Companies dedicated to giving countries and leaders a voice in the mad clamour that is global communications are pushing further into international frontier territories
Whether it is the Turkish parliamentary elections due to take place on June 12 or the Yemen ballots anticipated for April 27, the precise outcome of several key polls in Mena this year is uncertain.
What is far more sure is that foreign political consultants will be working behind the scenes in many of these countries trying to steer candidates to success.
It is estimated that US political consultants have already worked in more than half of the countries in the world. This year, that tally will only grow as US companies reach out to more uncharted international territory after their wide deployment in last November's US mid-term congressional elections.
While the success of consultants is mixed the phenomenon has had a lasting impact, prompting what some have called the "globalisation" of the political communications industry.
But in the eyes of critics it is an international triumph of spin over substance that has tended to promote more homogenous campaigns with a repetitive, common political language.
The origins of what has become a mini-industry lie in the 1970s and 1980s, when US political consultants began exporting US political technologies and tactics into Latin America and ultimately across the globe.
A key underlying premise of the sector is that those technologies and tactics can achieve success just about anywhere. Thus, many foreign countries are sometimes deemed as mere international counterparts of the US election battleground states such as Ohio and Pennsylvania.
What started as work in international elections and campaigning soon branched out into providing more foreign governments, leaders, and bodies such as tourism and investment authorities with international communications advice.
That has evolved into what is now known as "country branding". Country branding provides a voice in an overcrowded global information market, where countries and political leaders are competing for the attention of investors, tourists, supranational organisations, non-government organisations, regulators, media and consumers.
Some countries may only get a few opportunities a year to make a favourable impression and get their "side of the story" across. In this competitive environment, reputation can be a prized asset or a big liability, with a direct effect on future political, economic, social and cultural fortunes.
In some cases a single highly damaging episode can fundamentally damage a country's standing, as China found after Tiananmen Square. In such situations, an approach involving a long recovery to rebuild that which is lost is often required.
Occasionally a country may simply wish to promote an opportunity based on a single goal, such as wanting to attract more foreign direct investment or tourism. A good example of this is the current "Incredible India" campaign.
The most effective country strategies align all key stakeholders around a single, powerful vision. A good example is New Zealand which, since the 1980s, has transformed itself from earlier perceptions of being a relatively remote backwater which, despite its scenic beauty, was not a major global tourist destination.
The New Zealand example underlines how a simple, unified, cross-sectoral vision can be enormously powerful. The country is not unique in having an unspoilt natural environment and quality produce but it has managed to capture the world's imagination with its consistent branding that has put natural values firmly at its core.
Today, of course, it is not just US political consultants who are blazing a trail in the industry. London, for instance, has become a major country-branding centre, with its favourable European time zone between Asia, the Middle East, Africa, and North America. The city is also the headquarters for key global publications such as The Economist, Financial Times and The Wall Street Journal Europe.
Looking to the future, demand for country branding is only likely to continue growing, given the increasing complexity and overcrowded nature of the global information market place.
Indeed, in Asia, Africa and the Middle East, much of which remains uncharted territory for the industry, globetrotting companies may be on the threshold of some of their most challenging work.
Andrew Hammond is a director at ReputationInc and was formerly a UK government special adviser and a geopolitics consultant at Oxford Analytica
