Obama and the Revitalization of Brand USA
November 19, 2009
In the fifth annual Country Brand Index report released by FutureBrand, where countries are ranked similarly to how retail brands are ranked, the United States took the top spot for the first time. The index is determined using survey results from approximately 3,000 business and leisure travelers from nine countries.
According to the results of the study, the United States took the top spot in the following areas:
- The place most people want to visit whether for the first time or again.
- The place most people want to do business with.
- The ideal place for shopping.
- The ideal place to find quality products.
According to the study, the boost in sentiment toward Brand USA can be attributed largely to President Barack Obama thanks to his inclusive brand strategy, global messages and global popularity. According to FutureBrand, it’s the ‘Obama Effect’.
The top 10 countries in the 2009 Country Brand Index are:
- United States
- Canada
- Australia
- New Zealand
- France
- Italy
- Japan
- Britain
- Germany
- Spain
Another interesting piece of information found in the report tells us that the United Arab Emirates, China, Vietnam, Croatia, South Africa, and India are poised to become major tourist destinations in the next five years.
It’s interesting to look at countries as brands, similar to retail brands. Not only do the brand images of countries affect industries like travel, but they also affect politics and business. In fact, it could be argued that when it comes to branding, politics and business are extremely similar.
What do you think?
Image: Flickr
This post was written by Susan Gunelius.
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The USA brand, or the branding of any nation, and the defining of the brand is complex. With each resident, organization, publication, community, and entity being a touchpoint in the branding of a nation, the greatest challenge comes in consistently marketing the USA brand, both internally and to the rest of the world. Following the historical inauguration of Barack Obama—a dramatic turning point and new opportunity for the United States to market its brand identity, I elicited several insightful, provocative and emotional responses representing five different nations on the branding of the USA, and what should be done to reshape our nation’s brand. If you’re interested, see http://productmarket.blogspot.com/2009/02/usa-brand.html