Naslov
Challenges of Branding in Post-Conflict Countries – The Case of Bosnia and Herzegovina

Autori
Skoko, Božo ; Jakopović, Hrvoje ; Gluvačević, Dejan

Izvornik
Tourism : an international interdisciplinary journal (1332-7461) 66 (2018), 4; 411-427

Vrsta, podvrsta i kategorija rada
Radovi u časopisima, članak, znanstveni

Ključne riječi
Bosnia and Herzegovina, branding, war, country, conflicts, tourism, image, identity

Sažetak
Country branding, by which the authors imply the management of identity and image, that is, strategic communication with the global audience, is an omnipresent phenomenon, and numerous studies have confirmed that a country’s good image is reflected in its international economic and political position. Therefore, various communication strategies, techniques and branding tools have been developed and have been applied in practice by many countries throughout the world. However, these strategies and techniques are not necessarily right for branding divided and post-conflict countries. For this reason, the paper is concerned with the challenges, opportunities and methods of communication and branding Bosnia and Herzegovina, which, even twenty years after the end of the war in that country, is still synonymous with an unstable state and a divided society in Europe. This paper provides an adjusted branding methodology, relying on an analysis of the elements of identity around which there is a consensus of all three ethnic groups - Bosniaks, Croats and Serbs, and reveals the possibilities upon which the modern brand of a European Bosnia and Herzegovina can be built. The authors pay special attention to the role of Bosnia and Herzegovina’s citizens and argue that their perceptions and attitudes towards Bosnia and Herzegovina – as well as their mutual communication – have significant, if not crucial, role in the development of a branding strategy. The authors’ starting point and hypothesis indicate that the positive points of convergence, those that transcend, at least potentially, political and social fault lines and divisions, in relation to the perceptions and attitudes of each given constituent ethnic group should form the bedrock of the branding process for post-conflict and multinational countries. Furthermore, the authors point out the necessity of achieving a consensus on the key elements that constitute a country's identity and establishing attractive factors for the public in other countries. The authors present results from several research projects and bring the key elements of branding strategy for Bosnia and Herzegovina as a tourist destination.

Izvorni jezik
Engleski

Znanstvena područja
Politologija, Informacijske i komunikacijske znanosti, Sociologija

POVEZANOST RADA