vânzări • marketing • management • B2B

David Haigh
CEO Brand Finance plc

‘ A strong brand has become a defining feature of success in the current economic climate. Worldwide hyper competition for business, combined with an increasingly cluttered media environment, means that the clear message carried by a properly managed brand can provide the crucial leverage needed to thrive. The financial uplift provided to a product or corporation from a strong brand is well known, and companies invest heavily in protecting their brands. Nations can adopt similar techniques to capitalise on the economic growth that comes with proper positioning of a nation brand. All nations should be working to actively realise this potential.’

Winners vs Losers

[ % brand value change ]

NATION BRAND VALUE growth continues to outstrip GDP recovery, with a 13% rise in the total brand value of the top 100. The US and China are responsible for much of this growth. The world’s number 1 and number 2 nation brands have grown in value by 23% and 26% respectively, with China also improving its BSI brand rating (now AA-). The US continues to dominate the table, with a nation brand value greater than the total for China, Germany, the UK, Japan and France combined though the current congressional deadlock, government shutdown and looming debt ceiling are significant threats.

Switzerland has just edged ahead of Singapore to become the world’s strongest nation brand, topping the Brand Strength Index (BSI) with a score of 76. The country has also moved up a place to become the world’s 14th most valuable brand, though brand value growth has been a relatively modest 9%.

The UK has performed well Brand Britain is now the world’s 4th most valuable having pushed Japan into 5th. Brand Japan has suffered an 11% drop in value as the country continues to recover from the fallout of the tsunami and the Fukushima nuclear plant, whilst facing stiff competition from growing high-tech
exporting nations such as South Korea.

In contrast Britain has grown 8%. Though relatively modest, this represents a strong performance for a developed and in particular an EU country. The UK has benefitted from last year’s high profile events, in particular the Olympics and the Diamond Jubilee, but also from the hugely successful ‘GREAT’ campaign which will be explored in greater depth in this report.

Other success stories include Ireland (brand value growth of 35%), Turkey (41%), Sri Lanka (46%), Kazakhstan (37%), Australia (32%) and New Zealand (36%). Sri Lanka is continuing to build on the stability and confidence brought about by the ‘peace dividend’. It is the top mover in the ‘Tourism’ input Nation Brand ImpactTM framework, rising 18 points.

Turkey has performed well across all four inputs; ‘Tourism’, ‘People & Skills’, ‘Goods & Services’ and ‘Investment’ as despite some unrest over social policies, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s government continues to deliver economically.

Ireland, one of the countries worstaffected by the global financial crisis, has turned a corner, with international businesses continuing to invest, attracted by a skilled, English-speaking workforce and a favourable tax regime. This is reflected in a six point improvement in Ireleand’s ‘Investment’ score and 5 point improvement for ‘People & Skills’.

The BrandFinance® Nation Brands 100 shows the remarkable value that nation brands can add to a country across the 4 segments of interest to governments, exporters, and business leaders. It is based on the rigorous analysis that Brand Finance plc brings to investigating the drivers of lasting brand value.

-36 USDbn / year

“Descoperă România, ţara unde oamenii
călăresc zebre.” Ilie Năstase

“Vino în România, peştii
cresc în copaci.” Gheorghe Hagi

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