BOOK REVIEW

Anholt, Simon. Competitive Identity. Hampshire, U.K.: Palgrave Macmillan, 2007,

134 pp., ISBN: 13:978-0-230-50028-0, $35.

Competitive Identity packs a multitude of useful information into its relativelyshort 134 pages (six chapters). The book describes the concept of competitiveidentity or CI (formerly called nation branding), which is the application of productmarketing techniques to create positive international brand images for countries andcities. The book is well researched and written with dozens of ‘‘real world’’ examplesto illustrate key concepts. University marketing and agricultural economics facultyand government leaders and public officials can benefit from its sound observationsand advice.The author, Simon Anholt, is the British government’s adviser on public

diplomacy. Anholt has advised over a dozen nations on brand development and isalso the founder of the Anholt Nation Brands Index and City Brands Index. In thebook’s introduction, Anholt explains the term ‘‘competitive identity,’’ noting that ‘‘ithas more to do with national identity and the politics and economics ofcompetitiveness than with branding as it is usually understood.’’ He also cautionsthat there is no single ‘‘recipe’’ for creating competitive identity because everylocation has its own objectives, circumstances, and resources. In other words,competitive identity is extremely case specific.Chapter 1, ‘‘What is Competitive Identity?,’’ begins by noting that ‘‘today, the

world is one market.’’ As such, countries and cities must compete with each other fortourists, consumers, investors, international events, and the attention and respect ofmedia and people worldwide. Unfortunately, many opinions about nations areformed by erroneous or outdated stereotypes and images. The chapter explains thebasics of branding and the ‘‘country of origin effect’’ where perceptions about acountry serve as a shortcut to informed decisions.In chapter 2, ‘‘The Theory of Competitive Identity,’’ Anholt describes six ways

that nations create a reputation: tourism promotion, export brands, governmentpolicy decisions, inward investment, cultural exchanges, and the people of a country(i.e., how they behave abroad and how they treat visitors). However, images about acountry can lag reality by years or even decades. Thus, strategies are needed tocapture people’s attention and change their minds. Anholt offers two key pieces ofadvice: ‘‘actions speak louder than words’’ and ‘‘don’t talk unless you havesomething to say.’’‘‘Understanding National Image’’ is the title of chapter 3. Here, Anholt explains

the Nation Brands Index, a study of the brand images of countries of ordinarypeople. Data are collected quarterly to assess perceptions of 36 developed anddeveloping countries by consumers. The index includes cultural, political, andcommercial perceptions, human assets, and tourist appeal. This chapter also explainswhen and how nation brands change and when they don’t by using dozens ofexamples such as the change in perception of the quality of Japanese products since

Agribusiness, Vol. 25 (1) 144–145 (2009) rr 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI: 10.1002/agr.20189

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the 1950s. Another model, the City Brands Index Hexagon, is also explained. Tablesare provided to illustrate the respective rankings of countries and cities in recentranking surveys.Chapter 4, ‘‘Planning for Competitive Identity,’’ begins with a discussion of

changing outdated images of countries. Providing information about a country is notenough to improve its image or reputation. People are drowning in information.Rather, funds spent on marketing are often better spent improving a nation or city.The process of building a CI team and developing a CI strategy are described, whichare relevant to marketing any number of products and services.In chapter 5, ‘‘Implementing Competitive Identity,’’ Anholt further describes the

tools of competitive identity initially introduced in chapter 2. Tourism relatedmessages are the most powerful tool because unlike direct government communica-tions, they are seen as a legitimate representation of a country to a global audience.Another key tool is a country’s products and several examples of positively perceivedproducts (e.g., German automobiles, Nokia, British Airways) are provided. Theroles of culture, people-to-people (P2P) diplomacy, education, and sports inestablishing competitive identity are also described. Among the interesting examplesof a successful CI strategy are the Pike Place Fish Market in Seattle and the 2000Sydney Olympics.The book concludes with chapter 6, ‘‘Competitive Identity and Development.’’

The early focus of this chapter is the competitive identity of developing nations. Casestudies about Jamaica, Slovenia, and Lagos are provided. In summarizing therespective ranking of countries, it is obvious that those most highly ranked on theNation Brands Index to date are also the wealthiest nations. However, there is roomon the global stage for ‘‘niche players’’ and countries competing in ways other thaneconomics.Overall, Competitive Identity is an interesting read. It describes the unique

application of traditional product marketing principles to influence the publicperception of countries and cities to gain market share in a global marketplace.Readers who are actively involved in marketing a product, service, or geographiclocation or teach marketing principles will find many instructive examples to applyto their work.

Barbara O’NeillDepartment of Agricultural, Food, and Resource Economics,School of Environmental and Biological Sciences,Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ 08901E-mail: oneill@aesop.rutgers.edu

145BOOK REVIEW

Agribusiness DOI 10.1002/agr