Canada's Brand Has Clout

The individuals - 1,000 from 10 different countries - are asked a variety of questions encompassing the areas of cultural, political, commercial and human assets, investment potential and tourist appeal. None of the respondents were asked questions about their own country. Their responses help to rank countries based on each of those categories. An important point in this particular survey is that it's consumer perceptions that are being measured - it means marketers (in this case governments, tourist boards and so on) can get a better idea on how and why international perception of their country changes, and how consumers outside their borders really see them. "A powerful and positive nation brand provides a crucial competitive advantage in today's global marketplace, where countries compete with each other for the attention, respect and trust of investors, tourists, consumers, donors, immigrants, the governments of other nations and the media," says Anholt. This poll is a new one; the results of the first one were put out back in April and the results will be published quarterly from now on. In that short period of time, the rankings have changed, although we can't really look at what caused those because more countries have been added to the list. It was originally 11 and is now 25. Canada is one of the new countries added this time around. The frequency of the poll rather sets it apart from others, too, because it can measure things very quickly: the effect of specific policy decisions, for example, or perception after the holiday season when people would have been more likely to visit another country. As an aside, this poll is a rather brilliant public relations exercise. Steven Anholt is a consultant who advises countries on how to improve their brand. He has written a number of books, including 'Brand New Justice' and 'Brand America'. Creating this poll has helped to highlight his own work. GMI (Global Market Institute) is an e-business solutions company. It offers data bases and real-time polling to market researchers. It doesn't do the research - it merely provides researchers with the tools to do the research. This poll (and its frequency) is meant to highlight the company's use of electronic communications and, in particular, the Internet's access to public opinion. Unlike most polls, this one has an electronic database that randomly selects respondents to produce an apparently more balanced sample of respondent than traditional polls. So this poll highlights the expertise of both firms - and is making headlines around the world. Analysing the data, Anholt notes: "It seems that to be a top nation brand, the country needs to be stable, liberal, democratic and Western, with a tendency to neutrality." "It also appears," he adds, "that direct personal experience, for example visiting as a tourist, has the most positive effect on a person's perception of a nation brand. Major events within a country or attempts at marketing promotion seem to change the brand image very little." Northern Ireland was not entered separately under this poll. But the United Kingdom came in fourth and the Republic came in 13th. When you start looking at specifics, you get a better picture of how people see you. For example, the consumers polled see the UK as cultural, well-governed, friendly and predictable. They see Canada as having a neutral, trustworthy government; the world trusts us to make responsible decisions when it comes to international peace and peacekeeping - and we're also seen as the most hospitable people in the world, after Australians. "Ireland's spectacular economic growth has given its brand a tremendous boost," the report says. It found that Irish culture has been "well-represented internationally through literature, film, and music". The survey also found that pop videos are, bizarrely it seems to me, the product that consumers most expect to be produced in Ireland. On a touchy-feely note, the Irish are seen as the fourth most hospitable people in the world. There are lots of other fun and interesting facts in the poll - and you can download it and take a peek by clicking on www.nationbrandindex.com. Consumers in the United States, the UK, India, Germany, South Korea, Canada, France, Japan, Denmark and China were polled. http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/business_telegraph/story.jsp?story=656019 [Proofreader's note: this article was edited for spelling and typos on August 10, 2005]

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