Submitted by EdelmanAgency IPI Score 94/100

Go MonGOlia

Influencer Marketing

Edelman turned Mongolia's own name into a global call to action, repositioning the country for investment, trade, and tourism with a single open-source identity system.

155MContent reach
$1.2BTourism revenue
50MMedia impressions
500KSocial engagements
650KTourists attracted
30%Tourism inquiries increase

About the campaign

Mongolia's landscapes and heritage were largely unknown to global audiences, and its government needed a unified national identity to attract foreign investment, grow tourism and diversify an economy heavily reliant on mining, all while speaking coherently to investors, trade partners, tourists and its own citizens. Edelman found the idea hiding in the country's name: the word GO, reframed as a rallying cry, Go Explore, Go Invest, Go Partner, Go MonGOlia, meant every official mention of the country already contained the call to action, with no separate slogan needed.

The identity was rooted in heritage through an open-source typeface derived from Mongolia's national symbol, made freely adoptable by government, business and civil society, and supported by a Brand Message House so embassies, trade missions and cultural institutions could carry one narrative. The brand soft launched at the World Economic Forum in Davos in January 2024, then rolled out through Mobile World Congress, Mongolia's athlete uniforms at the Paris Olympics, a National Tourism Forum, stakeholder workshops, influencer partnerships, VR tours and a 2.5-minute brand film distributed in 2025 via international news outlets, airline screens and embassy events.

Award entries report 155 million people engaged, 650,000 tourists attracted, a 40 percent improvement in international perception and a 14-place rise in the Brand Finance Global Soft Power Index, with tourism revenue cited between USD 1.2 and 1.5 billion across entries; all figures are self-reported.

Case in 60 seconds

Mongolia's landscapes and stories were largely unknown to global audiences, and the government needed a unified identity to attract foreign investment, grow tourism, and diversify an economy heavily reliant on mining.

Mongolia's own name contained the answer: the word GO could function simultaneously as a call to explore, invest, partner, and take pride, giving every audience a single entry point into the country's ambitions.

Edelman reframed the country's name as a rallying cry: Go Explore, Go Invest, Go Partner, Go Mongolia, paired with an open-source typeface derived from Mongolia's national symbol to root the modern identity in authentic heritage.

The brand soft launched at the World Economic Forum in Davos in 2024, then rolled out across Mobile World Congress, the Paris Olympics athlete uniforms, a National Tourism Forum in Mongolia, and a 2.5-minute brand film distributed via international news outlets, airline screens, digital platforms, and embassy and investment events in 2025. National stakeholder workshops with scholars, policymakers, and industry leaders supported the domestic dimension.

Reported outcomes include 155 million people engaged globally, 650,000 tourists attracted, a 40% improvement in international perception of Mongolia, and a 14-place rise in the Brand Finance Global Soft Power Index. Tourism revenue is reported at USD 1.2 billion. All figures are self-reported or from award entries.

Strategy Breakdown

The primary strategy-learning section — interpretation, not a press-release summary.

Edelman's brief required the program to speak simultaneously to foreign investors, trade and business partners, and global tourists, while also rallying domestic pride among Mongolian citizens, policymakers, and industry leaders. Key partner countries identified in reporting include South Korea, Canada, and Japan.
Mongolia holds deep ancient heritage and dramatic natural landscapes but suffered from low global awareness and persistent misconceptions. The challenge Edelman identified was capturing the energy of a youthful nation re-emerging on the world stage while also honouring that heritage, without defaulting to a purely historical or exotic framing that would underserve the investment and trade objectives.
Nation-branding programs must carry a single coherent message across fundamentally different audiences, from tourism boards to sovereign-wealth funds to cultural diplomats, across many channels and years. The government's stated goal of diversifying beyond mining added pressure to avoid framing Mongolia only as a natural-resource story.
Edelman positioned the brand not as a tourism advertiser but as a national identity architecture, supplying a Brand Message House so that government departments, embassies, trade missions, and cultural institutions could all carry the same narrative with consistency.
By embedding GO directly inside the country name, the creative device required no separate slogan or hashtag. Every official mention of Mongolia already contained the call to action, making the idea self-reinforcing across earned, owned, and partner channels without additional media spend to establish it.

Creative & Execution System

Assets & channels

  • Open-source typeface derived from Mongolia's national symbol, made freely available for adoption
  • Brand Message House for cross-platform message consistency
  • 2.5-minute brand film distributed via international news outlets, airline screens, digital platforms, and embassy and investment events
  • Series of short films
  • Social media content and influencer partnerships
  • Virtual reality tours
  • Athlete uniform integration at the Paris 2024 Olympics
  • Event presence at World Economic Forum Davos 2024, Mobile World Congress, and a National Tourism Forum in Mongolia

Partners

  • Edelman (Edelman Singapore / APAC) — lead agency
  • World Bank — reported as a supporter of the program
  • Government of Mongolia — client and distribution partner across embassies and trade platforms

Participation mechanic

  • National stakeholder workshops with scholars, policymakers, and industry leaders to build domestic adoption
  • Leader briefing and equipping program so senior officials could convey the nation brand to investors and partners
  • Open-source typeface made available for adoption by any organisation or individual

Creator role

  • Edelman: strategy, creative direction, identity system, brand film production
  • Influencer partners: cited by Edelman but not individually named in available sources
  • Tim Green (chief creative officer, APAC, Edelman): creative lead, quoted in LBB coverage

Results & Evidence

MetricValueResult type
Content reach155MReach
Tourists attracted650,000Business outcome
Tourism revenueUSD 1.2 billionBusiness outcome
International perception improvement40%Perception / Attitude
Media impressions50MReach
Social interactions and shares500KEngagement
Increase in tourism inquiries30%Behavioural signal
Rise in foreign investment interest20%Behavioural signal

Awards & Recognition

Award showYearCategoryResult
PRWeek Global Awards2024Not specified in available sourcesFinalist
Brand Film Awards2024Not specified in available sourcesFinalist

Why Edelman's strategy worked

  1. 1

    Using the country's own name as the call to action gave the program a single, repeatable device that worked across tourism, trade, and cultural communication without requiring different slogans for different audiences. One idea carried every touchpoint.

  2. 2

    Deriving the typeface from a national symbol tied the modern identity to heritage, giving the program authenticity rather than the generic optimism common in nation-branding. The open-source release meant adoption could scale without central budget or enforcement.

  3. 3

    Anchoring the launch at the World Economic Forum in Davos put the brand directly in front of the investor and policymaker audience the brief prioritised, rather than relying on earned media alone to reach them.

  4. 4

    Integrating the identity into Mongolia's Paris Olympics athlete uniforms generated mass global visibility at a moment of peak national pride, simultaneously serving domestic and international audiences.

  5. 5

    A Brand Message House and stakeholder workshop program gave embassies, trade missions, and government departments the tools to hold messaging consistent across independent activations, addressing the structural fragmentation typical of nation-branding programs.

  6. 6

    Pairing a flagship film with high-profile live events extended a single narrative across many touchpoints and audience types, reducing the creative and media cost of maintaining presence across a long campaign horizon.

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