Nation brand identity and image: A study on azerbaijan's identity and image

Today, developed and developing countries always carry out and exhibit various activities to create a positive image in the world. For this purpose, most countries carry out promotional activities through different organizations. By applying different promotional strategies and using various promotional methods and tools, information and messages about the country are conveyed to the target audience. Properly executed promotional strategies have a great impact on building a country`s identity. Country image consists of beliefs, knowledge and observations about the existence of a country. In this context, the study aims to achieve two goals. The study aims to investigate two main aspects related to the efforts of public and private entities in Azerbaijan through promotional activities, both event-related and non-event-related, to establish national identity and to position the country. Additionally, it seeks to reveal how these promotional efforts influence the perception of the country's image. The first part of the study employed content analysis as a method, focusing on 44 promotional videos selected as samples. The data were analyzed using MAXQDA 22.5.0 software. According to the findings obtained from the analysis of the promotional videos, it was concluded that Azerbaijan has a multicultural and tolerant social structure with cultural values, friendly and hospitable people, rich historical and natural resources, high tourism potential, and a multicultural and tolerant society, as well as trying to create a modern country identity that adapts to modern developments. The second part of the study utilized a survey technique, where questions were prepared using "Google Documents" and the survey link was disseminated via social media platforms, resulting in 428 participants from four continents. The collected data were analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistics 23.0 and Jamovi software. According to the research findings, participants generally perceived the image of Azerbaijan in a positive light.