Correspondence: Greg M. Thomas, Goizueta Business School, Emory University, 1300 Clifton Road Atlanta, GA 30322, USA. Tel: +1 404 727 4613; E-mail: gmthoma@emory.edu

¹is a lecturer at Emory University and a research fellow with The Institute for Brand Science (TIBS). He was formerly the Graduate Dean of The McCombs School of Business at the University of Texas, and currently lectures on faculties in Austria, Israel, Italy, Japan, Korea, and Thailand.

²is the Director of Research at the The Institute for Brand Science (TIBS), Emory University. TIBS is an innovative research group based at Emory University's Goizueta Business School. The institute supports advanced research in brand management with the ultimate goal of developing useful or functional knowledge that drives superior business performance.

Received 4 December 2006; Revised 4 December 2006.

Abstract

Developing nations often face a series of economic hurdles in route to developed status. As they transition from one economic phase to another there is a general need to modify the basis of competitive advantage that they attempt to achieve in the marketplace. The authors present a place brand platform that can be used by developing nations to limit the cyclicality of demand, reliance on mass production, and the necessity for price competition. The framework is developed based upon a review of branding efforts and marketing theory. The basic framework is applied to a case study in ASEAN (Association of South East Asian Nations) and parallels are drawn for regional nations.