Peter van Ham writing on the rise of the brand state in September’s issue of Foreign Affairs suggests that traditional diplomacy is changing. “To do their jobs well in the future, politicians will have to train themselves in brand asset management. Their tasks will include finding a brand niche for their state, engaging in competitive marketing, assuring customer satisfaction and most of all creating brand loyalty.”

Considering the complexity of the United States brand image today and the diversity of the world audience, brand asset management will be an extraordinary endeavor for the US government going forward.

The terrorists, without any sense of humanity, have defined the American nation in their own simplistic and destructive terms. As a nationwide effort, the American people and their government will have to work hard to refocus the country’s brand image on its positive attributes and restore, internally and externally, the confidence that America will deliver on its promise.

Both emotionally and physically, the nation will recover and rebuild. However, the environment and psyche will be distinctly different from what they were. No nation can withstand the shock of such a forceful war-like attack on its civilians without emerging transformed.

As it confronts these sudden and deep changes, the multidimensional brand of the United States of America will undoubtedly emerge altered as well. When thinking about the US, perhaps a new attribute will arise in our minds at home and abroad: Vigilant. (editor@brandchannel.com)

Robin D. Rusch was the founding editor of brandchannel. She is the CEO of BrandWizard.