Branding Romania: A PESTEL framework based on a comparative analysis of two country brand indexes

Abstract

Branding Romania is an oft-told story within national public debates. During the past years, the urgency of promoting a coherent Romanian brand to international audiences has been spurred by various factors. Amongst these factors we note general pressures caused by globalization and information abundance, pressures of delivering a European Union congruent brand and nevertheless internal pressures related to social changes. The present paper employs a comparative analysis of two widely used country brand indexes, in order to reveal the dimensions upon which a complex branding strategy could be developed. In light of our findings, we use an adapted model of the PESTEL analysis in order to evaluate Romania’s stance in the strategic branding process. The main emphasis lies on the interdependent and mutually-reinforcing spheres that could constitute the foundation of a consistent, long-term brand management.brand, country brand indexes, country branding, PESTEL analysis.