THE ROLE OF SPORT IN DEVELOPMENT OF COUNTRY IMAGE – THE CASE OF CROATIA THE ROLE OF SPORT IN DEVELOPMENT OF COUNTRY IMAGE – THE CASE OF CROATIA

Abstract

Today conscious building of a country brand is not a new phenomenon, more and more countries are using well (or not so well) set strategies of this marketing tool in favour of gaining a positive country image. Traditional communication channels have also been broadened recently, manies are getting information exclusively from the virtual world, the role of social media has been increased. Literature has been dealing with strategy-based development of country brands for decades, mostly using country brand hexagon created by Anholt, crucial part of which is the field of sport. To set it more precisely, among the parts of this hexagon there are national greats – that would be today better called celebrities – disseminating reputation of a nation in the world, supporting the development of country image, hopefully making a positive impression on people. Sport is a strong influencer of country image in itself, especially in a case when a country with slightly more than 4 million inhabitants suddenly finds itself among the leaders of the World Cup, while becoming hot topic of the media and everyday discussions and actually by this getting a stable position on the map. Besides, sport is not only shaping the outside image but also the inside one, as the extent and enthusiasm of the red-and-white-checked fans supporting their team empowered the national identity up to a level that is really one to be envy of. Present study is investigating the power of football and football players in formulating the image of a country by showing the case of Croatia and using an empirical research that could help to see the general significance of these elements within the framework of Anholt’s hexagon.