Browsing by Author "Delgado, Tatiana"

This study explores image formation, country branding and public diplomacy. It constructs theoretical connections between images, stereotypes and country images and proposes the combined concept of stereotyped images. The aim of this study is to explore what images of Finland are present in Brazil, how these images have been formed and the purposes behind these. Using qualitative content analysis it was investigated the first images of Finland formed in Brazil through the formation of a Finnish colony in the state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The study proceeds to analyze the community transformation to a themed tourist town and the importance of the village to the self-identity of the immigrants and descendants. Through the study of the community it is possible to identify the origins of the earlier Finnish stereotypes in the country and it serves as a point of departure for branding activities. In the content analysis the material present in the websites from the agencies Team Finland and This is Finland which had as its main topic Latin America and/or Brazil where analyzed. Through the material it was possible to establish the country branding activities implemented in Brazil, the purpose of the actions and target groups. Meetings with members of the Finnish Ministry of Foreign Affairs which had been or still were stationed in Brazil were conducted. These meetings served as background information and complemented the material found on both agencies websites. This showed that all together Finland is presented to the Brazilian elite and the topics highlighted are the ones which are already admired by the target group – education, technology and good governance. The study explores the counter images of Finland existent in Brazil and how these reach different social groups and have different intentions behind them. On one hand there is the stereotype of the cold and backward country, on the other there is the super model which presents solutions to the Brazilian society. The analysis of country branding allows one to explore the increasingly role of image as a tool of public diplomacy.