Nation branding and nation branding attempts in Turkey

The purpose of this thesis is to examine the concept of nation branding and promotion activities in Turkey within the framework of nation branding. Firstly, the nation branding literature is explained in detail including criticisms towards the concept. This part is supported by the additional methods of content analysis and semi-structured interviews. Two recent campaigns, "Turkey: Discover the Potential" and "Turkey: Home," are analyzed with regards to leaders' statements, promotional videos, annual reports, and interview results. "Seyyar Sergi" (1926) is further analyzed as a historical reference point in Turkey's nation branding activities. In conclusion, it is found that Turkey's current promotional activities are not even as close to the term nation branding as "Seyyar Sergi" Project was almost a hundred years ago. It is also argued here that contrary to the popular definition of nation branding, Turkey is not able at this stage to evaluate its current condition realistically, and rather putting blame on external factors to explain its negative image mostly, and therefore, has trouble strenghtening its brand identity. Keyword: Nation Branding, Turkey, Turkey Discover the Potential, Turkey Home, Seyyar Sergi.