representation of “the elemental universal purpose” of their nation. It is notable that, the campaigns of branding can be a failure due to a number of reasons. The most important reason that can create a challenging environment is the absence of collaboration among the senior officials in the nation including the government, non governmental organizations as well as the private sector.  A conducive partnership at this level is a vital promoter of the campaigns of branding. The absence of positive communication can create a cross-purpose situation in the efforts of improving the brand of the nation. For example, the tourism sector may claim that the nation is a wonderful and welcoming tourist destination while the agency responsible for the promotion of investment makes directly opposite claims. The cultural institute on the other hand may give a positive picture of the film industry but the government contradicts these efforts by frequent attacks on their neighbors. These important sectors of the nation pass completely different messages about the nation despite the vital role they are entrusted with in shaping the image and creating a positive brand of the nation. This is a clear indication of lack of collaboration and it is a hindering block to the efforts of branding the nation.

Participants also indicated that the importance of attractive image is based on its influence of a national brand. Successful branding of a country increases the attractiveness of business organizations and boosts the level of investments. Nation branding also plays a vital role in promoting the goals and objectives of the tourism industry in that country and promotion of public diplomacy. Successful branding is also responsible for supporting the interests of the exporting industry. Finally, a well implemented branding campaign strengthens the identity of the citizens and increases self-esteem.

In the study, it was important for the researcher to account for the complexity of nations as compared to brands with respect to branding. In consideration of national identity, it high chances of manipulating, inspiring as well as motivating people is achievable. This is facilitated by the use of similar techniques as the ones that are at the disposal of companies in branding their products. This instrumentalist approach unremorsefully advocate for a type of “social engineering” that permit the elites to influence national identities. As a result, the power relations are ignored and the insinuation of nation branding for egalitarianism is neglected. The gains associated with nation branding cherished by marketers while the representatives in the public sector lack a clear understanding of the benefits.

Discussion

The researcher posits to identify the human qualities that play a more important role for Americans positive perception of Shanghai in the context of its nation branding. The objective of the researcher was to identify which human qualities are important to American audiences and their applicability in making an attractive branding for Shanghai, The researcher also posits to create a positive brand for Shanghai to make people like it or even begin to be interested in it.

In this study, the researcher made effective use of qualitative research methods, focus group and content analysis to capture data that range from being broad-based to specific. The study was designed to uncover which human qualities play a more important role for American audiences so as to build and improve a Shanghai image. The researcher made use of a focus group to generate data that was used to make important deductions in this study. The choice of focus group was based on its effectiveness in gathering a large amount of information from different people. The researcher found it easy to expand questions and dig out underlying reasons when necessarily.

The research also indicated that, the competitiveness of Shanghai can potentially be improved through branding through linking them to the country’s positive presumption. Nation branding also promotes the infrastructure of Shanghai, makes the tax structures more favorable, among other incentives that attract foreign investments in to the nation. The financial market of Shanghai is also anticipated to improve in the direction of becoming an important financial hub.

All the initiatives of branding Shanghai are based on the spirit of positioning this nation and to improve its image to the potential investors, potential tourists in addition to the potential consumers of goods and services from this country. The ultimate goals of nation branding in this respect are enhancing the process of growth of the country. The effectiveness of a branding campaign to improve the image of Shanghai will be determined by the extent to which it is able to accelerate the level of economic growth of the country. In this study, the researcher accounted for the fact that, most other countries are involved in an aggressive competition to catch the attention of potential investors, expatriates and tourists. This was the basis of gathering sufficient information that can facilitate proper planning of a branding campaign for the country. The advertisements that were applicable in this study such as the one used in Beijing Olympics Bid in 2000 and in Shanghai EXPO Bid in 2000 are important symbols play a very significant role in branding the country.

The researcher found that most Americans don’t care that China has a long history and a profound civilization. However, these two factors are frequently emphasized in advertisements in China that use nation branding and city branding.

It was also evident from this study that, nation branding is an effective and straightforward way to assist a government to build or improve a country’s image. In identifying the aspects the American audiences, stereotypes were identified to play a very important role in my branding. The consumers’ behavior, attitudes, and beliefs towards country’s products were identified as important aspects in successful national brand on the basis of positive image of a country of origin. It is important to point out that, the major objective behind nation branding is to improve the country’s export promotion, attract more tourists and promote inward investment.

Implications

This research has important implications beyond the research questions in that most nations are progressively more becoming conceptualized as brands. The most important task accorded to branding relates to differentiation from the competitors. Consequently, development of position strategy in the context of a nation brand is an important qualification in achieving strategic branding for the nation. The effectiveness of the position of nation brand is determined by its distinctiveness, translatability, acceptability and being singular. Nations have the option of embracing the positioning base in their attempt to associate with the nations and regions of superior

The researcher also identified a problem of lack of coordination as being associated with nation branding .The importance of this research should strive at identifying the means that branding can be used to make it good enough to attract and persuade audiences to identify with the intention. It is important to appreciate the fact that, research in the field of nation branding is comparatively new and therefore most of the information and theories have been borrowed from other disciplines in the same field. In this regard, additional investigation is needed in branding as an essential part of capitalistic marketing aimed to create an attractive image of products that help to retain consumers and preserve their loyalty. More research is also needed in the contribution of brands in shaping the image of a country in the minds of the consumers. Proper creation of nation branding is essential for every country’s sustainable future. Another area that requires further investigations is creativity. According to the available information from secondary research, it is evident that, branding represents the country’s creativity because original invention will assist a national brand to display a certain value for a country and its nation. However, the available information from primary research that was carried out in this study does not support this claim. This is a basis for recommendation for additional research in the contribution of creativity in improving and shaping the image of a country. In the future research, it is also prudent to means of creating a positive brand for Shanghai to make people like and begin gaining interest in it.

The perception of nation branding based on political approaches is an amplified form of propaganda and a “post-ideological” form of repute administration for the nations. Consequently, the political insinuations behind incorporation of the aspect of marketing along with the principles of branding in international relations together with national governance is an issue that requires greater scrutiny and research in the future.