Managing online nation-branding factors in times of immigration and refugee movements: A comparative longitudinal content analysis of @belgiumbe and @Sweden(se)

This longitudinal study compares how Belgium and Sweden have managed their nation branding online via their official Twitter (X) accounts between 2014 and 2023. Combining a large quantitative content analysis with an in-depth qualitative framing analysis, this research scrutinises the attention to different nation brand hexagon factors and the precise role immigration has played in their online branding approach, as this time period was marked by conflicts in the Middle East, Asia and Ukraine, leading to several refugee situations. Our findings show a different approach in online nation branding among both countries. Although the digital content focusing on immigration is limited, Sweden addresses this nation-branding factor more frequently and in a more structured way than Belgium. We conclude that paying attention to the topic of immigration can serve to brand a nation by presenting its specific self-representation – in the case of Sweden, five distinctive frames were identified.