As Elien stated in her previous post, stereotypes can be very important for the image of a country. The gourmet French, the sturdy Russians, the annoying Dutch and, maybe, the stupid Americans.
I believe that stereotypes can be very good for a country (France for example, who doesn't like good food?) but if you have a bad image, like Russia, you should try to change it.
And Russia tried this with the creation of a committee to manage its image abroad, for political and diplomatic purposes. they say that stereotypes aren't always there to be corrected, some are good and some are just too established to be changed, also, like in Russia, most stereotypes are still very real: The alcohol abuse, hostile weather, the power of mafia, an aggressive diplomacy and press censorship. If they are still real, it will be impossible to change or erase them. Destination branding can't change facts, it only gives relief to the more attractive aspects of a place.
I like Russia’s approach on this matter. Like I mentioned in my first blog, you can’t make a country perfect, no country is perfect. But with destination branding you emphasize the positive qualities and hide the negative ones.
Christophe Parrein
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