FutureBrand's Country Brand Index

Instead of another Marketing Brief, I wanted to write a quick note about FutureBrand's Country Brand Index.

FutureBrand has published its Brand Indexes for the past four years and it is a fascinating study. They describe it as "a global study that ranks countries as brands and assesses opportunities, insights and findings related to nation branding."

Considering our economic status, the elimination of jobs, our housing market and the overall opinion of the US worldwide, it was shocking to me that we were ranked #3. Granted, we are considered one of the countries on the decline, but to still be ranked in the Top 5 in surprising. He is the entire Top 10:



Here is a closer look at the U.S.:



Aside from the obvious reasons why I find this studying interesting, half of the 2008 VCU Brandcenter class took part in a project called Brand America. While I was not part of the project, I remember some of the great work that was done. A couple of the teams presented their work in NYC, representing the Brandcenter among professional agencies. While I don't think either of the Brandcenter teams won, it must have been a great experience for those involved.

I will let you determine what is most interesting, but for me, it is this:



If you its too hard to read, the US is ranked as the #1 country that does not promote itself as well as it could. While that makes some sense, it should not be the case. The US needs to follow in the footsteps of other countries and develop an Office of Branding to better build its brand across the world. I hope you enjoy the study as much as I do and I look forward to any thoughts or comments.