Our friend and brilliant creative designer Jerry Kuyper alerts us to an index of nation brands. Which nation is number one? – the Coke among countries? The Apple of the world’s eye? It’s Singapore, of course! That’s according to East-West Communications' “first ever nation branding index to include all the countries and territories of the world.”
The USA ranks 34th. Here’s the link…
http://www.sleekandsexy.net/nation-branding/2008/08/06/new-nation-branding-index-launched/
Here’s the problem: This is an index of press mentions. If good things happen chez vous, like cool festivals and warm weather, then your nation ranks high. If you’re a small country like Austria hosting a major sex scandal, then you drop from among the leaders to 147th place.
Let me advise East-West Communications: Media mentions do not equal “brand.” Negative reports (floods, job losses) indicate dramatic events with adverse impact – not a sign of declining brand value. So, please remove the word “brand” from your index. Otherwise, you will have branded yourselves as 100,147th among communications companies that understand the meaning of words.
Where should USA rank? Here was my note to Mr. Kuyper – and his reply.
Let me ask you, Jerry: If someone needed a surgeon, house to live in, jet plane, tomato, university to attend, place to raise your children, T-bone steak or a date for an important court appearance, would anyone in their right mind choose a Singapore thing over an American one? Good luck with that!
Mr. Kuyper’s reply:
I agree this is the best country on earth but...
- People are going to India for surgeries right now.
- A Scottish friend just returned home to have a knee replaced.
- Residential real estate is being bought and sold in Dubai before it can be built.
- Kobe beef is considered the best.
- I wouldn't want to be an innocent in Gitmo.
- The Danes bought our best wind energy companies and now lead the world.
- Most Europeans I know hope and pray their kids go to college in Europe.
- I buy kiwis from NZ and tomatoes from Canada (when their are no local ones).
Okay, well put. You've earned your afternoon of chatting with Europeans and eating brie.
brandsinger
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
8 comments:
A country as a brand -- is this maybe a silly idea? It's different from where's the best place to live, and even that question has many diverse and contradictory dimensions. Same thing if you try to apply it to products. Think of American movies, cars, and cheese.
And what is the impact? Europeans dislike America as a brand these days, but they still watch lots of US television shows and movies. And in the US even America-firsters (perhaps even a brand consultant or two among them) may buy a Japanese car rather than a GM model and prefer brie to Velveeta.
Hi Jay - Actually, country-of-origin has a big impact on value. For example, a shoe made in Italy commands a premium over a shoe made in Mexico. A fine lens for medical imagery may be cheaper in India, but the market will pay more if it's made in Germany. Korean cars have risen in esteem as the country's level of technological proficiency has risen -- and hence have leverage to sell at higher prices.
As for Velveeta -- if they can figure out a way to make it in France, it might be worth more in the states.
That's sort of what I meant by different dimensions and products. The Swiss brand may add to watches and gadgety knives but not to shoes. The Italian brand may add to shoes and clothing generally but not to software. So it isn't very useful to ask which country is the best brand. Best for what?
Jay - I think we have to move beyond specific products to broad categories -- In hi-tech: Developing nations have an advantage of favorable perception of higher quality. In food, style and luxury, things French or Italian tend to be perceived as more valuable. For cigarettes, movies and music, the US rules.
I'm not drawing on mere stereotypes -- these favorable associations are verifiable among consumers worldwide.
So yes, it is "best brand" for certain purposes and purchases. Interbrand has a country brand index that incorporates several factors across different dimensions -- leaving a marketer or consumer a relevant brand profile for specific applications.
Your discussion demonstrates that various countries achieve brand value for various reasons (products, services, reputation, history, etc).
Our Nation Branding Index measures the perception of countries in leading international media, by analyzing tone in text, positive and negative. This is a valid measure of brand value, especially since media are perception multipliers. There are of course other ways of measuring brand value, from GDP to export levels. Our volume ranking rightly puts the USA on top.
Your rightly note that policies or events might move a country up or down on the index. These changes we track in our quarterly indexes. The longer-term trends are reflected in our annual indexes. Both are useful for countries that want to monitor the impact of policies and events against an average ranking.
Using the same algorithm, we can generate detailed reports for countries (cities, regions, groups, etc) that demonstrate weaknesses and strengths in how they are perceived. This information can be used to shape messages that build on strengths and address weaknesses. Very useful for branding and communications.
Thomas Cromwell
East West Communications
Thomas – Thanks for the kind attention and reply. I'm sure your index is valuable, especially to public relations and corporate communications professionals. To me – a brand purist, some might say (or a wind-bag, others might say) – I think calling it a "brand" index is a stretch. But I see the definite value in your work, hope your service thrives, and wish you the best of luck.
You should learn how to post links as hyperlinks. Brilliant post, cheers.
wtofd -- Thanks, you are sooooooo right! I will figure it out. Brandsinger's blog is very primitive in production values -- but highly sophisticated when it comes to our READERSHIP.
Post a Comment