Time to rebrand Bangladesh

When we hear the word engineering, Germany naturally comes to mind. Mention technology, and Japan emerges. Talk about innovation, and Silicon Valley in the United States takes centre stage. Think of crisis management in recent years, and many might mention Sri Lanka.

China has earned a reputation as the "supplier to the world" at highly competitive rates. These mental shortcuts are the result of long-term, strategic nation branding. They are built on decades of investment, clarity of national vision, and alignment between government, the private sector and civil society.

Where does Bangladesh stand in this regard? What comes to mind when the world hears our name?

The unfortunate reality is that, despite enormous strides in areas such as women's empowerment, microfinance and manufacturing resilience, Bangladesh's image continues to be defined by outdated and incomplete narratives. Political unrest, corruption, natural calamities, concerns about radicalisation in recent years, and poor governance have long overshadowed our achievements.

Our young, energetic workforce remains invisible in global conversations. Our entrepreneurs hustle, often without recognition. Our cultural richness and intellectual promise rarely feature in the world's understanding of who we are or how we tackle discrimination against women and minorities.

Part of this distortion lies in our inability to tell our own story. Another part lies in the years spent under authoritarian rule, when dissent was criminalised and merit undermined, alongside instances of mob violence in recent times. The past regime, despite its infrastructural ambitions, left a fractured civil society and a deeply polarised nation — a division that, unfortunately, continued during the interim government. The international community watched as democratic institutions weakened and critics were silenced. These events compounded our branding crisis, painting us not as a land of opportunity but as a cautionary tale.

Now, with the end of that chapter, we find ourselves at a rare inflection point. We have a chance to rethink how the world sees us. More importantly, we have a chance to ask whether we ever truly had a brand in the first place. If we did, was it built consciously? Or did it emerge passively from crisis, compromise and the shadows of colonial and post-colonial baggage?

As we move forward, we must confront a central question: do we want to be known as a conservative Muslim-majority country, susceptible to ideological drift and political repression? Or do we want to present ourselves as a confident, entrepreneurial, forward-facing nation capable of contributing to global growth and prosperity?

Branding a nation is not about a tagline or a tourism campaign. It is a long-term process of aligning perception with reality and, in many cases, improving the reality itself. As nation-branding guru Simon Anholt notes, a national image is shaped not by advertisements but by behaviour. It is influenced by the way a country treats its people, engages with the world, fosters innovation and upholds its values.

For too long, Bangladesh has been excluded from the strategic conversations that define regional and global futures. Investors have chosen Vietnam, Indonesia or Sri Lanka, often overlooking us despite our strong fundamentals. Part of the reason is perception. We have not treated branding as a national priority. We have not told our story well enough. And when we have, we have allowed the loudest voices — not always the most truthful — to dominate the narrative.

That has to change. The post-Hasina era — even the interim period, when we attracted undesirable headlines in leading international media — offers a narrow but critical window for reset. It is a chance to collectively reimagine the identity we project. Civil society, the private sector, the media, the diaspora, academia and government must come together to define this identity.

We are already known for microfinance, and RMG has driven much of our export success. But as my professor and marketing maestro Philip Kotler suggests, relying solely on these will not sustain us in the long run.

We must build capacity, expand into new markets and improve management to remain competitive. It is time to brand Bangladesh around digital innovation, green industry, creative exports and values such as tolerance, entrepreneurship and equity — reflecting the vibrancy of our youth and the ingenuity of our people.

Branding a nation is not a PR stunt. It is nation-building through a global lens. If done right, it can unlock new markets, attract higher-quality investment, inspire talent to return and, most importantly, restore dignity to a people who have long been misread and underestimated. Let us begin now, in this new environment.

Mamun Rashid is the Chairman at Financial Excellence Ltd. He taught entrepreneurship and strategic marketing at various business schools for almost three decades.

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions and views of The Business Standard.