As we've observed in the past, it's awfully difficult for major powers like the United States or China to brush away objections to problematic policies with a national branding campaign. The Council on Foreign Relations interviewed national branding expert Simon Anholt on this point, who replied: “I don’t tell countries how to do marketing. I advise them on what sorts of policies they need to undertake in order to earn the reputation they feel they deserve.”

On the flipside, smallish, relatively unknown countries might really benefit from a national branding effort that highlights hidden strengths:

Several experts, including Anholt, note the overwhelmingly positive effects truthful branding can have, especially for small developing countries. Joshua Fouts, who runs the Center on Public Diplomacy at the University of Southern California, says effective marketing gets smaller countries “involved in the global conversation.” Such marketing opens the possibility of countries more efficiently conveying what they do well, thus becoming “niche players”—regional finance hubs, say, or eccentric tourist destinations, or cultural centers focusing specifically on music or sport.

Go to it, Vanuatu.