NATION REBRANDING IN A PERIOD OF CRISIS AND THE ROLE OF PUBLIC DIPLOMACY: THE CASE STUDY OF GREECE

The aim of this paper is to highlight the crucial role of public diplomacy in rebranding a country, especially during a time of economic crisis, and to point out the ways it can become an important tool. Rebranding a country or a nation is the process by which a countrys international image is recreated, essentially representing that nation or country with a new concept, effectively reintroducing it and establishing the countrys modified image. Key tools of this process are communication in general and public diplomacy at state and professional level. Public Diplomacy helps governments launch communication campaigns that can promote a favourable image of the country to international publics, a core factor for successful rebranding. Nevertheless, campaigns alone do not amount to rebranding. Campaigns are good and useful and help reach a strategic goal; they are however only a component of the public diplomacy of a branding strategy.The main question of the study is whether Greece has a brand name and needs to adopt any sort of rebranding strategy. The study also examines whether the campaigns are aligned to a certain branding strategy, it describes the critical factors in rebranding the image of a country and the degree to which public diplomacy has developed.Finally, the paper proposes an integrated model consisting of four basic steps that can be followed by countries facing crises.The methodological approach is based on bibliography, previous studies, published case studies, field research and professional experience.The results of this study may help any scholar and practitioner avoid mistakes common in public diplomacy at times of crisis and add a new dimension to the relationship between nation brand and public diplomacy