Nation-branding is a dynamic and rapidly developing practice promoting or readjustingimages of a nation-state for tourists or investors. New, postcolonial nation-statesseem to have a particular need to build new images of themselves in the eyes of thewider world. However, since they have a short history of sovereignty, these statessimultaneously need to build social solidarity and community at home if they are toform the basis needed for building a nation. This article takes its departure in this tensionand addresses three themes that need further theorizing due to the fact that thepractice has still to find its form: agency, audience and identity. These themes are discussedin relation to the branding efforts of Ukraine over the past decade. It is concludedthat, today, nation-branding campaigns are orchestrated by domestic PR agencies (as opposed to the previous dominance of British agencies); that the domesticaudience is taken into consideration in ways different from earlier branding campaigns;and that the question of identity construction is more complex than previouslythought. The Ukrainian case also highlights how vulnerable nation-branding efforts are to domestic political changes.