Nation branding via sportswashing: An exploration of pro-China YouTube influencers and commenters around the 2022 Winter Olympic Games

This study examines the People’s Republic of China’s (PRC) nation branding efforts via YouTube around the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing. We identified eight channels with alleged affiliations to the PRC and collected 27 videos along with 21,958 corresponding comments. Drawing from extant research, we identify the foci of nation branding antecedents and strategies used by YouTube creators to promote the PRC. Furthermore, we examine the behavioral characteristics of commenters across videos to differentiate between account types and evaluate engagement and semantic utilization differences between account types. Results from the analysis of YouTube videos identified two broad functions of nation branding (building a desirable brand for the PRC and addressing undesirable aspects of the PRC brand), served by six categories of strategies (bolstering, appeals to others, attacking sources, calling critique into question, leveraging sport as an apolitical topic, and downplaying ethical concerns). Using various behavioral characteristics of commenter data, we differentiate between account types (“potentially coordinated accounts” and “likely average users”) to evaluate differences in engagement rates and semantic utilization between accounts. Theoretical and practical implications are addressed. • Establishes the significance of sportswashing as a nation branding effort within public relations literature. • Examines YouTube as a vehicle for coordinated nation branding efforts. • Identifies strategies used by pro-China influencers to promote a favorable public perception of the 2022 Winter Olympic Games. • Differentiates commenters on YouTube by behavioral characteristics commonly associated with coordinated message strategies.