Germany Reclaims top “Nation Brand” Ranking, With USA Dropping to Sixth Place, in Anholt-GfK Nation Brands Index 2017

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NUREMBERG, Germany, Nov. 16, 2017 /PRNewswire=KYODO JBN/--

- France leaps to second place for first time, while UK regains ground to

remain third and Japan enters top five  

- USA is only country showing overall decline in 2017  

- Germany major gains in Governance, People, and Culture    

In the wake of a substantial drop in global perception of the USA, Germany

retakes the top ranking in the latest Anholt-GfK Nation Brands Index[SM]

(NBI[SM]) study, while France climbs to second place. The UK has regained the

ground it lost last year after the Brexit vote to hold onto third place, while

Japan jumps into the top five for the first time since 2011, standing equal

with Canada.  

                                          Score change

        Nation     2017 rank  2016 rank  2016 vs. 2017

    Germany            1          2          +0.99

    France             2          5          +1.56

    United Kingdom     3          3          +1.27

    Canada             4          4          +0.96

    Japan              4          7          +2.12

    United States      6          1          -0.63

    Italy              7          6          +0.74

    Switzerland        8          8          +1.34

    Australia          9          9          +0.76

    Sweden             10         10         +1.30

    NBI[SM] score changes: minor change

    +/-0.26-0.50; medium +/-0.51-1.00; large > +/-1.00

USA loses ground in global perception of its Governance   

Of the 50 countries measured in the study, only the USA saw its overall NBI

score drop this year. However, it still ranks among the top five nations for

three of NBI's six categories: namely, Culture (where the USA is ranked

second), Exports (also second), and Immigration-Investment (fifth). But it fell

from 19th place to 23rd for Governance, a notably poor score for one of the

world's leading countries.

Professor Simon Anholt, who created the NBI study in 2005, comments, "The USA's

fall in the 'Governance' category suggests that we are witnessing a 'Trump

effect', following President Trump's focused political message of 'America

First'. However, Americans' assessment of their own country is notably more

positive this year than last. A similar fall in global perception of the USA

was seen following the re-election of George W. Bush, when the USA fell to

seventh place. Previously, America has never stayed outside the top ranking for

more than a year at a time: it will be interesting to see whether this holds

true in the 2018 ranking."  

Germany gains in Governance, People, and Culture    

Germany, by contrast to the USA, enjoys a very balanced image across all six

categories of the index, with notable improvements in global perception of its

Culture (+1.07), Governance (+1.28), and People (+1.34). It ranks in the top

five countries for all but one of the Index categories - that one being

Tourism, where it is gaining ground, if not yet in the top five.

Germany's overall score increases are boosted by significantly improved

perceptions among Egyptians (+5.92), as well as among Russians (+2.26), Chinese

(+2.17) and Italians (+2.06). Americans stand alone in ranking Germany outside

the top-ten overall nation brands, placing it eleventh.    

UK regains the ground lost in 2016

Global perception of the UK has recovered following the significant decline

seen in 2016 immediately after the Brexit vote. Its overall Index score is back

to very nearly its 2015 level, with improvement across all six categories. This

puts it into the top five countries for Exports, Culture, Tourism and

Immigration-Investment. The UK's largest gains are for Governance (nearly two

points) and People, suggesting that most countries have come to terms with the

UK's vote last year to leave the EU, and their perception has re-settled

following that shock.

France and Japan leap ahead in global perception of their national brands

Both France and Japan benefitted from score gains in their own right, as well

as from the USA decline, allowing them to leap ahead in the overall ranking.

France now stands in second place for the first time since the NBI began, up

from fifth last year, with gains across all six categories. This is seen

especially for Governance, where France's improved score stands at double the

average amount, and Immigration-Investment. It ranks first of all countries for

global perception of its Culture, second for Tourism, and fifth for Exports.

2017 has also been a banner year for Japan. It now stands in fourth place,

equal with Canada, having gained its highest overall score in nearly a decade.  

Japan is perceived most highly for Exports, where it comes ahead of all other

countries, and also shows significant gains compared to the average for

Immigration-Investment, Culture, and Governance.

Vadim Volos, GfK's senior vice president of public affairs and consulting,

comments, "The Nation Brands Index allows our clients to understand where - and

why - their nation stands in terms of their current image, momentum and

potential. Changing global perception of a national brand is challenging and

slow - but countries can influence biased or outdated perceptions by

understanding the negative views and actively communicating actions and changes

that address those."

For more information about the Anholt-GfK Nation Brands Index, please visit

nation-brands.gfk.com

SOURCE: GfK