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Australia Loses Out in Latest Anholt Nation Brands IndexCanada snatches Australia's crown as 'world's friendliest nation'; China knocks Australia out of Top 10 nation brand financial valuationsSydney, May 31st, 2007 – Aussies are no longer the friendliest people in the world, according to the Q1 2007 edition of the Anholt Nation Brands Index (NBI) powered by GMI (Global Market Insite, Inc.), a provider of global market intelligence solutions. Canada took Australia’s crown as the world’s friendliest nation, and China knocked Australia out of the Top 10 nation brand financial valuations by making its debut in Brand Finance’s 2007 Nation Brand League Table, climbing from 12th place in 2005 to ninth this year. Australia, whose nation brand valuation ranked ninth in 2006, goes down two places to number 11 in 2007. However, Australia still comes first as a holiday destination if ‘money was no object’, and ranks as the country richest in natural beauty, closely followed by New Zealand. In the overall ranking out of 40 nations, Australia came in sixth place behind the UK, Germany, Canada, France and Switzerland. The Anholt Nations Brand Index is an in-depth analytical ranking of the world’s nation brands. The poll, taken each quarter by over 25,000 consumers in 35 developed and developing countries, measures the power and appeal of a nation’s brand image, and identifies how consumers around the world see the character and personality of the brand. "Globalization creates intense competition among countries. The NBI highlights how each nation is viewed by general publics, which in turn influences all aspects of trade, tourism and immigration,” comments Simon Anholt, NBI creator and government advisor. "Although Australia may have slipped from being seen as the ‘world’s friendliest nation’, its reputation has improved in exports, governance and culture. Although global public opinion may not see the Aussies saying G’day quite as much as before, there is a growing awareness of the country’s booming economy, and the world is perhaps starting to take Australia a little more seriously”. The poll results also reflect some significant changes in attitudes to tourism. Australia has dropped one place from fifth to sixth in overall tourism popularity, and has been leapfrogged by Egypt, which ranked at number eight in Q4 2006. Italy, France and Spain came in first, second and third respectively in that category. Tim Harcourt, chief economist at Austrade, believes there is more to Australia than meets the eye. “Although Australia still has a strong reputation as an aspirational destination, we must focus more on our cultural heritage, national parks and alternative, more accessible holiday options to encourage a broader tourism appeal.” Interestingly, despite its reputation as a nation of sports lovers, Australia ranked only 10th for sports achievement, with the USA ranking number one, followed by Germany and Russia. The 2007 Nation Brand Value League Table by Brand Finance plc For the second consecutive year, Brand Finance plc has conducted a brand valuation for each nation featured in the NBI, using an adapted version of the ‘royalty relief’ method, a valuation technique widely used in commercial brand valuations. To undertake the brand valuation, Brand Finance first determined the five-year forecast GDP for each nation. It next produced a Brand Rating for each nation brand using seven economic performance measures (source: IMD), eight infrastructure and efficiency measures (source: IMD) and six consumer perception measures (source: NBI). The resulting Brand Rating is therefore based on robust and objective measures to score each nation brand. Finally, Brand Finance identified a notional Brand Contribution or Brand Royalty for each nation brand and produced a brand valuation for each one. Nation brand values change relatively slowly. In Q1 2007, nine of the Top 10 nation brand financial valuations remain the same compared to Q4 2005, with the exception of China taking Australia’s place.
(Source: Brand Finance plc) Australia’s overall NBI rankings by category
Overall: 6 / 40
Exports: 11 / 40
Governance: 7 / 40
Culture: 12 / 40
People: 2 / 40 Tourism: 5 / 40
Immigration: 4 / 40 About the Anholt Nation Brands Index The Q1 2007 Anholt Nation Brands Index polled 25,756 consumers between March 2nd and 19th, 2007 on GMI’s online data collection platform. A 200-1,000 representative sample based on age, gender, and where applicable, geographical region, race and ethnicity, was collected in each of 35 countries, including Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, China, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Egypt, Estonia, France, Germany, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, the UK and the USA. For further information about the Anholt Nation Brands Index methodology, please contact GMI (Global Market Insite, Inc.) at info@gmi-mr.com or visit www.nationbrandindex.com. About Simon Anholt Simon Anholt is recognized as the world’s leading authority on the branding of countries, regions and cities. He is a member of the UK Government’s Public Diplomacy Board, and works as an independent advisor to around 20 other national, regional and city governments on brand strategy and public diplomacy. Anholt developed the concept of the Nation Brands Index in 2005. He is founding editor of the quarterly journal, Place Branding and Public Diplomacy, and the author of Brand New Justice, Brand America and Competitive Identity – the New Brand Management for Nations, Cities and Regions. For further information about Simon Anholt, please visit www.earthspeak.com or email speak@earthspeak.com. About GMI GMI (Global Market Insite, Inc.) is the only provider of integrated solutions for global market intelligence for market research firms and Global 2,000 companies. Solutions include market research software, desktop analysis tools, 24x7x365 service bureau, and one of the world’s largest, highly profiled, double opted-in managed panels, providing reach to six million consumers in 200+ countries. Founded in 1999 with world headquarters in Seattle, Wash., GMI has operations on five continents. In 2006, the company ranked #93 in Inc. Magazine’s Inc. 500. For more information, please visit us online at www.gmi-mr.com or email us at info@gmi-mr.com. About Brand Finance plc Brand Finance is a leading independent intangible asset valuation and brand strategy firm that helps companies manage their brands more intelligently for improved business results. Since 1996, Brand Finance has performed hundreds of brand valuations with an aggregate value of over $150 billion. The company is headquartered in London, UK, and has 18 offices around the globe. For more information on the Nation Brand Value League Table methodology, please visit www.brandfinance.com or email us at info@brandfinance.com. For further information and a copy of the Q1 2007 Anholt NBI executive summary report, please visit www.nationbrandindex.com or contact:
Karen O’Grady |
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