Nation Branding - How to correct a negative image - The case of Thailand

Brand, as defined by the American Marketing Association dictionary is ‘a name, term, design, symbol, or any other feature that identifies one seller's good or service as distinct from those of other sellers.’ This does not only apply to items, but to nation states as well. When one thinks of France, what comes to mind? Fashion, baguettes, berets... And what about Spain? Relaxing on the beach, drinking sangria, flamenco.. Germany? It is known for manufacturing good quality cars such as Volkswagen for example. These are things and ideas associated with places. They can generally be positive or negative. The problem is how can one re-brand a nation or a place that has a negative image?

Nuttavuthisit explores the case of Thailand and its negative image of sex tourism. ‘Branding Thailand’ is a study that aimed at gathering the perceptions people all over the world have of Thailand, from its best and most positive ones down to the worst. It was seen that Thailand apart from being known for the hospitality of its people, was also known abroad for its sex tourism industry. Thailand has beautiful beaches and holiday resorts, but then the prostitution factor comes in the picture. And to make things even worse, there is child prostitution as well. And thus, the latter overshadows the former. The solution presented is that Thailand needs to work both on ‘real improvement’ via government policy and ‘image improvement’ via place branding strategy. Nuttavuthisit argues that in order to correct the situation of Thailand being related to the sex industry, the government should develop a branding strategy to correct the present image of Thailand and reshape perceptions. Furthermore, direct action should be taken against sex tourism via government policy simultaneously.

More emphasis should be place on the natural landscapes Thailand has to offer, the mountains, the beach etc. And thus, emphasise on adventure holidays for tourists so it could be one of the main attractions. Also, it is recommended to try stay at home holidays with Thai people to show their friendliness and their good nature. One wants to targets specific types of people, those who are not interested in sex tourism and one has to highlight all the things that Thailand has to offer as to push away that negative image.

As part of the tourism campaign, places often have slogans and even though it is the word ‘exotic’ which is mostly related to Thailand, this word can have a negative connotation and should thus be avoided. Further on, words such as warmth and friendliness may be related to characteristics of the prostitutes. Hence, these words are not of a positive image either. Place branding communication tools usually have an image to accompany the country. Such as the Great Wall of China and the Eiffel Tower in Paris. With Thailand, one has seen flight attendants trying to portray the image of Thai peoples’ hospitality. Yet, this is a very borderline image as it can be related to the sex industry and the prostitution sector once more. As one can see, Thailand is a very tricky situation when it comes to trying to get rid of a country’s negative image. It will definitely take time and a lot of effort for Thailand to be able to get rid of the negative image it has been given thus far, and a lot of cooperation will be needed from the local residents, the government and also the tourists as it is also due to the tourists that in fact go to Thailand for sex tourism which feed that industry. Hopefully Thailand will be able to overcome its present situation and find a way to highlight all the good and beautiful things it has to offer as a country. As seen, re-branding a nation is certainly a difficult task and one which needs a lot of time to be fulfilled.