How understanding Nation Branding informs the Knowledge Economy

Purpose Many authors believe globalisation will lead to cultural similarities overshadowing cultural differences between nations. Poland, Hungary and the Czech Republic joined the EU in May 2004 and are often treated as one homogeneous Central European segment (sometimes, erroneously, as one “Eastern European” segment). However there is evidence to suggest that although marketers base their judgements upon geographical proximity, we believe that there is a high degree of diversity between these nation brands, an understanding of which can inform the knowledge economy. Methodology/Approach A survey was undertaken of 1321 nationals in five member states of the European Union: the UK (n=224), France (n=256), Poland (n=383), Hungary (n=240) and the Czech Republic (n=218). Findings There is a high degree of diversity between the recent accession nations, and they do not form one segment within an enlarged EU. Large differences were evidenced between Czech, Hungarian and Polish respondents on a range of identity markers. Practical implications Our findings may aid twenty-first century marketers who may otherwise be tempted to treat lesser known or relatively new national markets as homogeneous target market segments if reliant upon outmoded frameworks to inform them. Originality/value of paper Marketing has often been criticised for its reliance on outmoded frameworks. Hofstede's 1980 framework, often used when examining culture, was proposed prior to globalisation and the technologies that fuel the knowledge economy. This paper therefore offers a new framework for researching culture based upon a range of disciplines in order to gain insight into similarities and differences in international markets that may contribute to marketing knowledge.