One of the benchmarks of a nation’s development is its perceived ability to explore unchartered territories – whether heading to the moon, or sending scientific expeditions to the more far flung corners of the globe – this advertisement for the Chinese Arctic and Antarctic Adminstration sponsored by Chinese outdoor equipment/clothing brand Toread. As Chinese soft-power grows, so will Chinese brand’s ability to leverage events beyond its borders as proof of (at least) being able to hold its cultural own and (at most) its cultural superiority.

Thought for today: How a growth in soft-power impacts a nation’s ability to reflect on, and publicly acknowledge both the positive and negative of its culture, and beyond that – its ability to take on (constructive) criticism from abroad, and acknowledge the positive in other cultures. And the role of brands such as Toread in writing that narrative.

Makes me want to break out the ice-axe.