Who do Nation Brands stand to impact, and how? The Bloom Consulting Nation Brand Wheel © is a simple framework designed to illustrate the five objectives of Nation Branding, along with the five audiences and their respective need states that it can influence. The tool can contribute to strategising and implementing Nation Branding initiatives, and this article explains how.

First introduced by Jose Filipe Torres, CEO of Bloom Consulting, in 2011, the original Nation Brand Wheel © has evolved along with Nation Branding itself. While the first iteration featured the three dimensions of tourism, trade and talent, today’s Nation Brand Wheel © is more holistic.

At the centre of the Nation Brand Wheel © is the Central Idea. The concept describes the positive emotion or feeling evoked in audiences’ hearts and minds upon experiencing, hearing, speaking or thinking about the place and its people – and this is surrounded by an inner ring, middle ring and outer ring.

The Inner Ring: the 5 Objectives of Nation Branding

The inner ring of the Nation Brand Wheel © represents the five objectives of a Nation Brand, which are:

  • Exports
  • Investments
  • Tourism
  • Talent
  • Prominence

Together, these objectives make clear that Nation Branding can and does affect a country’s economic performance.

The Middle Ring: the 5 Audiences of Nation Branding

The middle ring of the Nation Brand Wheel © depicts the five audiences of a Nation Brand:

  1. Companies

The potential business partners of a nation’s own traders, manufacturers and service providers.

  1. Investors

Investors with an interest in conducting international business, potentially looking to open new branches or acquire shares in a local company.

  1. Tourists

Global residents with the budget for travelling.

  1. Workforce

People considering relocation for reasons such as working, studying or seeking change.

  1. General public

While the general public may not have a specific need to engage with a nation – a person may not be actively or urgently looking for a place to travel, move to, invest in, or buy from – their awareness and knowledge of a nation may still affect their decisions at any time. For instance, their perception of the country of origin – if they have one at all – could influence choices such as buying a new food item at a supermarket, watching a movie, or considering a destination for their next holiday. Importantly, the general public also heavily impacts diplomatic relations and political decision making. 

The Outer Ring: the 5 Need States of a Nation Brand’s Audiences

The outer ring of the Nation Brand Wheel © consists of the five so-called “need states” of the five audiences of a Nation Brand – what they seek to satisfy and what will influence their decision to choose a specific nation or its products or services.

  1. Uniqueness

Companies are looking for a unique set of conditions that will boost their results or fix their problem.

  1. Advantage

The prospect of financial gain is a key driver for investors, so what advantages can a nation offer to encourage this? Factors might include tax rates, the employee and property markets and hard facts.

  1. Experience

Leisure travellers want to collect positive memories and enrich their lives.

  1. Lifestyle

A person considering a move wants the destination to match their values and provide what they feel is missing in their place of origin.

  1. Prominence

The general public seeks trustworthiness, and trust is built through authenticity, transparency and consistent communication. 

A Nation Brand Builds Trust and Credibility, Swaying Decisions

Companies, investors, tourists, the workforce and the general public make decisions every day. A Nation Brand can influence those decisions in either direction. In fact, as Bloom Consulting identified in its research, perceptions – that is the Nation Brand – account for approximately a quarter of the total transaction value for tourism, foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows and talent attraction. In other words, for every $1,000 a country attracts through tourism or FDI, approximately $250 is thanks to perception.

If well executed, the Nation Brand will infuse every interaction that the audiences have with the nation, its people and organisations, establishing a positive perception in the audiences’ hearts and minds, building their trust towards the nation and nudging them towards decisions in favour of it. The Nation Brand Wheel © demonstrates who and how it can influence, indicating the focus areas for a Nation Branding strategy.

Picture an investor scouting for a new location to expand their portfolio. The choice will fall between several places, and they will weigh aspects such as workforce costs, availability of premises and policies. In the process, they are likely to consult with local industry representatives, consultancy firms and government officials, as well as analyse reports, media coverage and official resources. At the end of the day, a lot will come down to how they feel when interacting with these touchpoints. Whether they transmit a common feeling or mixed messages will vastly affect trustworthiness and credibility and therefore the investor’s decision. Remember – perceptions account for 24% of FDI inflow to a country!

The Nation Brand Wheel © as a Compass

The Nation Brand Wheel © depicts the essence of how a strong Nation Brand can support the efforts of a nation to increase exports, attract investments, tourism and new residents, and be taken seriously on the global stage. It illustrates why it is essential for all brand touchpoints to embody and convey core values for the collective good and prosperity. Use it as a compass!

Do our national policies align with the Central Idea? Does the country’s tourism offering resonate with the Central Idea? When an audience is scouring for information to satisfy its needs, what is it finding about our country online? Such is the nature of the questions to ask.

Published on 04.02.2025.