GfK Roper Public Affairs & Media and Simon Anholt Release Global Reputation Study Ranking 50 Countries

NEW YORK, September 24, 2008 – GfK Roper Public Affairs & Media, a division of GfK Custom Research North America, today announced results from the 2008 Anholt-GfK Roper Nation Brands IndexSM (NBI) report.

Germany is viewed as the best overall "brand”, receiving the highest ranking of the 50 nations measured. The United States ranks seventh overall behind Germany, France, U.K., Canada, Japan and Italy, respectively. Familiarity-wise, the U.S. comes out on top: a majority, (91%) have at least some knowledge of the U.S. in general.

2008 Anholt-GfK Roper Nation Brands IndexSM Ranking
(Top 20 of 50 Nations)

 

The index is based on a survey in which respondents from across 20 major developed and developing countries are asked to rate their agreement with statements about each nation. The statements cover six categories: Exports, Governance, Culture, People, Tourism and Immigration/Investment. The NBI ranking is based on the average of these six scores.

"The NBI is a report card for countries, measuring the world’s perception of each nation as if it were a public brand,” explains Simon Anholt, NBI founder. "Within the top 10 most positively perceived countries, the ranking reveals a strong correlation between a nation’s overall brand and its economic status.”

Adds Xiaoyan Zhao, Senior Vice President and director of the NBI study at GfK Roper Public Affairs and Media, "Much as a commercial brand relies on a favorable public opinion to sell products, countries depend on their reputation and image to bring in tourists, business, investment and other facets important to a nation’s financial strength and its international standing.”

Following are the top ranked countries in each category, as well as two additional countries with noteworthy positions on the list:

GfK and Anholt are currently conducting research for the Anholt-GfK Roper City Brands IndexSM which will be available winter 2008. For more information, including a copy of the 2008 NBI Highlights Report, please contact us.

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About the Anholt-GfK Roper Nation Brands IndexSM
Conducted annually with GfK Roper Public Affairs & Media beginning in 2008, the Nation Brands Index measures the image of 50 countries with respect to Exports, Governance, Culture, People, Tourism and Immigration/Investment. Each year, a total of 20,000 adults ages 18 and up are interviewed in 20 core countries.

About GfK Roper Public Affairs & Media
GfK Roper Public Affairs & Media is a division of GfK Custom Research North America. The division specializes in customized public opinion polling, media & communications research, and corporate reputation measurement -- in the US and globally. In addition to delivering a broad range of customized research studies, GfK Roper Public Affairs & Media draws from GfK’s syndicated consumer tracking services, GfK Roper Reports® US and GfK Roper Reports® Worldwide, which monitor consumer values, beliefs, attitudes and behaviors in the US and more than 25 other countries.

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.