Korea’s Promotion Overseas Mismanaged

By David Kilburn

The attraction of transforming a country into a brand is easy to understand. Brands add value, both for their owners and their consumers.

According to U.S. brand expert John Gerzema, author of The Brand Bubble, brand value now accounts for about 30 percent of the market capitalization of companies on the S&P 500 index, up from 5 percent 30 years ago.

Today, the 250 most valuable global brands are worth $2.2 trillion, more than the GDP of Italy.