Soft Power

Soft power is the persuasive approach to international relations, typically involving the use of economic or cultural influence. But what does that mean for cities, nations, and places? If you can leverage your soft power effectively in your place marketing and place branding strategy, you can create far greater impact and leverage your reputation to meet your goals. Here, we’ve collated a wealth of resources to help you with your journey.


This Soft Power Topic Zone is sponsored by

Brand Finance is the world’s leading brand evaluation and strategy consultancy. We help place brands measure their marketing activities and develop successful strategies. Headquartered in the City of London, we are present in 25 countries worldwide.

We have published the Brand Finance Nation Brands study into the strength and value of the world’s top nation brands for 20 years. In 2020, we launched the Global Soft Power Index – the world’s most comprehensive research study on perceptions of nation brands, surveying opinions of 150,000+ respondents in 100+ markets and ranking all 193 member states of the United Nations. Our Brand Finance City Index – published for the first time in 2023 will be extended in the coming years to cover more city brands in regional rankings across all continents.




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Konrad Jagodzinski Place Branding Director Brand Finance Bio

The role of nation branding in fostering peace and unity

When Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, Moldova saw thousands of Ukrainian refugees fleeing across their border. As a former Soviet republic, the country was facing a communication crisis. Invest Moldova's Irina Tolstousov explains how they launched the 'Moldova for Peace' campaign and what this means for their citizen engagement and soft power one year on.

label_outline Citizen EngagementCrisis ManagementPlace BrandingSoft Power

More from Soft Power

Strategy Toolbox

The unsung benefits of attracting international students to your destination

Are you currently working to attract international students to your destination? If the answer is no, then the chances are that you’re missing a trick. We reached out to three destinations who have been incorporating their study proposition into their broader place brand strategy to understand how they have leveraged their international student attraction to deliver back on their city’s values.

label_outline Destination MarketingEconomic Development Soft PowerTalent Attraction
Trends & IdeasPartner Content

The true damage of COVID-19 to nation brands

The downward trend of nearly all the world’s most valuable nation brands is not entirely surprising. With COVID-19 contributing to the rise of protectionism, we may see a reversal of the economic growth brought about by globalisation. Nevertheless, with analysts’ forecasts looking less dire than initially predicted, and with a working vaccine in place, the future is certainly looking brighter.

label_outline Place BrandingPublic DiplomacyReputationSoft Power
Trends & Ideas

Has the pandemic killed soft power?

At the launch of the Brand Finance's 2020 Global Soft Power Index in February - and how long ago that seems now - Ban Ki-moon spoke passionately about the importance of soft power and global citizenship during a time of trade wars and increasingly hardened borders. "Soft power," he proclaimed, "transcends borders, builds bridges, and brings the world together through dialogue and mutual understanding." 

label_outline Crisis ManagementSoft Power
In The Spotlight

Papatūānuku is Breathing: how Māori values underpin Auckland's sustainable destination management

Closing the narrative gap between your identity and your perceived identity is a challenge for many places. Nick Hill, Chief Executive, Auckland Tourism, Events & Economic Development, shared with us how they're working to change perceptions with a new brand playbook - and how they're putting sustainable destination management at the core of their strategy.

label_outline Cultural HeritageDestination ManagementPlace BrandingSoft PowerSustainability