Can a Nation Rebrand Itself?

Would you take on the assignment of rebranding the nation that gave us the Nigerian Scam?

Apparently someone feels up to the task.

Nigeria is hoping a new patriotic slogan emblazoned on T-shirts and baseball caps can restore self-confidence and overturn its battered reputation.

Africa’s most populous nation is known for corruption, is poor despite decades of oil production and is increasingly used as a drug transit route and for e-mail scams and online fraud.

Under the slogan “Nigeria: Good People, Great Nation,” Nigeria hopes to eschew that image and “entrench a culture of moral re-armament,” President Umaru Yar’Adua said in a speech.

According to the CIA Worldfact Book, “Nigeria is currently experiencing its longest period of civilian rule since independence. The general elections of April 2007 marked the first civilian-to-civilian transfer of power in the country’s history.” That’s a great place to start. Add to it strong reform policies to its economic structure, you have some great stories to tell.

So how would you rebrand a nation?

Here are other articles I have written on this topic:

• Writing a Strategic Communications Plan: Key Messages
• Why You Should Be Proactive with Bad News
• What Twitter’s DoS Attack Can Teach Us
• Three Things People Want to Know in a Crisis
• Are You a Salesman of Ideas?
• What Credit Unions Should Be Telling Their Members
• Cessna Rises to the Occasion
• Facebook Caves on Usage Agreement
• How Do You Respond to Online Criticism?
• Executives Discover Online Reputation Management