The case for nation branding to consider leader brands at international events: Trudeau, Trump and Ardern as brand ambassadors

Abstract

This thesis explores the nature of leader brands at international events to make the case for nation branding to consider leader brand personalities. The research conducts empirical research to assess current leaders Jacinda Ardern, Justin Trudeau and Donald Trump's leader brand personalities at international events including the APEC Leaders Meeting in Vietnam in 2017, the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in the UK in 2018, the G7 Summit in Canada in 2018 and the United Nations General Assembly in the US in 2018 as evidenced in their own communications as well as media reports. A total of 972sources were analysed. Of these 627 were primary sources including the leaders' media statements, interviews, speeches, photos, videos and social media posts. In addition, 345 media articles were reviewed as secondary sources. The leaders' brand personalities were analysed against political brand image dimensions of capability, openness, empathy, agreeableness and handsomeness. The findings suggest that the brand of individual leaders, who act as spokespeople for their countries, is an important component of nation branding. Brand personality can create unique and favourable associations. While leaders have finite terms, if their personal brand does not align with the nation brand that has been built over a long period of time, it can cause confusion in the minds of stakeholders. A leader's brand, just as much as a country's policies, provides cues as to how a country can be expected to behave during a given situation. Each country puts forward its own values to the world. This thesis suggests that research needs to consider the potential impact of a leaders' brand on the nation brand. Finally, the thesis offers suggestions for achieving better alignment between nation brands and leader brands based on findings from the three case studies of current leaders Jacinda Ardern, Justin Trudeau and Donald Trump and highlights additional areas for future research.