The Nation Branding in Romania, Approach to Strategy and Leadership

The purpose of this study is to analyze the structures, flows and leadership models employed by East European countries in order to build a strong Nation Brand. The country under radar in this paper is Romania. Methodology Qualitative research is employed comprising in face to face semi structured interviews with representatives of Government, Tourism Organization, several industry associations, Cultural Institute. Findings We identified that various activities, programs that could be associated with a Nation Brand strategy are developed as inter-institutional effort, still, no one associated the efforts with the Nation Brand because no formal attention has been awarded to the subject. Even more, some negative associations come from the misconception that Nation Branding is about logo, slogan and advertising campaigns that were much disputed in the past. Research limitations/implications Further research is needed in order to analyze various organization models in east European countries but also comparing those models with the success stories in Nation Branding worldwide, in order to see what can be learnt, what should not be repeated and if there is an ideal organizational and leadership model. Practical implications Countries should find a way to prioritize Nation Branding and employ a model that could live beyond the frequent changes on the political stage. Originality/value This study approaches Nation Branding for the under researched geographic area of East European countries (including Romania) covering also the topic of organization, structure and leadership in Nation Branding. Three decades after the fall of communism, Nation Branding might be a feasible solution for long term thinking, to make themselves more visible and get an active voice and a larger share of the pocket in international trade. The main challenge would be to prioritize Nation Branding and employ a model that could live beyond the frequent changes on the political stage.