The Branding of the BRICS

The Branding of the BRICS: How the newest global “brand” is challenging the international geopolitical order.

A master’s thesis by Jill Richardson.

Abstract:  The extraordinary growth of emerging economies over the past few decades has been written about and analyzed from numerous angles. Scholars have sought to unpack the “rise of the rest” from geopolitical, security and economic standpoints for some time. One area that has yet to be fully examined, however, is the messaging put forth by the increasingly powerful emerging world. The BRICS in particular have been quite strategic in this regard, working together through shared institutions to brand themselves as the collective leadership of the emerging world. Additionally, the BRICS have leveraged these institutions to espouse an ideology that, while not as dichotomous as the capitalism vs. communism rift of the Cold War, still offers a distinct and alternative model to that provided by the hegemonic west. These distinctions can be characterized by an emphasis on neodevelopmentalism, state sovereignty and multipolarity. By offering a competing “brand” alternative, particularly in the wake of the oftentimes perceived failure of the western “brand” of development, the BRICS are implicitly challenging the “marketshare” of the western world’s developmental ideology. Where this brand battle will play out will likely be amongst global governance institutions, as well as in the opinions and allegiances of fellow emerging economies. The results of this emergent challenge will ultimately dictate the global power structure for years and decades to come.