Country Brand as a Socio-Cultural Phenomenon: Functional Presentation

Abstract

The purpose of the article is to identify and substantiate the socio-cultural functions of the nation's brand. The research methodology is based on an interdisciplinary synthesis of cultural studies, management, socio-cultural communication, sociology, imageology, marketing, and other sciences. Therefore, special approaches within these disciplines have been used, as well as general scientific methods (generalisation, comparison, analysis and synthesis) and principles of knowledge (reliability of results, impartiality). Scientific novelty. For the first time in Ukrainian cultural studies, the functions of the country's brand as a socio-cultural phenomenon have been identified and substantiated. Conclusions. The national brand is a socio-cultural phenomenon that reflects all social processes and has every opportunity to influence the construction and positioning of most aspects of social life. After all, within the country borders, the brand reflects certain social processes and the corresponding system of values of the socio-cultural community and each individual who fits into its lifestyle. Therefore, the modern branding of the country should be a practice of construction, implementation, positioning, and management, which should be based primarily on the socio-cultural potential of the brand that best reveals its dual nature. On the one hand, it is the reflection of the socio-cultural reality, and on the other hand, it actively influences the processes that take place in it. Among the main sociocultural functions of national branding, we single out the following ones: unifying-nation-building, differential-identification, symbolic-meaningful, negenthropic-revitalisation. In line with the sociocultural methodology, the ideological and value function of the national brand and the function of intercultural communication need their justification.

Key words: national branding, country brand, sociocultural methodology, sociocultural functions, culture, identity, symbol, nation, values.