When satire is serious: how political cartoons impact a country's brand

Abstract

This article examines the case of Italy's Mr. Berlusconi's indiscretions and the effect his scandals have played in the decline of the Italian national brand. National brands are the perceived added value that international consumers place on that country and its products and services. An analysis of recent political cartoons will provide insight into international attitudes regarding Mr. Berlusconi's political and social actions. From this investigation, the authors conclude that a country's political leader's negative image and reputation can have a large negative impact on national brand equity abroad.

Impact of TV dramas on consumers' travel, shopping and purchase intentions

“…However, few studies delved into the relationships underlying exposure to TV serials and tourism‐as well as purchase‐related behavior intentions. We draw on the Hierarchical Decision Model (FutureBrand, 2015), and the Consumer‐Based Equity framework (Bigi, Plangger, Bonera, & Campbell, 2011; Keller, 2009; Keller & Lehmann, 2003) to explain how that connection works.…”

“…Imagery refers therefore to associations attached to a given destination. Drawing on Anholt and Hildreth's (2004) “multidimensional brand hexagon model,” which incorporates elements of (a) tourism, heritage, and culture, and (b) business, quality of life and value system, the HDM comprises two main dimensions that contribute to the imagery of a destination country: “experiential associations” and “status associations” (Bigi et al, 2011; Sevin, 2014).…”

Branding places with social problems: A systematic review (2000–2013)

“…Hall, 2002), two specifically mentioned the importance of developing good brand equity in their objectives (e.g. Bigi et al, 2011), two focused specifically on how culture influences place branding (e.g. Hunter, 2011), and five had the objective of exploring regeneration or renewal in conjunction with developing a stronger place brand (e.g.…”

“…Several cases highlighted government and business corruption or indiscretion as a prominent social problem. Of the places that had implemented strategies to counteract this none were successful because if the government did not entirely support the policy, its implementation was not going to be successful (Wills & Moore, 2008;Cooper & Momani, 2009;Bigi et al, 2011). Without cultural change from a top down approach and officials leading through example, improving brand image relating to these problems is a difficult task.…”

Evolution of metaphors: Phylogeny of oil slick cartoons in Spanish press

“…When an event touches public opinion (a disaster, a political scandal, a situation of economic crisis, a military conflict, a sex scandal, etc. ), cartoonists use these visual metaphors to help the reader understand the impact of the event (Bigi et al, 2011; Bounegru and Forceville, 2011; Mazid, 2008; Wiid et al, 2011). Together with caricatures and a taste for surrealism, visual metaphors are among the most useful strategies for cartoonists (Edwards and Ware, 2005; Schilperoord and Maes, 2009; Streicher, 1967).…”