The development of country-branding: Is it possible to stimulate the international recognition of a technological and innovative Brazil?

Abstract

This article seeks to understand the reasons of the efforts to promote the narrative of a technological and innovative Brazil abroad. The premise is that countries invest in public diplomacy and marketing initiatives, in order to improve the international insertion of technological products, services or processes, as well as the attraction of foreign investments and qualified workers. The purpose of the research is to highlight the constraints and strengths of Brazilian public diplomacy in order to achieve the goal of developing the country brand related to the technological sector. This is an exploratory research, which resorts to the specialized bibliography and to the assessment of the strategies adopted by five countries (Estonia, India, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom), for illustrative purposes, to better understand the problem. It was concluded that, in order to achieve such objective, the work performed by the Chancellery is not enough. All government agencies, at federal, state and municipal levels, and preferably also business and civil society should be involved. This work suggests that SICOM should concentrate the decision-making process and initiatives related to the country-branding of Brazil, including the technology component.