country branding index 2010_with_luis francisco

in partnership with

2010 COUNTRY BRAND INDEX


© 2010 by FutureBrand. All rights reserved. in partnership with BBC WORLD NEWS

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The FutureBrand 2010 Country Brand Index, presented in partnership with BBC World News, is our sixth and most comprehensive study of country brands to date. It is based on more respondents across more countries and questions than ever before. After five years of research, we know that country brand strength is driven by perceptions of five key dimensions: Tourism, Heritage and Culture, Good for Business, Quality of Life and Value System.

In addition, the strength of a country brand is determined in the same way as any other brand. We measure levels of awareness, familiarity, preference, consideration, advocacy and active decisions to visit.

But the most important factors, the aspects that truly differentiate a country brand, are its associations and attributes – the things that people think of when they hear a place name, or look at a photograph or plan a trip. But above all, a strong country brand is more than the sum of its attributes: it makes people’s lives better.

From progressive politics to openness, freedom of speech, movement and a positive outlook on the world, countries that are geared around their people and their needs score highly. They also have to create a strong emotional connection, making people want to visit, do business, learn and build their lives in a place. Not just that, but like any brand, they need to be consistent across all touch points, from advertising and public relations to political representatives, cultural ambassadors, tourists, companies and indigenous products. We need to be able to differentiate between country brand experiences, from people to places, from products to companies. Country brand ranking even correlates to how far a nation exports its values through its iconic brands. These features, coupled with a strong point of view and role on the world stage and a tireless effort to drive the world forward, encouraging tourism, immigration, cultural exchange and partnership, make the difference between a nation state and a genuine country brand. Also, as the 2010 Country Brand Index reveals, while economic performance is vital to brand strength, it is not enough to guarantee a high world ranking.



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Country brand strength is a nation’s ultimate intangible asset and goes beyond its geographic size, financial performance or levels of awareness. Managed properly across every measure, it can be a lasting vehicle for goodwill, encouraging forgiveness in difficult times and disproportionately boosting the value of exports, from people to products to entire corporations. Arguably, a strong country brand is a driver of brand strength in other contexts – when a product, service or corporation is identified with a strong country brand, it has a better chance of premium pricing, longevity and preference in emerging markets; consider the power of French luxury brands in China, for example. A weak country brand, like a weak product brand, leads to poor differentiation, ambiguous meaning and low recall in the minds of people who travel, invest and do business outside their borders. All of this affects a nation’s ability to stand out regionally and globally and to realise future ambitions beyond its natural resources.



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ABOUT FUTUREBRANDFutureBrand is global brand and innovation consultancy with 24 offices around the world. We bring together many diverse national identities, histories and experiences. As a company we share a simple belief: the future does not happen to us, we create it.

We have been pioneers in country branding for more than a decade, working with Mexico, Singapore, Peru, Australia, Saint Lucia and Qatar, to name a few, as well as shaping a number of country-branded export products – including flag carrier airlines – and helping to brand cities, regions and major national corporations.

ABOUT BBC WORLD NEWSBBC World News is the BBC’s 24 hour, international news and information service. With a global audience of over 70 million, it reaches in excess of 306 million households in more than 200 countries and territories with a mix of breaking news, award-winning current affairs and documentaries. As part of the world’s largest newsgathering operation, with a network of over 2,000 journalists in more than 70 international bureaux, BBC World News offers its audiences comprehensive coverage of global events. The channel also has a first-class line up of business programmes, beginning with World Business Report and Business Edition. These are backed by in-depth regional Business Report programmes focused on the Middle East, Asia, India, Africa, and Russia, giving viewers an in-depth view of the most important financial, economic and company stories from around the world. Away from business, BBC World News also broadcasts some outstanding factual content, including the hard-hitting interview programme, HARDtalk, technology strand, Click, and travel show fast:track.



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AWARENESS: Do key audiences know that the country exists? How top of mind is it?

FAMILIARITY: How well do people know the country and what it offers?

ASSOCIATIONS: What qualities come to mind when people think of the country?We look at the measured perceptions of five key association dimensions:

PREFERENCE: How highly do audiences esteem the country? Does it resonate?

CONSIDERATION: Is this one of the countries being thought about for a visit?

DECISION / VISITATION: To what extent do people follow through and visit the country?

ADVOCACY: Do visitors recommend the country to family, friends and colleagues?

The Country Brand Index is an annual study that examines and ranks country brands, based on FutureBrand’s proprietary research methodology. The sixth edition of CBI incorporates a global quantitative research study with 3,400 international business and leisure travellers from 13 countries on all five continents, qualified by in-depth expert focus groups that took place in 14 major metropolitan areas around the world. The overall country brand score is calculated using FutureBrand’s Hierarchical Decision Model (HDM), which measures overall country brand performance in the following areas:



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14 SPAIN15 SINGAPORE16 MALDIVES17 IRELAND18 BERMUDA19 DENMARK20 AUSTRIA21 MAURITIUS22 GREECE23 INDIA24 ICELAND25 NETHERLANDS

01 CANADA02 AUSTRALIA03 NEW ZEALAND 04 UNITED STATES 05 SWITZERLAND06 JAPAN07 FRANCE08 FINLAND09 UNITED KINGDOM 10 SWEDEN11 GERMANY12 ITALY13 NORWAY

2010 RANK

2010RANK

#2 / 1

#4 / 2

#3 / 0

#1 / 3

#11 / 6

#7 / 1

#5 / 2

#16 / 8

#8 / 1

#21 / 11

#9 / 2

#6 / 6

#10 / 4

#13 / 2

#19 / 3

#12 / 5

#15 / 3

#23 / 4

#28 / 8

#26 / 5

#14 / 8

#18 / 5

#25 / 1

#31 / 6

#22 / 9

COUNTRY BRAND COUNTRY BRAND2009 RANK / CHANGE 2009 RANK / CHANGE



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This year’s leading country brands share some common features. They are all democratic, progressive, relatively politically and economically stable, and doing business in English. As ever, there are rising and falling stars, but position is not the whole story. Themes are emerging in 2010 that hint at future drivers of country brand strength, including the importance of value systems and the freedom of communications: a major factor in world perception of a country and its culture, people, businesses and brands.

CANADA’S OLYMPIC YEARFirstly, 2010 is Canada’s year. Rising from second to first place, brand

Canada not only secured a record number of gold medals but delivered a successful event overall: a fact that must have helped its image as a safe, friendly, fun, world-class country. All things considered, it is perhaps not surprising that Canada enjoyed increased awareness and visitation scores this year. But paradoxically, while Canada performs consistently well across every CBI measure, it fails to achieve the

to dominate when it comes to consideration and other scores.

THE ROLE OF MEDIA It should come as no surprise that the leading country brands have a healthy mixture of public and commercial broadcast networks with multiple stations, some international reach and a relatively free press. They also have excellent communications infrastructure with high levels of Internet and mobile phone penetration. In a world defined by user-generated content, borderless communication through social networks, and unprecedented access to news, information and rich media, a country brand is now partly built by aggregated sentiments and content arising from people’s personal experience. The more open a country, and the better its technological infrastructure, the more likely good (and bad) experiences will permeate and impact awareness and preference for its brand. So it is no coincidence that digital openness is a common feature of the strongest country brands.



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THE OBAMA EFFECT WEARS OFF

spot in 2009 reflected global attention, hope and anticipation of change

the waning approval ratings of its new president. This could indicate that

his globally monitored election campaign, covering up some of America’s challenges in the wake of the global economic crisis. With unemployment nearing double figures and a slower than predicted recovery, the world’s largest economy has also been affected by the Gulf of Mexico disaster and

to communicate strong and desirable values in everything from popular

pharmaceutical companies and brands means that the world still pays close and positive attention to America.

WEATHERING THE FINANCIAL STORMThe economic crisis is also a powerful factor in country brand strength this year, but mainly for those that avoided it. The top three brands managed to escape the worst of the banking collapse and maintain relatively strong economies throughout 2010. Australia and New Zealand have both enjoyed consecutive-quarter growth thanks in part to continuing demand for commodities like iron ore, timber and milk from China. Canada has also shown strong performance among the G7 nations, being the last into recession and the first out, not least thanks

and the banking collapse.



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ENGLISH AS A FIRST LANGUAGEWhat Canada, Australia and New Zealand have in common with

global communications and commerce. Rising business schools and universities position them well as education hubs providing talented, mobile students who act as international ambassadors for their countries’ brands. The strong tourism draw for all three markets is closely related to each country’s diversity of natural beauty and tourism-friendly urban centres. All three are notable for their strong commitment to natural and environmental causes, and are often used as locations for major films, television shows and commercial advertising as well as promoting themselves as diverse and affordable destinations for adventure and relaxation. It is not surprising that all three, often presented as offering the best of urban and rural living, are highly desirable when it comes to immigration in search of quality of life.

BRAND UK PLAYS TO ITS STRENGTHS

public spending cuts and a move towards a new ‘austerity’ following this year’s change of government. However, despite a slight fall in

television, film, fashion and literary icons – from the BBC to the Man Booker Prize, syndicated TV talent show formats, Vivienne Westwood

media and popular culture. It continues to be a centre of research and

youthful counterparts among the leading country brands, the country also consistently achieves high scores in the dimension for Heritage and Culture that makes up for a rather weak performance in the dimension

some of the most powerful sports brands in the world, from Manchester

10 position over the next three years – particularly with the London

hopes for a steady recovery from economic difficulty.



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THE RISE OF BRAND SCANDINAVIAPerhaps most interestingly this year, the Top 20 performance of Sweden, Finland, Norway and Denmark reveals a strong emerging preference for ‘brand Scandinavia’ across the world. From Denmark’s role as the host of the Copenhagen Summit to Sweden’s internationally renowned welfare state, brand Scandinavia represents a commitment to freedom, well-being, global citizenship and quality of life that unites these Northern European countries in people’s perceptions. As a ‘rising star’ in 2010 – moving from 21 to 10 – Sweden in particular cultivates very strong perceptions around the dimensions for Value System and Quality of Life. Specifically, Sweden performs well in attributes such as Environmental Friendliness, Education System and Healthcare System – which are all ranked at number two. The strong performance of brands like the airline SAS that bring Scandinavia together shows the power of unifying individual country brands behind regional flag carriers or corporations that represent common values. For example, SAS Group’s

EMAS environmental certification, which is consistent with perceptions of brand Scandinavia’s environmental credentials. This sits alongside global household names such as H&M, Lego, Nokia, Volvo and Ikea – all national brands from the region that ‘travel well’ and provoke admiration and positive perceptions.

SWITZERLAND PUNCHES ABOVE ITS WEIGHTIf economic stability matters, it also seems that size isn’t everything. New Zealand, Finland, Sweden and Switzerland all prove this with populations under 10 million. Their high position is thanks in no small part to perceptions of a strong value system and quality of life in each country. But Switzerland’s six-position jump from last year can be attributed to more than its historic reputation for political neutrality and high living standards. Above all, Switzerland dominates the rankings in the Good for Business dimension in 2010, which perhaps relates to several years of high-profile corporate headquarter relocations to

Committee, new and established organisations in every industry have taken advantage of favourable corporate residency regulations, and cemented an already global reputation for Switzerland as a place for doing business.



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BRANDS IN COUNTRY BRANDINGAnd finally, this year’s leading country brands reveal a more lasting truth about brand strength. Despite crisis, economic downturn, political upheaval and public relations problems, countries with a clear identity, consistent values and a lasting heritage continue to perform at the highest level. For example, brand China’s position has actually dropped in the 2010 ranking while simultaneously displacing

other hand, has risen one position in the ranking, amid high-profile national PR problems such as the Toyota recall, economic slowdown and a weakened yen. Similarly, the BP crisis – widely feared to impact

brand. Its continued high performance in heritage and culture as well as consideration and visitation show that legacy value and a strong identity as a nation can overcome austerity drives and corporate disasters. Similarly, while France has fallen this year, its biggest strength remains in Heritage and Culture, and it makes great use of that in exporting some of the world’s most famous brands – from Chanel to LVMH Group – all of which continually reinforce its authentic history, culture and style. It is no coincidence, for example, that the emerging super-rich in China choose French luxury brands over others as emblems of their newly found economic and social status. French brands such as Carrefour,

market, which reinforces a more populist aspect to French culture and specialisation in retail, cosmetics and dairy products. France also continues to be a very strong tourist destination for the same reasons, remaining at number one in awareness and decision/visitation, and

and cinema continue to influence global culture for the Francophone world, and France 24 and Canal+ are major vehicles for French culture.

FALLING STARS FOR 2010And what of those top 2009 country brands that have fallen in the rankings this year? Greece presents the most conspicuous shift, dropping 8 places from 14 to 22, set against a high-profile financial crisis and subsequent industrial relations problems following government spending cuts and tax increases. Associations of Greece as a tourist destination are traditionally strong in this study, but during sustained periods of bad news – affecting confidence around core services and infrastructure – consideration and advocacy are threatened. India is another falling brand, dropping five places to 23 this year, straight off the back of negative global media coverage of health and safety concerns at this year’s Delhi Commonwealth Games, as well as attacks on tourists leading up to the event. Spain and Ireland also move down the table, showing that even traditionally strong tourist destinations are not immune to shifting brand strength in straightened economic times. Italy also falls down the ranking despite increased efforts to boost tourism this year with high-profile internal and external advertising initiatives featuring the prime minister himself. However, this is set against a backdrop of sustained criticism of Silvio Berlusconi’s premiership and the financial difficulties the country has faced in the global economic crisis.



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CONSISTENCY IS KEYWhat do these leading country brands have in common? Above all else, they stand for something and carry their values into politics, business, tourism and culture – from the brands they export to the celebrities they cultivate. A strong sense of identity, developed over time and presented consistently across touch points, is critical to brand success of any kind. It can provide the forgiveness that a country brand needs to weather short-term difficulties that hamper public perception and decisions to travel and do business. At the end of the day, like company, product or service brands, country brands create strong and positive impressions that generate desire and demand. The consistency of impressions and messages across media and channels keeps them top of mind and promotes them across audiences and categories of relevance, from business to travel and tourism.

Above all, if brands are a promise, the 2010 leading country brands are keeping theirs.



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2010 offers a potent reminder that strong, consistent country brands hold their value in the long term. Canada, Australia and New Zealand have all occupied the Top 10 for at least four editions of the CBI. And eight of the Top 10 remain from 2009. But while there is no single formula for success, many countries have particular strengths that differentiate their brand in audiences’ minds. FutureBrand’s proprietary Hierarchical Decision Model (HDM) is the methodology used to evaluate key dimensions of brand strength, from awareness to associations and advocacy. The ultimate rank of a country is based on how it scores across all these measures.

Interestingly, although Canada is very strong in Tourism (4), Quality of Life (5), Good for Business (8) and Value System (8), it does not achieve a number one ranking in any specific measure or association within the HDM framework. Its secret lies in consistent strength across every metric.



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TOP 10 COUNTRY BRANDS – STRENGTHS

1 2

AWARENESSRanking

FAMILIARITYRanking

PREFERENCERanking

CONSIDERATIONRanking

ADVOCACYRanking

DECISION / VISITATIONRanking

#7 #9

#7 #9

#14 #1

#9 #4

#7 #16

#5 #1

CANADA AUSTRALIA

HERITAGE & CULTURE Natural Beauty

TOURISM Value for Money Attractions Resort & Lodging Options

GOOD FOR BUSINESS Investment Climate Regulatory Environment Skilled Workforce

QUALITY OF LIFE Education System Healthcare System Standard Of Living Safety Job Opportunity Most Like to Live In

VALUE SYSTEM Political Freedom Environmental Friendliness Stable Legal Environment Tolerance Freedom of Speech

TOURISM Attractions Resort & Lodging Options

GOOD FOR BUSINESS Investment Climate

QUALITY OF LIFE Healthcare System Standard of Living Job Opportunity Most Like to Live In VALUE SYSTEM Political Freedom

Environmental Friendliness Stable Legal Environment Tolerance Freedom of Speech

COMPONENTS

STRONGEST PERFORMING ASSOCIATIONS= Top 10 ranking

= #1 ranking



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3 4

AWARENESSRanking

FAMILIARITYRanking

PREFERENCERanking


ADVOCACYRanking


#23 #6

#19 #2

#5 #2

#11 #1

#27 #4

#4 #12

NEW ZEALAND USA

HERITAGE & CULTURE Authenticity Natural Beauty

TOURISM Value for Money Attractions

GOOD FOR BUSINESS Regulatory Environment

QUALITY OF LIFE Safety Most Like to Live In


TOURISM Resort and Lodging Options

GOOD FOR BUSINESS Investment Climate Advanced Technology

QUALITY OF LIFE Job Opportunity Most Like to Live In

COMPONENTS


= #1 ranking




16

5 6

AWARENESSRanking

FAMILIARITYRanking

PREFERENCERanking


ADVOCACYRanking


#8 #20

#8 #16

#10 #7

#10 #12

#8 #21

#14 #23

SWITZERLAND JAPAN


TOURISM Attractions Resort & Lodging Options

GOOD FOR BUSINESS Investment Climate Advanced Technology Regulatory Environment Skilled Workforce

QUALITY OF LIFE Education System Healthcare System Standard of Living Safety Job Opportunity Most Like to Live In

VALUE SYSTEM Political Freedom Environmental Friendliness Stable Legal Environment Freedom of Speech

HERITAGE & CULTURE Art & Culture Authenticity

TOURISM Food

GOOD FOR BUSINESS Advanced Technology Regulatory Environment Skilled Workforce

QUALITY OF LIFE Education System Healthcare System Standard of Living Safety

COMPONENTS


= #1 ranking




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7 8

AWARENESSRanking

FAMILIARITYRanking

PREFERENCERanking


ADVOCACYRanking


#1 #33

#1 #36

#3 #47

#2 #36

#1 #35

#9 #47

FRANCE FINLAND

HERITAGE & CULTURE History Art & Culture

TOURISM Food

QUALITY OF LIFE Most Like to Live In


TOURISM Attractions

GOOD FOR BUSINESS Investment Climate Advanced Technology Regulatory Environment Skilled Workforce



COMPONENTS


= #1 ranking




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9 10

AWARENESSRanking

FAMILIARITYRanking

PREFERENCERanking


ADVOCACYRanking


#5 #24

#3 #23

#6 #42

#3 #29

#3 #26

#11 #29

UK SWEDEN

HERITAGE & CULTURE History Art & Culture

VALUE SYSTEM Political Freedom Stable Legal Environment

GOOD FOR BUSINESS Advanced Technology Regulatory Environment Skilled Workforce



COMPONENTS


= #1 ranking




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While the Top 10 list includes the best overall performing country brands in 2010, none is universally strong across every quality or asset. Even brand Canada fails to achieve a number one ranking in any specific measure or association, despite coming top this year.

A number of these brands have significant perceived weaknesses relative to other nations. A weak score is considered to be anything lower than rank 40 in our index. This shows that no country brand can be a leader across every dimension or attribute. In fact, brand success is not about being perfect as much as it is about turning assets into perceived strengths.

AUSTRALIA NEW ZEALAND2 3CANADA USA1 4

Attribute Rank History

Art & Culture #43


Art & Culture #45

Authenticity #58

Natural Beauty #48


Art & Culture #41




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UNITED KINGDOM SWEDEN9 10

JAPAN FRANCE FINLAND6 7 8SWITZERLAND5


Attribute Rank Value for Money #67

Attribute Rank Value for Money #43

Attribute RankNone n/a

Attribute Rank Natural Beauty #61

Value for Money #84

Attractions #51

Food #42

Attribute Rank History #45

Value for Money #64

Resort & Lodging Options #40



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01 ZIMBABWE02 IRAN03 PAKISTAN04 DR CONGO05 NIGERIA06 EL SALVADOR07 LIBYA08 SENEGAL09 BANGLADESH 10 SUDAN

a relatively weak communications infrastructure, the Bottom 10 brands reinforce the vital role for media and travel in building and maintaining country brand strength – whatever the natural assets of a country. Similarly, while these countries have complex histories, they are not celebrated for exporting global consumer or corporate brands – a stark contrast with this year’s leaders.

African countries are well represented in the Bottom 10, with Zimbabwe topping the table. Like many of its counterparts, Zimbabwe has suffered from over a decade of political and economic turmoil, not least surrounding the globally controversial land reform programme and subsequent hyperinflation. This, combined with a poor human rights reputation and some of the most severe restrictions on press freedom, forms the backdrop to the country’s weak brand performance in 2010. In keeping with this, our research reveals perceptions of Zimbabwe as the worst country for Business (110), Quality of Life (110) and Value System (110). Perhaps surprisingly, however, brand Zimbabwe also suffers from relatively low levels of awareness – good or bad – despite high-profile news coverage over recent years, the recent power-sharing initiative with Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai, and President Mugabe’s continued high-profile and controversial presence on the international stage – an indicator that notoriety is not enough in itself to generate strong global awareness of a country brand.

Libya moves up from the bottom place this year, breaking a two-year pattern, but continues to suffer from low awareness and advocacy and remains in the Bottom 10 for the Tourism and Value System dimensions. But unlike in 2009, Libya is no longer bottom of the table for the Quality of Life or Good for Business dimensions – both key associations to nurture for long-term brand strength.

This year’s weakest country brands struggle variously with political instability, security concerns, corruption, economic turmoil, natural disasters and high levels of state control, all of which confirm an unavoidable correlation between perceived brand strength and political, social and economic realities in the world’s most challenged countries. As a group, these country brands perform poorly in the assessed dimensions of Tourism and Value System. But it is important to consider that low awareness remains a strong part of the problem for these country brands, rather than merely negative associations. With significant formal or informal constraints on media freedom (with notable exceptions like El Salvador and Senegal), frequent travel restrictions, and



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Levels of country brand awareness and familiarity are influenced by world events and media coverage, but people’s preferences are determined by how positive that coverage is. Sometimes, very little can tangibly change about a country in real terms, but perceptions shift as a result of major news events. Most successful country brands use levers like advertising and public relations to boost awareness. This year, our rising and falling stars are no different, but trends indicate that it takes more than awareness to compete in 2010.

NUMBERS:Every measure, from Awareness to Advocacy, improved. Perceptions around Safety improved (up 14 places), as did Standard of Living (up 32 places) and Political Freedom (up 20 places).

OUR PANELS SAY: “Chile is one of the fastest-growing, wealthiest economies in the world. It is fast becoming known as a country for investment and forward-looking thinking and innovation.”

NUMBERS:Improvements across key Tourism metrics, including Authenticity (up from 20th to number 1) and History (up from 4th to number 1).

OUR PANELS SAY: “The atmosphere in Israel is great; it doesn’t feel as unsafe as some media may suggest.”

CHILE / #40 +19

RISING COUNTRY BRANDS

ISRAEL / #30 +11 Chile has improved across every measure this year with huge leaps in Awareness and Advocacy, as well as in perceptions of Political

rescue became a global news event generating extraordinary goodwill for President Pinera and brand Chile. This, coupled with growing economic stability, makes Chile a brand to watch in the region.

talks and significant marketing investment for tourist destinations, Israel moves in the right direction in 2010 – particularly in Tourism metrics like Authenticity and History, which align very well with campaigns promoting heritage and culture.



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NUMBERS:Awareness is up 11, Familiarity is up 25 and Advocacy is up 33.

OUR PANELS SAY: “Argentina has everything: landscape, cultural diversity, tourism and adventure.”

NUMBERS:Familiarity is up 22 places from 2009.

OUR PANELS SAY: “The volcanic ash had no impact on perception of Iceland. Natural disasters can happen anywhere in the world.”

ARGENTINA / #33 +10

RISING COUNTRY BRANDS

ICELAND / #24 +1 Scores are up across the board for brand Argentina this year – particularly for Advocacy. After a quarter-finals position in the World Cup and significant GDP growth in the first half of the year, Argentina became the first Latin American country to legalise same-sex marriage in a move signalling a triumph of liberal values in the region.

Iceland’s rise is a counter-intuitive development for a beleaguered country that suffered negative global attention during the banking crisis and the Eyjafjallajökull ash cloud flight ban affecting millions of travellers. Perhaps a signal that the world’s oldest democracy still carries some goodwill with international audiences, as well as highlighting the impact of efforts to market Iceland as an attractive transatlantic stopover at a time of unprecedented global brand awareness, scores for Familiarity have leapt up this year.



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NUMBERS:Political Freedom is down from 65 in 2009 to 107 in 2010.Awareness, Preference and Advocacy are all down.

OUR PANELS SAY: “Corruption, networks and political dominance are still the main drivers in China’s business landscape.”

NUMBERS:Value for Money is down from 32 to 70 in 2010.

OUR PANELS SAY: “Economic crisis issues and political tension, plus the lack of proper tourism branding, are damaging the country brand.”

CHINA / #56 -8

FALLING COUNTRY BRANDS

GREECE / #22 -8

to have lasted long for China, with 2010 bringing public relations challenges around post-Copenhagen environmental impact and high-profile censorship battles with Google. Significant decline in perceptions of Political Freedom contribute most to this year’s drop in the rankings. A fall for China despite its promotion to the second-largest economy shows that financial growth is no guarantee of brand strength.

Greece suffers with traditionally loyal travellers this year in the wake of strikes, austerity measures and a very public

perceptions of the country’s Value for Money are the key to this year’s declining rank, although scores in the Heritage and Culture dimension indicate that brand Greece has a solid foundation from which to rebuild its position.



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NUMBERS:Political Freedom went from 56 in 2009 to 93 in 2010.

OUR PANELS SAY: “Russia has a fast-growing market and economy, but they find it hard to grow and attract talent due to a lack of international capabilities. Russia is not an expat-friendly place due to safety concerns, corruption, lack of IP law and regulation, and it has received bad publicity in the media.”

NUMBERS:Preference is down 8 places and Consideration is down 2 places.

OUR PANELS SAY:

venture; the glitz and glamour have made it look a bit artificial.”

RUSSIA / #81 -9


UAE / #28 -5

Anti-government protests surrounding March elections, ongoing corruption scandals and economic uncertainty provide the backdrop to a steep fall for Russia this year. Specifically, a steep drop in the score for Political Freedom has hit this emerging market in the 2010 rankings.

While Tourism metrics overall remain relatively strong, falls in Preference and Consideration

decline in 2010. Despite significant investment in brand building over recent years, high-profile economic troubles affecting Dubai and the other Emirates impact a country brand keenly associated with wealth and prosperity, but traditionally scoring less well on the dimension for Value System.



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NUMBERS:Safety dropped 19 places, from 76 in 2009 to 95 in 2010. Value for Money also dropped 9 places.

OUR PANELS SAY: “Mexico’s country brand has been declining over the last few years. Drug trafficking, violence, crime and terrorism are winning.”

NUMBERS:Advocacy is down 46 places, and Safety falls from 82 in 2009 to 102 in 2010.

OUR PANELS SAY: “Violent crime is a major problem

right now. Illegal drug use also seems prevalent.”

MEXICO / #48 -11 JAMAICA / #62 -15


Already relatively low in previous years, scores for Safety for brand Mexico have fallen to the bottom of the table in 2010. High-profile drug cartel violence, a large earthquake and the Gulf of Mexico oil spill contribute to an overall picture of instability in the fifth-largest country in the Americas this year.

100 for Safety, and Advocacy is down 46 places. The Caribbean as a whole suffers this year, but stories about violence and general concerns about tourist safety provide a backdrop to

in 2010.



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NUMBERS:Preference and Advocacy are down, and Political Freedom dropped 31 places from 35 in 2009 to 66 in 2010.

OUR PANELS SAY: “The bombings in the Philippines and constant warring and insecurities derail the perception of its vibrant private sector and natural beauty.”

PHILIPPINES / #65 -29


The Philippines has been beset by high-profile violent incidents this year that might have overshadowed the election of a new president pledging to reform a country troubled by perceptions of corruption. Time will tell if the Philippines’ natural, historical and cultural assets, a relatively stable economy, and a new government will reverse this downward trend for the brand.



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The following pages provide an in-depth look at five key dimensions that make up a country brand: Tourism, Heritage and Culture, Good for Business, Value System and Quality of Life. In order for country brands to perform in today’s increasingly connected world, it is not sufficient to focus on only one dimension. The best country brands have shaped brand images that span multiple dimensions, while the weakest country brands do not have recognisable profiles in any dimension.

TOURISM

HERITAGE & CULTURE

GOOD FOR BUSINESSQUALITY OF LIFE

VALUE SYSTEM

1

25

34

COUNTRY BRAND



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‘Food’ and ‘Value for Money.’

A very diverse group of countries lead the ranking for Tourism this year, with Mauritius – a leading favourite for a global audience – making it to the top spot, and a number of other island nations ranking in the Top 25.

While mainly Asian destinations – Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia and Indonesia – are perceived as the strongest-performing nations for Value for Money, New Zealand and Canada are also seen as leading country brands for the attribute.

have occupied the top spots, while Australia is perceived as having the world’s best Beaches.

1 MAURITIUS2 AUSTRALIA3 NEW ZEALAND4 CANADA5 THAILAND6 SWITZERLAND7 FINLAND8 JAPAN9 MALDIVES 10 UNITED STATES11 COSTA RICA12 SPAIN 13 FRANCE14 AUSTRIA15 ITALY16 PORTUGAL17 SINGAPORE18 BAHAMAS19 MEXICO20 SWEDEN21 NORWAY22 MALAYSIA 23 GERMANY24 BARBADOS25 SOUTH AFRICA

OVERALL RANK

#21

#20

#2

#12

#3

#29

#1

#15

#26

#37

#5

#48

#8

#10

#4

#11

#6

#13

#27

#32

#16

#42

#14

#31

#7



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1 THAILAND #26

2 VIETNAM #63

3 NEW ZEALAND #3

6 CANADA #1

2 MALDIVES #16

3 SWITZERLAND #5

7 CANADA #1

8 SPAIN #14

9 BAHAMAS #37

11 THAILAND #26

13 FRANCE #7

3 FRANCE #7

4 THAILAND #26

6 SPAIN #14

10 VIETNAM #63

13 GREECE #22

14 ARGENTINA #33

VALUE FOR MONEY OVERALL RANK RESORT & LODGING OPTIONS OVERALL RANK FOOD OVERALL RANK



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#2

#4

3 MALDIVES #16

4 BRAZIL #41

5 BAHAMAS #37

6 THAILAND #26

7 GREECE #22

#12

#39

10 SPAIN #14

12 FRANCE #7

#4

#9

3 FRANCE #7

4 SPAIN #14

5 BRAZIL #41

#2

#12

8 THAILAND #26

#11

10 #6

11 ARGENTINA #33

12 NETHERLANDS #25

14 GREECE #22

15 CHINA #56

#4

2 FRANCE #7

#12

#9

5 CHINA #56

#15

#6

#28

9 THAILAND #26

10 #11

11 INDIA #23

12 CANADA #1

14 ARGENTINA #33

15 SPAIN #14

BEACHES* OVERALL RANK NIGHTLIFE* OVERALL RANK SHOPPING* OVERALL RANK

*Scores in beaches, nightlife and shopping did not contribute to a country’s overall rank.



32

‘Art & Culture’ and ‘Natural Beauty.’

Italy is a country that combines the best of both worlds – natural beauty and a rich history – so it is no surprise that it is considered to be the strongest country brand for Heritage and Culture this year. 2010 sees Israel in the number 2 position. Also the top country for Authenticity this year, Israel is a nation that not only has a rich and storied past, but also invests a significant amount of money promoting it each year.

A number of more exotic travel destinations, such as Peru, Greece,

this dimension. Each of these countries speaks to rich history and historic monuments: Machu Picchu in Peru, the Parthenon in Greece, the Pyramids of Giza in Egypt, Angkor Wat in Cambodia, the Taj Mahal

further foster and contribute to a nation’s image in the minds of visitors, investors and citizens. Countries with a dominant icon also tend to be rated very highly for History, Art & Culture and Authenticity.

1 ITALY2 ISRAEL3 PERU4 FRANCE5 GREECE6 JAPAN7 UNITED KINGDOM8 EGYPT9 NEPAL 10 SWITZERLAND11 SPAIN12 AUSTRIA 13 CAMBODIA14 NORWAY15 NEW ZEALAND 16 IRELAND17 INDIA18 CZECH REPUBLIC19 MOROCCO20 SWEDEN21 CANADA22 PORTUGAL 23 TURKEY24 GERMANY25 JORDAN

#12

#30

#47

#7

#22

#6

#9

#5

#58

#14

#59

#20

#90

#13

#3

#17

#23

#43

#60

#10

#55

#1

#11

#29

#75

OVERALL RANK



33

1 ISRAEL #30

#12

#58

4 GREECE #22

5 #9

#47

7 FRANCE #7

#75

9 SPAIN #14

10 #43

13 INDIA #23

#13

2 NEW ZEALAND #3

3 SWITZERLAND #5

4 MALDIVES #16

5 #21

#27

7 ICELAND #24

8 NEPAL #59

9 CANADA #1

10 FINLAND #8

11 NAMIBIA #36

14 IRELAND #17

#12

2 FRANCE #7

#9

4 GREECE #22

5 SPAIN #14

#6

#20

8 ISRAEL #30

#58

10 #43

11 NETHERLANDS #25

14 INDIA #23

HISTORY OVERALL RANK NATURAL BEAUTY OVERALL RANK ART & CULTURE OVERALL RANK



34

‘Skilled Workforce,’ ‘Advanced Technology’ and ‘Regulatory Environment.’

for doing business. A number of Middle Eastern nations also perform

23 and Saudi Arabia at 26.

and innovation, appears to be falling behind. While it is one of the strongest country brands in the measure for Advanced Technology – for

perceived as it has been in previous years.

The BRIC nations appear to have a long journey ahead of them to improve perceptions of a less-than-favourable business climate. All four suffer from weak scores in their Regulatory Environment; however, there are greater differences of perception when it comes to the other attributes. Comparatively, China shows particular strength in Investment Climate, while India is the stronger performer in the measure for Skilled

slightly ahead.

1 SWITZERLAND2 GERMANY3 JAPAN4 NORWAY5 FINLAND6 SWEDEN7 DENMARK8 CANADA9 SINGAPORE 10 NETHERLANDS11 UNITED STATES12 AUSTRALIA13 UNITED KINGDOM14 ISRAEL15 NEW ZEALAND16 AUSTRIA17 BELGIUM18 FRANCE19 UAE20 ICELAND21 SOUTH KOREA22 QATAR23 BAHRAIN24 IRELAND25 BERMUDA

#5

#30

#11

#3

#6

#20

#13

#34

#8

#7

#10

#28

#19

#24

#25

#80

#1

#44

#4

#17

#15

#70

#2

#18

#9

OVERALL RANK



35

#6

#11

#4

4 SWITZERLAND #5

5 SWEDEN #10

6 FINLAND #8

#15

8 ISRAEL #30

#13

10 #19

11 NETHERLANDS #25

12 CANADA #1

1 SWITZERLAND #5

#15

#11

#13

5 #2

6 FINLAND #8

7 CANADA #1

#4

9 QATAR #70

10 NETHERLANDS #25

11 CHINA #56

12 SWEDEN #10

1 SWITZERLAND #5

#11

#6

4 SWEDEN #10

5 #13

#19

7 FINLAND #8

8 CANADA #1

9 NETHERLANDS #25

10 #15

11 ISRAEL #30

12 NEW ZEALAND #3

ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY OVERALL RANK INVESTMENT CLIMATE OVERALL RANK SKILLED WORKFORCE OVERALL RANK



36

1 SWITZERLAND2 NORWAY3 SWEDEN4 FINLAND5 CANADA6 DENMARK7 AUSTRALIA8 SINGAPORE9 GERMANY 10 NETHERLANDS11 NEW ZEALAND12 JAPAN 13 AUSTRIA14 UNITED KINGDOM15 FRANCE16 UNITED STATES17 ICELAND18 BELGIUM19 UAE20 QATAR21 SPAIN22 PORTUGAL 23 ISRAEL24 BERMUDA25 BAHRAIN

#5

#13

#10

#8

#1

#19

#2

#25

#15

#3

#11

#6

#20

#9

#7

#4

#24

#34

#28

#70

#30

#14

#18

#29

#80

The leading country brands for Quality of Life are Switzerland, the Scandinavian nations and Canada. From Healthcare and Education Systems

across every attribute.

on measures for Healthcare System and Safety, which at 33 this year, is one rank behind Saudi Arabia.

There are a wide variety of countries that are perceived as unsafe, and whether it is due to terrorism, violence, crime or health concerns, being in the news can overshadow any goodwill a country has built and developed in other dimensions. Nations such as Brazil, Mexico, Russia, Indonesia,

other categories, find themselves at the lower end of the tables for Safety. Even if the issues are addressed, country brands can continue to struggle to increase their overall profiles, as negative associations are hard to shake. Mozambique, for example, a nation that has left its violent past behind, still scores 107 for safety in 2010 — a similar ranking to Pakistan and Zimbabwe.

OVERALL RANK



37

1 SWITZERLAND #5

2 CANADA #1

#2

4 NEW ZEALAND #3

5 SWEDEN #10

#13

#4

#15

9 FINLAND #8

10 FRANCE #7

11 SPAIN #14

14 NETHERLANDS #25

1 SWITZERLAND #5

2 FINLAND #8

#13

#19

5 SWEDEN #10

#15

7 ICELAND #24

8 CANADA #1

9 NEW ZEALAND #3

10 #6

13 NETHERLANDS #25

2 CANADA #1

8 SWITZERLAND #5

9 SWEDEN #10

10 FINLAND #8

12 NETHERLANDS #25

13 NEW ZEALAND #3

14 QATAR #70

MOST LIKE TO LIVE IN OVERALL RANK SAFETY OVERALL RANK JOB OPPORTUNITY OVERALL RANK



38

2 SWEDEN #10

3 FINLAND #8

4 SWITZERLAND #5

7 NETHERLANDS #25

9 CANADA #1

11 NEW ZEALAND #3

15 ISRAEL #30

2 SWEDEN #10

3 FINLAND #8

4 SWITZERLAND #5

7 CANADA #1

8 NETHERLANDS #25

12 NEW ZEALAND #3

15 FRANCE #7

1 SWITZERLAND #5

2 SWEDEN #10

4 FINLAND #8

6 CANADA #1

8 NETHERLANDS #25

13 NEW ZEALAND #3

EDUCATION SYSTEM OVERALL RANK HEALTHCARE SYSTEM OVERALL RANK STANDARD OF LIVING OVERALL RANK



39

‘Environmental Friendliness,’ ‘Stable Legal Environment,’ ‘Tolerance’ and ‘Freedom of Speech.’

As with Quality of Life, ‘brand Scandinavia’ also takes the lead in the Value System dimension. These nations are seen to be among the world’s most free and tolerant societies.

with weaker perceptions for attributes including Environmental Friendliness and Tolerance. China, ranked 102 for the Value System dimension, is perceived to be one of the least environmentally friendly and politically free nations in the world. Similarly, Russia, suffers from less-than-stellar perceptions around its legal environment and level of political freedom.

1 NORWAY2 FINLAND3 SWEDEN4 DENMARK5 NETHERLANDS6 NEW ZEALAND7 SWITZERLAND8 CANADA9 AUSTRALIA10 ICELAND11 UNITED KINGDOM12 AUSTRIA13 BELGIUM14 GERMANY15 JAPAN16 UNITED STATES17 FRANCE18 SINGAPORE19 PORTUGAL20 IRELAND21 MALTA22 BERMUDA23 URUGUAY24 SPAIN25 SLOVENIA

#13

#11

#8

#6

#10

#4

#19

#7

#25

#15

#3

#29

#5

#17

#24

#53

#1

#64

#9

#14

#2

#18

#20

#54

#34

OVERALL RANK



40

#13

2 SWEDEN #10

3 FINLAND #8

#19

5 SWITZERLAND #5

6 NEW ZEALAND #3

7 ICELAND #24

8 CANADA #1

9 NETHERLANDS #25

10 #2

#13

2 FINLAND #8

3 NETHERLANDS #25

#19

5 SWEDEN #10

6 NEW ZEALAND #2

7 CANADA #1

8 ICELAND #24

#2

10 #34

11 SWITZERLAND #5

13 MALTA #64

14 SPAIN #14

1 FINLAND #8

#13

3 NETHERLANDS #25

4 SWEDEN #10

4 NEW ZEALAND #3

6 CANADA #1

#19

8 SWITZERLAND #5

9 ICELAND #24

10 #2

ENVIRONMENTAL FRIENDLINESS OVERALL RANK TOLERANCE OVERALL RANK FREEDOM OF SPEECH OVERALL RANK



41

The expansion of the Country Brand Index in 2010 to examine and rank 110 nations gives us a richer picture of the relative brand strength of broad geographic areas. The rankings below are based on the composite average scores achieved by the countries in each region and reflect the average country brand strength of constituent countries:

With some of the most mature country brands, and four of the 2010 Top 10, Western Europe performed as expected, remaining in the top position as the region with the strongest overall nation brands.

At the other end of the spectrum, the countries of MENA and Sub-Saharan Africa have come to country branding much later, facing awareness problems and showing a comparative lack of brand development overall.

01 WESTERN EUROPE02 CARIBBEAN 03 ASIA PACIFIC04 AMERICAS05 CENTRAL / EASTERN EUROPE 06 MENA (Middle East, North Africa)07 SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA

1

1

3

1

1



42

Significantly stronger in the dimensions for Tourism, Heritage & Culture, Good for Business, Quality of Life and Value System, this region sets itself apart from the rest. For Value System – a dimension that considers a country’s level of Political Freedom, Environmental Friendliness, Tolerance and Freedom of Speech – six of the global Top 10 country brands reside in Western Europe.

Beyond the top four, there is a very strong second tier of country brands, with Italy, Norway, Spain, Ireland, Denmark, Iceland and the Netherlands all among the Top 25 country brands for 2010 overall.

As further testament to increasingly positive global perceptions of brand Scandinavia – Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Iceland are among the region’s strongest emerging stars this year. While nations hard hit by the economic crisis – Italy, Ireland and Spain – rounded out Western Europe’s falling stars for 2010.

Home to the number 1 brand for Quality of Life and Good for Business and (Switzerland), Heritage & Culture (Italy), and Value System (Norway), it is clear that, in people’s minds, Western Europe is still setting perception benchmarks across the board.

Dominating every brand association dimension this year, Western Europe is also home to four of this year’s Top 10 country brands – Switzerland,

50

110

Country Brand RankRegional Rank

SWITZERLAND

FRANCE

UNITED KINGDOM

SWEDEN

ITALY

NORWAY

SPAIN

IRELAND

DENMARK

ICELAND

NETHERLANDS

PORTUGAL

BELGIUM

MALTA

01

02

03

04

05

06

07

08

09

10

11

12

13

14

(#05 / 6)

(#07 / 2)

(#09 / 1)

(#10 / 11)

(#12 / 6)

(#13 / 9)

(#14 / 4)

(#17 / 5)

(#19 / 4)

(#24 / 1)

(#25 / 6)

(#29 / 5)

(#34 / 14)

(#64 / 16)

1

presidency, Belgium is emblematic of the potential for supranational unity in the

region that blurs the lines between traditional national boundaries – from shared

currency to policy and free movement for work and leisure. Tri-lingual and strong in

all measures for Quality of Life and Value System, Belgium is a melting pot of the

viewpoints and ideas from across the continent. While the country is weaker than

its neighbours in Heritage & Culture, Belgium performs strongly in measures for

business and has significantly increased its standing this year in Most Like to Live

In (up 52 places) and Environmental Friendliness (up 9 places).



43

Given its geography and weather, it should come as no surprise that the Caribbean is the number 2 region in the world for Tourism. With idyllic beaches, quality hotels and resorts and a range of outdoor activities and sports on offer, all of these country brands benefit from global and consistent perceptions of fun in the sun. However, the Caribbean performs less well than other regions in the dimensions for Heritage & Culture, Good for Business and Value System.

Despite increased advertising and marketing investment from Caribbean countries, including Bermuda and the Bahamas, against the backdrop of the global economic downturn, every nation with the exception of Cuba has experienced significantly weaker scores in Value for Money this year. Safety is also a concern for countries in this region, with the Dominican Republic dropping 29 places, Barbados dropping 23 places

not least in light of widely reported violent crime in some countries.

The Caribbean paradox is that perceptions of regional consistency present both a benefit and a drawback for individual country brands. The halo effect of Caribbean membership strengthens perceptions of each nation in dimensions like Tourism, but – with the exception of Cuba – also makes it hard for differentiation at the country brand level.

Earning the number 2 position in the regional Top 7 list this year, the performance of these brands is as much about their collective strengths and similarities as a regional tourist destination, as it is about performance across every dimension.

Cuba is ranked 25 for Authenticity this year, which is more than twice as strong as its neighbours’ performance for the same attribute. While Cuba is the weakest Caribbean nation for Tourism overall (at 70), it is the only country brand in the region this year to increase its rank in the measures for Value for Money (up 33 places) and Safety (up 22 places) – both of which are incredibly important perceptions to build on when developing and maintaining a tourist-focused country brand.

50

110

Country Brand RankRegional Ranking

BERMUDA

BARBADOS

ST. LUCIA

BAHAMAS

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC

CUBA

TRINIDAD & TOBAGO

JAMAICA

01

02

03

04

05

06

07

08

1(#18 / 3)

(#32 / 1)

(#35 / 6)

(#37 / 1)

(#38 / 12)

(#50 / 6)

(#52 / 10)

(#62 / 15)



44

50

110

Country Brand Rank

1

lead the region and the world, yet Asia Pacific as a whole is a region in decline. Perhaps not weathering the financial storm as well as other regions in peoples’ perceptions, the majority of these countries received weaker rankings overall than in 2009.

Tourism and Heritage & Culture are Asia Pacific’s strongest association dimensions this year. With a wide range of things to see and do – from visiting historic monuments like Angkor Wat in Cambodia or the Taj

or Australia – Asia Pacific presents a wealth of diverse attractions.

Asia Pacific’s three lowest performers – Bangladesh, Pakistan and Iran – perform very weakly across the five association dimensions. It is this polarization between the top and bottom brands that contributes to Asia Pacific’s mid-level standing in the regional list this year.

Asia Pacific is home to three of the world’s strongest performing brands, and three of its weakest – reflecting the significant geographic reach of the region and diversity of its national constituents from Eurasia to the South Pacific.

Regional Ranking

AUSTRALIANEW ZEALAND

JAPANSINGAPORE

MALDIVESINDIA

THAILANDFIJI

MALAYSIASOUTH KOREA

TURKEYCHINANEPAL

VIETNAMPHILIPPINES

INDONESIALAOS

CAMBODIABANGLADESH

PAKISTANIRAN

0102030405060708091011121314151617181920 21

(#02 / 1)

(#03 / 1)

(#06 / 1)

(#15 / 2)

(#16 / 3)

(#23 / 5)

(#26 / 6)

(#39 / 7)

(#42 / 2)

(#44 / 5)

(#55 / 4)

(#56 / 8)

(#59 / 1)

(#63 / 6)

(#65 / 29)

(#72 / 8)

(#88 / 5)

(#90 / 1)

(#102 / N/A)

(#108 / N/A)

(#109 / 11)

The Philippines has fallen furthest regionally and across the whole Index this year – dropping 29 places to an overall ranking of 65. It’s worth noting that our research took place at the time of the Manila bus hijacking, perhaps providing the context for a Bottom 10 ranking in perceptions of Safety. There is still widespread weakness across all dimensions, as well as ranking declines in every other individual image attribute. Heritage & Culture is the country’s worst performing dimension (at 101) this year, and measures for Political Freedom and Standard of Living have experienced significant declines, down 28 and 27 places, respectively.



45

The Americas is another polarized region in terms of country brand development. Home to Canada, the top ranked nation brand in 2010, the region also includes a number of countries that demonstrate relatively low levels of brand maturity, including Nicaragua at number 98 and El Salvador at 105. As a whole, the region demonstrates moderate strength in the dimension for Value System, earning the number 3 position in the regional list this year, but it is the weakest overall for Quality of Life.

Costa Rica, Argentina, and Chile have emerged as relatively strong country brands (each is ranked in the Top 40 overall), while Belize,

the Index’s biggest rising star this year, moved up 19 places while neighbouring Argentina moved up 10 spots. Both nations are perceived to be very strong in the Tourism dimension, particularly for Value for Money and Attractions.

Salvador is down 13 places and Mexico is down 11 spots. These weaker performing country brands struggle with issues around political instability, safety and corruption, but a lack of awareness and familiarity also play a part in weaker perceptions of these regional brands.

North American brands continue to dominate the Americas this year, but a strong secondary group of brands is emerging for the region in 2010.

CANADA

UNITED STATES

COSTA RICA

ARGENTINA

CHILE

BRAZIL

BELIZE

PERU

MEXICO

URUGUAY

PANAMA

ECUADOR

VENEZUELA

COLOMBIA

GUATEMALA

NICARAGUA

EL SALVADOR

01

02

03

04

05

06

07

08

09

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

50

110

Country Brand Rank

1

Regional Ranking

(#01 / 1)

(#04 / 3)

(#27 / 1)

(#33 / 10)

(#40 / 19)

(#41 / 6)

(#46 / 7)

(#47 / 2)

(#48 / 11)

(#53 / 2)

(#67 / 2)

(#74 / 3)

(#77 / 14)

(#85 / 2)

(#86 / 2)

(#98 / 14)

(#105 / 13)

Brazil has strong awareness and moderately strong familiarity, perhaps not surprisingly in the context of the country’s successful bids for two of the world’s

while respondents know of Brazil, perceptions have significantly weakened year-to-year in Value for Money (down 34 places), Safety (down 48 places) and Environmental Friendliness (down 52 places). While Brazil is an emerging economic giant and is one of the world’s biggest democracies, its significant decline in these measures has affected its overall standing.



46

Central/Eastern Europe is the number 2 region for Good for Business, Quality of Life and Value System, but occupies the number 5 position for Tourism. The Top 4 countries – Finland, Germany, Austria and Greece – hold a strong and definite lead over the next tier of country brands, and contribute significantly to the region’s overall ranking.

While these nations have considerable assets in History, Art & Culture and Natural Beauty, many country brands in the region still suffer from relatively weak Awareness and associations in these areas.

develop, but enormous geographic cultural diversity in the region means each country has an opportunity to sharpen perceptions of its unique strengths and characteristics.

The remaining regional brands are comparatively underdeveloped. A few of these nations, however, do stand out with strong associations: Cyprus and Croatia both perform well in Tourism, the Czech Republic is strong in Heritage & Culture and Slovenia scored highly in Good for Business and Value System.

Significant gains made by Croatia, Slovenia, Austria, Finland, the Czech Republic and Cyprus in their overall standings this year make Central/Eastern Europe a region to watch.

A region with great potential, Central/Eastern Europe is home to a number of rising stars.

Regional Ranking

FINLAND

GERMANY

AUSTRIA

GREECE

CZECH REPUBLIC

CYPRUS

CROATIA

SLOVENIA

ALBANIA

HUNGARY

BULGARIA

SLOVAKIA

RUSSIA

POLAND

SERBIA

ESTONIA

ROMANIA

UKRAINE

01

02

03

04

05

06

07

08

09

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

50

110

Country Brand Rank

1(#08 / 8)

(#11 / 2)

(#20 / 8)

(#22 / 8)

(#43 / 7)

(#45 / 7)

(#49 / 13)

(#54 / 11)

(#61 / N/A)

(#66 / 10)

(#76 / 0)

(#79 / 1)

(#81 / 9)

(#82 / 3)

(#84 / N/A)

(#89 / 1)

(#92 / 9)

(#99 / 24)

While our research reveals relatively strong Awareness and Familiarity for the recent World Cup 2018 bid winner, as well as quite strong associations in areas like History and Art & Culture, it suffers when it comes to perceptions of Tourism – particularly

poorly for perceptions of Value System and Safety. So whereas Russia is relatively well known, it has an opportunity to further strengthen perceptions in key dimensions like Tourism and Quality of Life – both of which will be in the minds of fans as they plan their trips to World Cup matches across the country.



47

even though it holds a number of truly iconic destinations. There are no associations that are “owned” by the region; Quality of Life is the strongest common dimension, with the region demonstrating particular strength where education, healthcare, standard of living and job opportunities are concerned.

year. Largely driven by the prominence of Dubai and counterbalanced by

strong country brand overall. Israel, rising 11 places overall and now the number 1 brand in the region for Heritage & Culture, Good for Business and Value System, also made significant gains this year. Saudi Arabia,

dimensions: Good for Business and Quality of Life.

Considering the historic and cultural assets that Morocco, Lebanon, Syria and Algeria have to offer – all are underperforming country brands.

help raise the profile of the region in coming years.

alternately hold the lead position in all brand dimensions.

Regional Ranking

UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

ISRAEL

OMAN

EGYPT

MOROCCO

SAUDI ARABIA

QATAR

LEBANON

JORDAN

BAHRAIN

TUNISIA

SYRIA

ALGERIA

LIBYA

01

02

03

04

05

06

07

08

09

10

11

12

13

14

50

110

Country Brand Rank

1(#28 / 5)

(#30 / 11)

(#57 / 4)

(#58 / 13)

(#60 / 8)

(#69 / 1)

(#70 / 4)

(#71 / 8)

(#75 / 8)

(#80 / 1)

(#83 / 6)

(#87 / 5)

(#100 / 9)

(#104 / 8)

Egypt is a country brand with extraordinary natural assets. Ranked in the eighth position for Heritage & Culture overall this year, Egypt is renowned year-on-year for its strength in attributes like History, Art & Culture and Authenticity. However, there is a significant gap between perceptions of Egypt in these associations and every other measure of brand strength in the Index. As the number 92 country brand for Good for Business, the number 93 country brand for Quality of Life and the number 100 country brand for Value System, Egypt’s overall position reflects a rather one-dimensional reality. An opportunity perhaps is to focus on strengthening perceptions in other areas to build on its firm foundation as a tourist destination.



48

Sub-Saharan Africa presents a comparatively low level of brand development across all constituent countries.

The two leading country brands in the region include Mauritius, a global beach holiday destination, and South Africa, the first African nation to host the FIFA World Cup. These two countries are number 1 and 25 for Tourism respectively, and account for all of the region’s Top

Beauty and Authenticity.

While the other nations in the region have significant country brand assets, they have not leveraged these to create perceived strengths. Consequently, Sub-Saharan Africa is the weakest region for all five

in this year’s Bottom 10, with Zimbabwe as the weakest performing country brand in the index at 110.

Mauritius – the number 1 country brand for Tourism and a Top 25 country brand overall – is also the clear regional leader.

Like its regional counterparts, Tanzania suffers from relatively low levels of Awareness and Familiarity. In contrast, its performance in the Advocacy dimension is relatively strong for the region – up 24 places from last year. Tanzania is also perceived to be strong in Authenticity (17) and Natural Beauty (23), but underperforms in the dimensions for Quality of Life, Value System and Good for Business – particularly where Skilled Workforce, Food and Standard of Living are

to strengthen perceptions for Tourism, particularly in terms of the country’s outdoor activities, sports and places to stay.

Regional Ranking

MAURITIUS

SOUTH AFRICA

NAMIBIA

BOTSWANA

KENYA

TANZANIA

GHANA

UGANDA

RWANDA

SIERRA LEONE

MOZAMBIQUE

ETHIOPIA

CAMEROON

SUDAN

SENEGAL

NIGERIA

CONGO

ZIMBABWE

01

02

03

04

05

06

07

08

09

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

50

110

Country Brand Rank

1(#21 / 5)

(#31 / 0)

(#36 / 10)

(#51 / 3)

(#68 / 10)

(#73 / 0)

(#78 / N/A)

(#91 / N/A)

(#93 / N/A)

(#94 / N/A)

(#95 / 9)

(#96 / N/A)

(#97 / N/A)

(#101 / N/A)

(#103 / 8)

(#106 / 12)

(#107 / N/A)

(#110 / 13)



49

As global competition increases for access to limited intellectual, financial and natural resources, the role of national identity and origin makes a difference. As people, organisations and companies compete in a more interconnected and global economy, the role of a country’s brand to attract, promote, create and sustain growth cannot be underestimated or left to chance. A country’s brand is a vital asset and important for global competitive advantage.

1. AMONGST THE STRONGEST COUNTRY BRANDS, THE GAPS OF DIFFERENTIATION ARE NARROWING.

At the top of the Country Brand Index, amongst the strongest country brands, it is increasingly difficult to identify a single leading indicator of strength. From overall awareness to perceptions of quality of life, values and culture, the gaps are narrowing every year. Above all else, the Top 10 country brands show the importance of a consistent and integrated approach to combining political, economic, social and commercial strategies for stability and growth.

Decisions about where we live, travel and do business are increasingly influenced and guided by our perceptions and experience of country brands. So, if leading countries are becoming more similar across hard measures, their brands will be even more vital to differentiation in the long term. Brands will need to be multi-dimensional, going beyond a logo to capture the combined values and unique cultural characteristics of a country. They will also need to stretch beyond travel and tourism marketing to embrace the concept of a country, both as an investment and an asset, to be leveraged for competitive advantage. A country’s brand will need to be proactively managed and continuously developed for differentiation in the marketplace: for tourism, business investment, education, innovation and immigration.



50

2. WHAT MAKES A ‘COUNTRY’ WILL CHANGE.

If homogenisation is blurring boundaries between our leading brands, global communications technology is dissolving their geographic borders. Post-war trends towards supra-national political and economic

corporations and non-governmental bodies, have put pressure on national sovereignty in recent years, moving centres of power beyond state boundaries. The rise of the web and global communication and information exchange in the digital age further threatens traditional definitions of a ‘country’.

The global social network Facebook now has the same number of members as the Top 5 country brand populations combined and is

and reinforced across these digital platforms are less about where people come from than about their shared interests, family networks and work associations. As we project into the future, the nature of a country brand will shift in this context and depend as much on people as ambassadors of values and culture as it does on specific places. It also makes English more important as the definitive language of global communications and business, which starts to put greater pressure on the survival of national languages in future generations. Frictionless communication also leads to an increased awareness of the authentic

national assets of a country – from heritage and beauty spots to cuisine and value systems – as seen through the eyes of travellers in real time. Increasingly, country brands will be mediated more through people’s real experiences and less through advertising and marketing. They will need to consider the role of advocacy and ‘fans’ across industries and age groups to help promote and sustain their image and message. The nature of open and transparent social media and communications means that a country’s brand cannot be artificially created or marketed to a new generation of savvy consumers or investors. Instead, it will need to be authentically represented and communicated in a relevant and appropriate manner.

Similarly, as the idea of borders starts to dissolve, people are increasingly migrating in search of work and quality of life. The strength of Canada, Australia and New Zealand is as much about a combination of high standards of living and value systems as it is about their economic stability – factors that are central to decisions about raising families and retirement as the global population ages. So where you are ‘from’ could start to take on new meaning depending on life stage.



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3. THE EAST WILL CONTINUE TO RISE.

The rising economic power of countries like China and India is indisputable, but declining CBI performance for both countries this year shows that financial strength does not necessarily make for a strong country brand. However, as they stabilise and gain confidence as economies and consumer marketplaces, already strong trends in tourism towards the East in search of ‘value for money’ experiences will lead to a growing global understanding of culture and heritage in the region. The challenge for these brands will be to capture their unique values and start to tell new stories about travel, tourism and business that overcome stereotypes.

The strength of Australia and New Zealand in 2010 is a future indicator of country brands in the region that have matured economically and culturally and have promoted their assets as places of business and tourism. They will become even more vital English-speaking Asian hubs over coming years, but it will be interesting to see how quickly the balance shifts to other Asian country brands as they create more

and we will see significant threats to the primacy of 20th-century Western country brands over the coming decade – with a very different Top 10 listing forecast for 2020.



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4. CONSUMER AND CORPORATE BRANDS WILL INCREASINGLY HELP TO BUILD COUNTRY BRANDS.

This year’s Top 10 reinforces the critical need to build strong global consumer and corporate brands as part of this story. We will start to see, as one of the vital touch points of country brand experience, new global brands emerge from developing countries, carrying the unique heritage, qualities and aspirations of nations such as India and China to worldwide markets. The ‘Made in’ litmus test of consumer perceptions of quality, value, ethics and innovation will apply as much to services as to products. The thorny issue of outsourcing will continue to prompt questions about late-20th-century economic models and whether corporations are truly global or local. It will be particularly interesting to see the extent to which these organisations begin to use national origin as a differentiator, as opposed to appearing neutral and international, and the values they espouse as a result.

As global headquarters’ locations are increasingly determined based upon favourable tax and regulatory regimes, the role of national identity as a differentiator for products or services becomes questionable. And yet some of the inherent strengths of the Top 10 country brands indicate how much national value systems and culture contribute to a positive economic, social and cultural formula. If ‘glocal’ multinational corporations can reflect this more open, diverse and transparent approach while tapping into the unique attributes of specific communities and populations, it hints at a future source of competitive advantage not just for country brands but for people, organisations and companies.



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2010 2009

1 CANADA 2

2

3 NEW ZEALAND 4

4

5 SWITZERLAND 11

6

7 FRANCE 5

8 FINLAND 16

9

10 SWEDEN 21

11

12

13

14 SPAIN 10

15

16 MALDIVES 19

17 IRELAND 12

18

19

20

21

22 GREECE 14

23 INDIA 18

24 ICELAND 25

25 NETHERLANDS 31

26 THAILAND 20

27

28

29

30 ISRAEL 41

31

32

33 ARGENTINA 43

34

35

36 NAMIBIA 46

37 BAHAMAS 38

38

39

40 CHILE 59

41 BRAZIL 35

42

43

44

45

46 BELIZE 53

47

48

49

50

51

52

53

54

55

56 CHINA 48

57

58

59 NEPAL 60

60

61 ALBANIA NA

62

63 VIETNAM 57

64 MALTA 80

65 PHILIPPINES 36

66

67 PANAMA 69

68

69

70 QATAR 66

71

72

73 TANZANIA 73

74

75

76

77

78 GHANA NA

79

80 BAHRAIN 81

81

82

83

84 SERBIA NA

85

86

87

88

89

90

91

92

93 RWANDA NA

94

95

96

97

98

99

100 ALGERIA 91

101

102 BANGLADESH NA

103 SENEGAL 95

104

105

106 NIGERIA 94

107

108

109 IRAN 98

110 ZIMBABWE 97



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1. Farhad Mohammad Ali AbdulRahman, Marketing & Communications Director, Department of

2. Soledad Aguado, Editor Director, Huesped Magazine, Argentina 3. Eduardo Albornoz, Vice President, Time Group & Director, TNS, Chile4. Kathi Apostolidis, Independent Destination Marketing Consultant, Greece5. Carolina Arias, Regional Director, American Airlines, Colombia6. Alberto Arizu7. María Rosa Arrarte8. Michel Artbrot9. Alfredo Babúm, General Manager, Air Canada, Chile10. Nick Baker, Executive General Manager, Marketing, Tourism Australia, Australia11. Miguel Bernas12. Clifford Bloxham13. Fiona Brown14. Axel Bueren, Business Manager, Setecsa, Colombia15. Emanuel Cabra, General Manager, Aerorepública, Colombia16. Humberto Castro, Franchise Manager, Interamerican Tours, Colombia17. Peggy Chan18. Tony Charters, Principal, Tony Charters & Associates, Australia19. Luis Cháves, General Manager, Incalpaca, Peru20. Christopher Chen, Director of Digital, Weber Shandwick, Singapore21. Ligia Maura Costa Relations, Brazil22. John Culshaw23. Alberto Desimone24. Thomas L. Doorley III25. Stéphanie Durand, Project Manager in Business & Incentive Tourism, XLA Voyages, France26. Stefan Feldmann, Managing Director, Marketing Region Nürnberg e.V. , Germany27. Luis S. Francisco, Senior Tourism Advisor & Consultant, Portugal28. Lyda García, Project Coordinator, The Wiese Foundation, Peru29. Marc Gignoux, Professor of International Marketing, HEC Paris, France30. Soledad Gil, Director, Lugares Magazine, Argentina31. Wendy Gold, Principal32. Helen Graney33. José Ramón Gutiérrez, President, Multiexport Foods, Chile34. Sandra Harrison35. CT Hew36. Félipe Howard, Partner, Latitud 90, Chile37. Hallie Johnston38. Baxter Jolly, Managing Director, Weber Shandwick, Singapore39. Lim Wei Kai, Senior Financial Consultant, Prudential, Singapore40. Zeynep Basarankut Kan41. Jan Dirk Kemming, Creative Director Continental Europe, Weber Shandwick, Germany42. José Koechlin, Founder & Chairman, Inkaterra, Peru43. Rainer Kruschwitz44. Marcos Lanna45. Martha Leibes, Professor of Art History & Retail Consultant, Brazil46. Sherman Leung, External Examiner for Institute of Vocational Education & Subject Specialist for Hong

47. Donna Li48. Chua Yang Liang49. Arther Lim, Aviation Consultant, Formerly with Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore, Singapore

50. Dane Lim, Head of Marketing, Economic Development Board, Singapore51. John Lui52. Igor Maas, Consultant, SDI Management Consulting, Germany53. Fernando Villa Magno, Lawyer, Brazil54. Jelena Maksimovic55. Carrie McDougall56. Christian Meeks, Tourism Manager, Falabella, Chile57. Bernard A. Metzger58. Matt Morley, Director, Southern Africa Luxury Association, South Africa 59. Gonzalo Zegarra Mulanovich, Editor-in-Chief, Semana Económica & Perú Económico Magazines, Peru60. Fredy Neira, Executive Director, International Center for Tourism Studies, Chile61. Kingsley Ng, Innovation Consultant, Australia62. Sean Nicholls63. Nyokabi Njuguna64. Roberto Occhipinti, Country Brand Expert, Argentina65. Rossitza Ohridska-Olson66. Rafael Osterling67. Luciana Pagani, Former Director, ProsperAr Investment Consultants, Argentina 68. Costantino Papadimitriou, General Manager, Forevermark Srl, Italy69. Elke Pascoe, Vice President, Weber Shandwick, Australia70. Laura Páez , Marketing Director, Dann Carlton Hotel, Colombia 71. Richard Pearey,72. Alice Penna, Cultural Marketing Consultant, Brazil73. Eyk Pfeiffer, Managing Director, Travel-BA.Sys, Germany 74. Doris Quispe75. Pablo Ramírez, Consultant, DST, Chile76. Prof. Elizabeth Roberts, Professor & Head of School, Hotel, Resort& Tourism Management, Bond

77. Marcello Rubiu, Trading Consultant, Norisk, Italy78. Ray Salter, Tourism Consultant, Ministry of Tourism, New Zealand79. Prof. Alexander Schimansky, Professor of Strategic Marketing Management, International School of Management, Germany80. Tim Scott, Group Finance Director Asia Pacific, Constituency Management Group, Australia81. Brian Seaman82. Prof. Walter Sendlmeier83. Jamie Gilbert Smith84. Serhan Suzer, General Manager, Suzer Group & Honorary Consul of Costa Rica, Turkey85. Nick Sykes86. Candy Tam87. Valerie Tan, Vice President , Weber Shandwick, Singapore88. Micol Terzaghi, Architect, Italy89. Alex Robertson Textor90. Dr. Luiz Gonzaga Godoi Trigo

91. Juliette Vargas, Altamar Tourism Agency, Colombia92. Gabriel Vergani, Travel Agency Manager, Apex, Brazil93. Pablo Walker, Director, McCann Erickson, Chile94. Richard Watson95. Leonard Wee, Entrepreneur & Managing Director, First Innovation Asia, Singapore96. Dr. Jeff Wilks, Director, Tourism Safety, Australia97. Derek Yeo, Head of Corporate Marketing & Ancillary Revenue, Tiger Airways, Singapore98. Lilly Yip

imacana

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KEY CONTACTS

For more information about the Country Brand Index, marketing seminars or FutureBrand’s services, or to purchase customised data, please contact:

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