THE POWER OF ATTRACTION: UNDERSTANDING HOW SOFT POWER GENERATES NATIONAL BRAND VALUE

Abstract

Amid ongoing political, economic, and digital transformations, soft power and nation branding have emerged as strategic resources shaping international perceptions and national competitiveness. The article examines the relationship between soft power and nation brand value, analysing whether attraction-based influence can be translated into measurable economic outcomes at the country level. The study combines a qualitative literature review with a conceptual framework and a quantitative empirical analysis using data from the top 20 countries in the Global Soft Power Index 2025. The empirical findings reveal a statistically significant positive relationship between soft power and nation brand value. The results remain robust after controlling for economic size by including GDP as a control variable, suggesting that the observed relationship cannot be explained solely by differences in economic scale. The article proposes a conceptual framework in which soft power functions as a source of national attractiveness, the nation brand represents the perceptual output, and nation brand value constitutes the measurable economic outcome. The study highlights the strategic importance of soft power in strengthening national brands and supports integrating soft power considerations into nation-branding strategies and public policy design.