FutureBrand 2010: Israel Up 11 Spots in Ranking As a Country Brand

Countries are also brands. Since 2005, the FutureBrand Country Brand Index, produced in partnership with BBC World News, has measured the strength of a country brand based on its levels of awareness, familiarity, preference, consideration, advocacy and active decisions to visit. The study ranks 110 countries across 26 image attributes and seven measures of brand strength, but the most important factors, the aspects that truly differentiate a nation brand, are its associations and attributes – the things that people think of when they hear a place name, or look at a photograph or plan a trip.

Israel moved in the right direction in 2010, climbing 11 spots to #30. Israel was also crowned as one of the ‘Rising Starts of 2010’ along with Chile, Argentina and Iceland.

The improvement in the rankings is attributed to significant marketing investment for tourist destinations, “particularly in Tourism metrics like Authenticity and History, which align very well with campaigns promoting heritage and culture“.

The top spot in the study was conquered by Canada, largely due to the positive effects of hosting the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver. The Maple leaf  managed to topple the US from the prestigious #1 country brand spot. The official press release mentioned a few reasons for uncle sam’s decline: widespread disappointment in President Obama, scrutiny over U.S. foreign policy choices, the economic recession, and other challenges.

If you’re interested in the full study, you may download the full 2010 Country FutureBrand Index on this link.

[Hat tip to Uriah Av-Ron]