Antecedents of nation brand personality

Given the increasing popularity of nation branding across the globe, brand management at the symbolic level is a critical component of a nation's brand management program. By surveying a US sample of 304 college students, the current study identified a total of five primary antecedents of nation brand personality: government competences, people/events, natural features, pop culture and arts/history. The results also show that government competences, natural features, and pop culture are crucial antecedents in nation branding; they increase chances of a positive nation brand personality dimension (eg, agreeableness, assiduousness) or decrease the possibility of a negative dimension (eg, snobbism). © 2013 Macmillan Publishers Ltd.