Guest editorial
| Published date | 03 January 2017 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/JABS-11-2016-0155 |
| Date | 03 January 2017 |
| Pages | 1-3 |
| Author | Madhurima Deb |
| Subject Matter | Strategy,International business |
Guest editorial
Madhurima Deb
Madhurima Deb is based
at the Indian Institute of
Management Kashipur,
Kashipur, India.
Branding of emerging nations: a multidisciplinary perspective
It gives me great pleasure to introduce to the readers of Journal of Asia Business Studies
this special issue, which contains some of the best papers presented in the First
International Marketing Conference organized by the Indian Institute of Management
Kashipur during 2015 and held at the India Habitat Center, Delhi. The theme of the
Conference was “Globalizing Brand India: Opportunities and Challenges”.
The Conference witnessed participation of more than 60 presenters from IIM’s, IIT’s, NIT’s,
FMS, IMT, ISB, IMI and LBSIM, to name a few, with more than 100 papers received. A
number of papers were received under various tracks including Interface of International
marketing, Economics, Public Policy and Strategy, Understanding the transformation of
Consumer India, Demographic Trends in India and Rural Marketing Strategies, Services
Marketing Strategies, Digital India, Brand Co-Creation, Opportunities pertaining to
Infrastructure for “Transformational India”. Original papers of high quality were accepted
for presentation.
Although the special issue is primarily based on the Conference, it also includes several
papers from other authors. The theme of the special issue is Branding of Emerging Nations:
A Multidisciplinary Perspective. Branding of a nation is normally done to kindle investment,
to attract tourists’ inflows and boost exports (Dinnie, 2008). To enhance their international
competitiveness among investors, governments focus on a variety of approaches including
improvements in actual marketplace conditions and trying to market the investment
business more systematically than before through nation branding and other promotional
approaches (Young, 2005). Thus, while places have been promoting themselves for
various purposes, the practice that has come to be known as “nation branding” reflects a
far more systematic set of activities than in earlier times. Coupled with national campaigns
to promote exports, attract tourists and generally present places to a variety of target
markets, activities aimed at attracting FDI gave rise to Branding of Emerging Nations. All of
these facilitate globalization. Interestingly, Anholt (2005) argues that emerging nations have
no other option but to use soft power of national branding to communicate about their
nation’s policies and culture to an international audience (Anholt, 2005) to encourage
globalization.
Taking cue from the above, it becomes imperative for an emerging and developing nation
such as India to visit and identify the potential opportunities and challenges that lie ahead
in the process of “Globalizing Brand India”. Hence, we take into account the significance
of the phenomenon of globalization, with the said Special Issue destined to be based on the
theme of Branding of Emerging Nations: A Multidisciplinary Perspective. Through this issue,
we first wished to encourage scholars from business, economics and other social science
disciplines to submit their relevant work. Thus, one aim is to present alternative viewpoints
on the branding of emerging nations and the phenomenon and work toward a more holistic
understanding of the same. Second, we wanted to disseminate alternative metrics and
methodologies scholars have advanced for quantifying branding of emerging nations.
Finally, we hoped to publish empirical evidence on such presumed consequences (i.e.
DOI 10.1108/JABS-11-2016-0155 VOL. 11 NO. 1 2017, pp. 1-3, © Emerald Publishing Limited, ISSN 1558-7894 JOURNAL OF ASIA BUSINESS STUDIES PAGE 1
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