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“Nation Brand Builders” by Bloom Consulting’s CEO, Jose Filipe Torres

“When I say the name of the Country, what pops into your mind? The perceptions, feelings and emotions that you have whenever you hear the Country’s name. That’s the Nation Brand.” This is the motto given at the beginning of the book by Jose Filipe Torres, CEO of Bloom Consulting, launched in 2019 in San Jose, Costa Rica. Over the last 15 years, Jose has been documenting the evolution of dozens of country, region and city brands and has been collecting notes, experiences and practical examples of how to develop, structure and manage Nation and Place Branding strategies. “Nation Brand Builders” is a combination of all of this along with his recommendations and a strong position on the future – Nation Branding 2.0.

3 things you need to know about “Nation Brand Builders“

What’s different about this book than the rest of Nation and Place Branding literature?

The answer can be found in the foreword by Malcolm Allan, Bloom Consulting’s President: “I’ve been collecting and reading books on Nation and Place Branding for years, most of them written by academics in universities or think tanks, very few of whom have had any or limited practical experience in developing, delivering and managing brand strategies. Consequently, all too many of these works are overly focused on theory, which makes them dry and lacking observations that bring the subject-matter to life, drawing on them for relevant lessons for the present and the future, as does this book.“

Who might be interested in reading “Nation Brand Builders”?

  • Someone who’s starting a Nation and Place Branding project and needs to acquire knowledge about the area, its context and practical cases;
  • Someone who’s starting a Nation and Place Banding project and needs to explain the essential basis of this area to their stakeholders in a clear and practical way;
  • Professionals in the sector who are interested in knowing more about Nation Branding 2.0, that is, about the importance, impact and management of the Digital Identity of country, region and city brands.

What can readers expect to find in “Nation Brand Builders”?

First, Jose Filipe Torres makes a retrospective analysis of the initiatives of 44 countries, regions and cities during the last 15 years, in terms of actions, activities, measures and policies carried out to manage their reputation proactively. In addition, Jose examines some events that, having happened by chance, have changed the reputation of destinations, which he calls “Nation Branding Adventures”.

Estonia, Sweden, New Zealand, Costa Rica and Barcelona. At first glance, these five destinations seem to have nothing in common, but the truth is that they have all managed to turn the Place Branding theory into practice – they are the successful stories to follow, the real Nation Brand Builders.

But how did they do it? Through three essential components that you will get to know in depth in the second part of the book: thinking strategically, with the development of a Central Idea and the alignment of all actions, activities and policies with this idea; the implementation of a management structure; and the creation of a measurement system.

Strategy, management and measurement are, therefore, the key elements shared among the successful Country Brands, according to Jose Torres’ experience. However, in the third and final part, Bloom Consulting’s CEO reflects on a fourth key aspect for the positive change in the reputation of countries, regions and cities: the Digital Identity of Nation and Place Brands.

In other words, what happens in the real world also happens in the digital world. Destinations have to know how to manage their online presence strategically. Because the Digital Identity of a country, region or city brand has a great effect and impact on stakeholders in real life, given the accessibility and credibility attributed to digital platforms.

It is the end of Nation Branding 1.0 and the recognition of Nation Branding 2.0 as the new era of Nation and Place Branding.