Journal of Public Diplomacy

The Korean Association for Public Diplomacy (한국공공외교학회)
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Nation branding in times of refugee crisis: Digital media practices of Belgian and Swedish governmental institutions

  • Weronika Rucka (Institute for Media Studies, KU Leuven) ;
  • Rozane De Cock (Institute for Media Studies, KU Leuven) ;
  • Tim Smits (Institute for Media Studies, KU Leuven)
  • Received : 2022.08.11
  • Accepted : 2023.10.30
  • Published : 2023.12.31
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Abstract

Although immigration and related policies are among crucial factors building a country's reputation, in-depth studies comparing nation branding strategies of countries facing high influx of refugees are lacking. This holds especially true when it concerns nations with different geopolitical, cultural, state structural and linguistic characteristics. There is also a growing need to widen our knowledge on digital nation branding and how it can be applied to respond to crisis situations as the refugee dilemma. This empirical study aims to fill these gaps focusing on Belgium and Sweden as an insightful comparative case study. The study's objectives are: (i) comparing similarities and differences between the countries' approach to managing their (digital) nation brand; ii) studying the countries' digital nation branding and communication management regarding migration and asylum topics since the mid-2010s refugee crisis. Data were collected via in-depth interviews with sixteen representatives of Belgian and Swedish governmental institutions. Our findings reveal differences between branding strategies of Belgium and Sweden resulting from their different contextual characteristics. What characterizes both nations' strategies is the increased importance of using digital media and the need of adapting to their market logics. Although the mid-2010s refugee crisis has not changed the countries' general digital nation branding strategy, but rather brought sensitive topics into sharp focus, it did lead to communication challenges that the institutions had to face. The Swedish institutions seem to be more active and structured in countering them. We conclude that well-established nation branding strategies are useful tools for governments to base on before, during and after crisis events. The example of Sweden shows that crises can act as an opportunity to reinforce a nation brand.

Keywords

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