Nation Branding Through a Mega-Event: A Case Study of Qatar 2022 Naeem Ahmed Thesis submitted to the University of Ottawa in partial Fulfillment of the requirements for the Masters of Arts degree in Human Kinetics The School of Human Kinetics Faculty of Health Sciences University of Ottawa © Naeem Ahmed, Ottawa, Canada, 2020 ii NATION BRANDING THROUGH A MEGA EVENT Abstract The purpose of this study was to investigate the nation branding process deployed by a host country organizing committee. Three research questions helped guide this study: (1) How does the organizing committee see the opportunity of hosting a sport-mega event (SME) as a nation branding tool? (2) What aspects of the FIFA World Cup (FWC) do people working with the organizing committee believe, create such nation branding opportunities? (3) How do event organizers leverage a nation branding legacy from the FWC? A single case study was built using 1,669 document pages, and nine semi-structured interviews and data were thematically analyzed. The study investigated relevant organizational documents and the event organizers’ perspectives to determine the nation branding processes. Results revealed the organization's approach to nation branding involved assessing their external image, creating a country narrative based on the population's characteristics and values, and depicting a unique identity by showcasing their cultural heritage to increase the attraction of the nation brand. Findings highlight that nation branding through the FWC requires the LOC’s strategic coordination through nation brand stakeholders, nation brand ambassadors, important organizations as well as the leadership of the nation in order to build brand equity. iii NATION BRANDING THROUGH A MEGA EVENT Acknowledgements This thesis could not have been possible without the incredible support received throughout my academic endeavor. First and foremost, I’d like to extend my sincere gratitude to my supervisor, Dr. Eric MacIntosh, for accepting me as his student, and for his patience and guidance that he provided throughout the two years. I could not have asked for a better mentor. I would like to extend my appreciation to my two committee members, Dr. Benoit Seguin and Dr. Milena Parent, for their support and feedback. I would like to thank each participant from the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy who took their time out to share their experiences with me. In closing, this thesis was completed during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and without the constant morale support of my family and friends this journey would not have been as successful. iv NATION BRANDING THROUGH A MEGA EVENT Table of Contents Abstract ........................................................................................................................................... ii List of Tables ................................................................................................................................ vii List of Figures .............................................................................................................................. viii Chapter 1: Introduction ................................................................................................................... 1 Purpose Statement ................................................................................................................... 5 Chapter 2: Review of Literature ..................................................................................................... 6 Nation branding ...................................................................................................................... 6 Sport mega-events and destination image............................................................................... 9 Soft Power Diplomacy .......................................................................................................... 12 Chapter 3: Methodology ............................................................................................................... 17 Case Context ......................................................................................................................... 19 Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy ........................................................................ 22 Data Collection ..................................................................................................................... 24 Document Analysis ............................................................................................................... 24 Interviews .............................................................................................................................. 25 Interview Guide .................................................................................................................... 25 Participant Sampling ............................................................................................................. 26 Participants ............................................................................................................................ 27 Data Analysis ........................................................................................................................ 28 Research Quality ................................................................................................................... 30 Chapter 4: Results ......................................................................................................................... 32 v NATION BRANDING THROUGH A MEGA EVENT Document Analysis ................................................................................................................... 32 Branding ................................................................................................................................ 33 Potential Legacies ................................................................................................................. 40 Semi-structured Interviews ....................................................................................................... 45 Branding ................................................................................................................................ 47 Events .................................................................................................................................... 64 Opportunities......................................................................................................................... 67 Nation Branding Process....................................................................................................... 72 Chapter 5: Discussion ................................................................................................................... 75 Hosting Opportunity ............................................................................................................. 75 Nation Branding Processes ................................................................................................... 83 Qatar’s Unique Identity......................................................................................................... 87 Nation Brand Stakeholders ................................................................................................... 89 Co-branding through Nation Brand Ambassadors ................................................................ 94 Supreme Committee’s Media Strategy ................................................................................. 96 Nation Brand Leadership ...................................................................................................... 97 Qatar’s Soft Power Approach ............................................................................................... 98 Comparing Nation Branding in South Africa 2010 ............................................................ 101 Chapter 6: Conclusion................................................................................................................. 105 Theoretical Contributions ................................................................................................... 107 Practical Contributions........................................................................................................ 108 Limitations and Future Directions ...................................................................................... 109 References ................................................................................................................................... 111 vi NATION BRANDING THROUGH A MEGA EVENT Appendix A ................................................................................................................................. 129 Appendix B ................................................................................................................................. 131 Appendix C ................................................................................................................................. 134 Appendix D ................................................................................................................................. 135 Appendix E ................................................................................................................................. 138 vii NATION BRANDING THROUGH A MEGA EVENT List of Tables Table 3-1: List of participants interviewed from the SC.…………………………………….... 28 Table 4-1: Potential legacy initiatives developed by the SC......……………………………...