The expression goes, "A way to a man's heart is through his stomach," this also holds true with the general public. Malaysia has recently caught on to this great idea of food diplomacy. What better way to promote your country than via food?? I found this article by Paul Rockower while searching for something interesting to put in this week's blog entry. Rockower outlines the gastrodiplomacy strategy of Malaysia, which is quite ingenious and successful. Malaysia was not the first country to do this, Thailand was, but they have experiences much success. This is an incredibly strategy to engage foreign publics in a non-controversial way and to foster a real affinity for your nation via your delicacies. Malaysia has been quite innovative and has set up a food truck in New York City because that seems to be the latest obsession in the U.S. This is a fantastic PD tactic that appeals to a broad audience and will undoubtedly have a positive influence on whoever decides to nosh on some Malaysian treats.
This concept coincides with the Anholt reading we had for this week about nation branding and what makes a successful nation branding is a good reputation and credibility. In fact, according to the article, Malaysia launched a branding campaign in 2006 to be known as the center for halal food in the Muslim world. According to Anholt, the reputation of a nation comes from the products and images that people associate with it, thus Malaysia’s gastrodiplomacy is a great tactic to bolster their image and reach out to a larger group of people. This is also a great way for Malaysia to promote their nation in a unique way that is more accessible to the general public than via art, literature or music.
Food diplomacy is a great tool and should be utilized more by nations in their PD campaigns because I think it is one of the most successful forms of PD.
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