Sexy Danes, Tipsy Germans: The Use of Positive Cultural Stereotypes in Nation Branding Efforts

Abstract

While nation-branding campaigns have become a popular means for governments to attempt to improve their country’s standing on international indexes, such as the Anholt-Gfk Roper Nation Brand Index (NBI), the generally static ranking on such indexes suggests that national brands cannot simply be shaped by clever marketing campaigns. Instead, national brands rest on deeply rooted perceptions of a country’s character and identity, which often have much in common with popular stereotypes about the country. This article analyzes how several advertising campaigns in Germany and Denmark, sponsored by both governmental entities and private corporations, explicitly engage with and manipulate positive national stereotypes in order to shape public narratives about what their countries have to offer the world.