Nation branding through mega-events and the impact on tourism development in the host country

A consideração da marca-nação recentemente tem ganhado grande importância com países se esforçando para alcançar uma vantagem competitiva global, atrair turistas de todo o mundo, investimento estrangeiro direto e uma força de trabalho qualificada, além de melhorar as preferências dos consumidores por seus produtos exportados. A importância para o Brasil em ter hospedado os dois mais importantes mega-eventos esportivos no prazo de dois anos, a Copa do Mundo de 2014 e os Jogos Olímpicos de 2016, é discutida em detalhe. O objetivo da pesquisa exploratória aqui apresentada é entender a percepção internacional do Brasil (medida como marca-nação) e determinar se principalmente a Copa do Mundo de 2014 teve um impacto positivo na marca-nação e também nas atividades de turismo no país. A metodologia de um estudo de caso específico foi aplicada. As principais origens de informações foram dados secundários de sites e revistas relacionados a turismo e eventos, bem como dados quantitativos de índices de marca-nação e estatísticas oficiais de turismo. A fonte de dados mais significante foi obtida em sete entrevistas com especialistas no campo da marca-nação, eventos e turismo. A pesquisa sugere que a Copa do Mundo teve efeitos de dois lados. Aumento da consciêntização internacional, hospitalidade e melhorias na percepção da cultura e das pessoas no Brasil são resultados positivos que foram parcialmente restringidos por imagens negativas de corrupção, insegurança e problemas sociais. De forma geral, a Copa do Mundo apresentou resultados positivos na indústria do turismo. Apesar de serem benéficos em muitos aspectos, os mega-eventos aconteciam em um momento difícil para o Brasil, econômico e políticamente. Juntamente com deficiências persistentes das organizações desportivas internacionais, estas circunstâncias impediram ainda mais os resultados duradouros e a reputação internacional. Os resultados, entretanto, não são simplórios. Pelo contrário, são baseados em uma discussão complexa que identifica contribuições positivas dos eventos para a marca de destino e possivelmente para o desenvolvimento uma estratégia da nação-marca no Brasil.

Nation branding has recently gained importance as countries strive for a global competitive advantage to attract worldwide tourists, foreign direct investment and talented workforce, and to enhance consumer preferences for its exported products. The significance for Brazil of having hosted the two most important sport mega-events, the 2014 Football World Cup and the 2016 Summer Olympic Games, within two years is discussed in detail. The objective of the exploratory research here presented is to understand the perception of Brazil internationally (measured as nation brand) and to determine whether primarily the 2014 World Cup had an impact on the nation brand as possibly also on the tourism activities in the country. A methodology of a single case study has been applied. Main sources of information were secondary data from websites and tourism and event related journals, as well as quantitative data from nation branding indices and official tourism statistics. The most insightful data source was provided by seven interviews with experts in the field of nation branding, events and tourism business. The research suggests that the World Cup had two-sided effects. Increased international awareness, hospitality and improvements in perception of culture and people in Brazil are positive results that were partly restrained by negative images of corruption, insecurity and social problems. The World Cup overall resulted in positive outcomes in the tourism industry. Despite being beneficial in many aspects, the mega-events happened at a difficult economic and political time in Brazil. Together with persistent deficiencies of the international sport organizations, these circumstances further hindered lasting legacies and international reputation. The findings therefore are not straightforward. They are rather based on a complex discussion which identifies positive contributions of the events to destination branding and possibly to the development of the nation branding strategy of Brazil.

Key words: nation branding, mega-event, 2014 World Cup, international image, Brazil
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1 INTRODUCTION, 13
1.1 Research Question and Objectives, 14
1.2 Research Justification, 14
1.3 Thesis Structure, 16

2 LITERATURE REVIEW, 17
2.1 Brand and Branding, 17
2.1.1 Definitions, 17
2.1.2 Brand Equity, 19
2.2 Main Concepts of Nation Branding, 22
2.2.1 Origin of Nation Branding, 22
2.2.2 Definitions, 26
2.2.3 Creating a Nation Brand, 27
2.2.4 Nation Brand Equity, 29
2.2.5 Measurement of a Nation Brand, 31
2.2.5.1Simon Anholt Nation Brand Index, 32
2.2.5.2FutureBrand Country Brand Index, 34
2.2.5.3Alternative Rankings, 36
2.3 Mega-Event Characteristics, 38
2.3.1 Definition of a Mega-Event, 38
2.3.2 Legacies of Mega-Events, 40
2.3.3 Tourism Development in Recent Host Countries, 44
2.3.4 Overview of the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, 48

3 METHODOLOGY, 51
3.1 Choice of Exploratory Qualitative Research, 51
3.2 Research Design, 52
3.3 Data Collection, 54
3.3.1 Participants, 55
3.4 Data Analysis, 57
3.5 Case Study Limitations, 61

4 RESEARCH FINDINGS, 63
4.1 Nation Branding in Brazil, 63
4.1.1 Description of the Brand Brazil, 63
4.1.2 Destination Branding in Brazil, 65
4.1.3 Brazil’s Position in Nation Branding Indices, 70
4.1.3.1Anholt-GfK Nation Brands Index, 70
4.1.3.2FutureBrand Country Brand Index, 71
4.1.4 Evaluation of Nation Branding in Brazil, 73
4.2 Tourism Development in Brazil, 79
4.2.1 Assessment of the State of Tourism, 79
4.2.2 Key Performance Indicators, 82
4.2.3 Effects of the World Cup on Tourism Development, 85
4.3 Impacts of Mega-Events in Brazil, 88
4.3.1 History and Importance of the World Cup in Brazil, 88
4.3.2 Impacts of the Current Political and Economic Crisis, 91
4.3.3 Opportunities and Challenges through the Olympic Games, 93

5 CONCLUSIONS, 97
5.1 Final Remarks and Managerial Implications, 97
5.2 Research Limitations, 101
5.3 Recommendations for Future Research, 102

6 REFERENCES, 104