SALON

Tuesday, Oct 23, 2012 4:08 PM UTC

Brand USA takes a hit

Study assessing international perception of countries as brands finds US in increasingly poor global standing

By

Topics: Political Freedom, Consumer, Brands, USA, Branding, Research, marketing, Consumer Brand Index,

Brand USA takes a hitCorporate flag, designed by Adbusters (Wikimedia/Jonathan McIntosh)

The Country Brand Index (CBI) compiled by brand consultants FutureBrand annually looks at nation-states through the lens of consumer perceptions. If every country is and has a “brand,” how do these brands fare against each other? According to the 2012-2013 CBI report, due for release Wednesday, brand USA is on the decline.

Listed in eighth place in the CBI top 25 country brands this year, the U.S. has fallen eight places since 2009, when the U.S. took the top spot and FutureBrand found some truth in the jingoistic chant “USA, number one.” The CBI Index this year found Switzerland to have the top country brand, while the U.K.’s brand enjoyed a two-place leap to eleventh place, likely due to London Olympics attention.

In a release, FutureBrand explained how country brand perception is measured for their annual report:

Drawing insights from a collective of 3,600 opinion-formers and frequent international travelers from 18 countries, FutureBrand utilized its proprietary Hierarchal Decision Model (HDM) to determine how key audiences – residents, investors, tourists and foreign governments – see the world’s country brands, from awareness through to advocacy… The 2012-13 CBI demonstrates that global shifts are not only a product of economic standing or political power but also of consumer perception. From progressive politics to a sense of openness and freedom, a country that is attuned to the desires and needs of its people will inevitably boost its brand image. Like businesses in the private sector, a country that effectively manages its brand can create a powerful emotional connection that moves both consumers and organizations to invest in its future.

Commenting on brand USA’s lower standing, FutureBrand noted, “despite an upswing in brand perceptions following the 2008 appointment of President Barack Obama, attributes like Political Freedom, Stable Legal Environment and Freedom of Speech have suffered declines in perception as the nation nears its 2012 presidential election.”

Natasha Lennard is an assistant news editor at Salon, covering non-electoral politics, general news and rabble-rousing. Follow her on Twitter @natashalennard, email nlennard@salon.com. More Natasha Lennard.

Next Article

Related Stories

More Related Stories

Featured Slide Shows

The week in 10 pics

close X
  • Share on Twitter
  • Share on Facebook
  • Thumbnails
  • Fullscreen
  • 1 of 11
  • Lisa Montgomery embraces her nephew Thursday after a tornado tore apart her home in Cleburne, Texas. The twister killed six people and destroyed entire swaths of the North Texas town.
    Credit: AP/LM Otero

  • Jack McMahon, the defense attorney for abortion doctor Kermit Gosnell, speaks outside the Criminal Justice Center in Philadelphia Tuesday. His client was convicted of killing three babies in his clinic, and will serve multiple life sentences.
    Credit: AP/Matt Rourke

  • A photo taken Monday captures Vice President Joe Biden's response to a Milwaukee second-grader's innovative proposal to end America's epidemic of gun violence. This guy!
    Credit: AP/Jenny Aicher

  • Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., flanked by a grouper-eyed Michele Bachmann, addresses the IRS' admission that it targeted Tea Party groups in advance of the 2012 election. In an op-ed for CNN Thursday, the Kentucky senator slammed the president for his faux outrage.
    Credit: AP/Molly Riley

  • Ousted IRS chief Steven Miller is sworn in on Capitol Hill Friday. Miller testified before the House Ways and Means Committee on the extra scrutiny the agency gave conservative groups applying for tax-exempt status.
    Credit: AP/J. Scott Applewhite

  • Attorney General Eric Holder pauses as he testifies on Capitol Hill before the House Judiciary Committee Wednesday. Holder is under fire, among other things, for the Justice Department's gathering of phone records at the Associated Press.
    Credit: AP/Carolyn Kaster

  • O.J. Simpson sits during an evidentiary hearing at Clark County District Court in Las Vegas, Nev., Thursday. Simpson, who is currently serving a nine-to-33-year sentence in state prison for armed robbery and kidnapping, is using a writ of habeas corpus to seek a new trial.
    Credit: AP/Las Vegas Review-Journal/Jeff Scheid

  • Major Tom to ground control: On Sunday astronaut Chris Hadfield recorded the first music video from space, a cover of David Bowie's "Space Oddity."
    Credit: AP/NASA/Chris Hadfield

  • When it rains it pours. President Barack Obama speaks during a news conference Thursday with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, inexplicably inspiring an #umbrellagate Twitter meme.
    Credit: AP/Jacquelyn Martin

  • A smoke plume rises high above a road block at the intersection of County A and Ross Road east of Solon Springs, Wis., Tuesday. No injuries were reported, but the the wildfire caused evacuations across northwestern Wisconsin.
    Credit: AP/The Duluth News-Tribune/Clint Austin

  • Recent Slide Shows

  • Share on Twitter
  • Share on Facebook
  • Thumbnails
  • Fullscreen
  • 1 of 11

Related Videos

Comments

 2 Comments

Comment Preview

Your name will appear as username

You may use these HTML tags and attributes: <a href=""> <b> <em> <strong> <i> <blockquote>

follow salon

Most Read

Popular on Reddit

links from salon.com

From Around the Web

Presented by Scribol
listener_new_rect The Listener: Chekhov's story mirrors Russia's own

Recommendations