Social Media and Nation Branding:
Social Media and Nation Branding:
The Increasing Role of New Communication Channels in Public Diplomacy May 25th, 2010
Nation branding is a big undertaking, yet nowadays it requires little more than a cellphone.
At a breakfast panel discussion on May 25 called “Social Media and Nation Branding,” this new channel of public diplomacy was revealed as the fastest, cheapest and simplest.
According to John Della Volpe, Managing Partner at SocialSphere and Director of Polling at the Harvard Kennedy School, “a well-thought-out, authentic social media strategy can rebrand a country...much quicker and at a fraction of the cost that a traditional campaign could.”
Yet, as community builder and social media strategist Jim Storer explained, governments often go for “quick wins.” Thus, countries new to social media should focus on a specific-use case approach, such as the hosting of an international event.
Indeed, if they stick to old-fashioned media, governments will lose out, said Miriam Meckel, Berkman Fellow (Harvard) and Managing Director of the Institute for Media and Communication Management (St. Gallen)
“If you don’t get involved you will lose influence, and if you are into social media you will gain influence by giving away control to the people on those social networks,” she said.
The discussion was moderated by social media journalist and content specialist Jeff Cutler, and Director of the Public Diplomacy Collaborative at Harvard Kennedy School, Jed Willard.
