Bloom Consulting Country Brand Ranking Trade 2013

Bloom Consulting

Country
Brand
Ranking ©
Trade
Edition

2013

Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Armenia, Aruba, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bahamas,
Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belgium, Belize, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei Darussalam, Bulgaria,
Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada, Cape Verde, Cayman Islands, Chad, Chile, China, Colombia, Congo Dem.
Rep., Congo Rep., Costa Rica, Côte d'Ivoire, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican
Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Estonia, Ethiopia, Fiji, Finland, France, Gabon, Gambia, Georgia, Germany,
Ghana, Gibraltar, Greece, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Hong Kong SAR China, Hungary,
Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Korea Rep., Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan,
Lao P.D.R., Latvia, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macao SAR China, Macedonia, FYR, Madagascar, Malawi,
Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Malta, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico, Micronesia, Moldova Rep., Mongolia, Montenegro, Montserrat,
Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Nepal, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Norway, Oman, Pakistan,
Palestine, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, Russian Federation, Rwanda,
Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Serbia, Seychelles, Sierra Leone,
Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Swaziland, Sweden, Switzerland, Syrian Arab Republic,
Taiwan, Tajikistan, Tanzania, United Rep., Thailand, Togo, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Uganda, Ukraine, United Arab
Emirates, United Kingdom, United States of America, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Viet Nam, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe,

Bloom Consulting © Since 2003

Country
Brand
Ranking ©

Development of Countries
Human Asset Management
Business Strategy

Trade
Edition

2013

Bloom Consulting
Brief Introduction

During the last decade, Bloom Consulting has developed Nation Brand, City Brand and Place Brand strategies for clients
around Europe, Latin America, and the U.S.A. We have worked with political leaders and ministers with a clear objective in
mind: to manage the Country Brand as a strategic asset from an economic and political point of view.
Bloom Consulting has offices in Madrid (HQ), Lisbon, Sao Paulo, and Los Angeles.
We have gained the respect of international media such as
Jose Filipe Torres, the CEO of the company.

,

,

and

, who have interviewed

Mr. Torres is considered one of the top 3 experts in Nation Branding (source: Country Branding Central)
and he participates in world-class conferences and forums as a keynote speaker.
Bloom Consulting publishes annually the Bloom Consulting Country Brand Ranking © for Trade and Tourism.
It is the most comprehensive Brand Index of its kind, analyzing the brand performance of 187 countries and territories
worldwide.
The Bloom Consulting Country Brand Ranking © incorporates unique variables such as the revolutionary Online Search
Demand (OSD ©), which measures the online appeal of a country and the Country Brand Strategy Rating (CBS Rating ©),
which assesses the effectiveness of a country's communication efforts.
These variables allow us to classify and measure a country brand performance from a new point of view based
on hard data rather than perceptions, surveys or expert opinions.


countrybranding@bloom-consulting.com / +34 91 308 0286 (CET)

Page 01

Country
Brand
Ranking ©

Business Strategy

Trade
Edition

2013

An introductory note from the CEO
Welcome

I proudly present to you our third edition of the Bloom Consulting Country Brand Ranking ©!
This year is a special year, as it marks one decade of Bloom Consulting working in the field of Nation Branding,
City Branding and Place Branding.
Each year has brought exciting challenges and projects and I am confident that all the work we have done has prepared
us to meet any new future challenges.
As a consultancy firm, we find ourselves at the forefront of big changes - we are now in the digital era of Country Branding.
According to a recent report from The Economist Intelligence Unit (Economist IU - Assessing and explaining risk: Investors’
expectations after the financial crisis) more than 58% of investors assess investment risk online, against 49% who consult
directly with their financial advisors. The same study also indicates that 55% of private investors and 53% of corporate
investors say that the financial press is a major influence on their investment decision. This is a clear indicator that Countries,
Regions and Cities, regardless of their size, can impact investors and decision makers in a completely new way, compared to
5 years ago
As a reference, in 2012 alone, investor made around 63.000.000 online searches related to investment activities at a country
level. Imagine the insight you can gain from this data and the conclusions you can draw.
With this in mind, Bloom Consulting has developed a proprietary tool, the Online Search Demand (OSD ©), in order to
understand the online behavior of potential investors (see page 7, for more details about OSD ©) and included it in the
Ranking Algorithm
I hope this brand ranking can provide you with valuable information and I encourage you to use it as an asset and further
evidence of the impact a strong country brand may have on the national economic performance.
Although we would like to go into more detail on each country’s performance, it is impossible to do so in this overview.
However, if you are interested to find out more information on your country brand’s performance, please do not hesitate
to contact us.
Welcome to the Bloom Consulting Country Brand Ranking © 2013. We hope you appreciate the great results and findings
as much as we did!

José Filipe Torres – CEO Bloom Consulting



Page 02

Country
Brand
Ranking ©

Business Strategy

Trade
Edition

2013

Bloom Consulting's CRC Brand Wheel

A different approach to Country and Place Branding
A Country Brand or a Place Brand is an asset for nations, cities or regions to be managed
in order to achieve different objectives.
According to our Methodology, there are 6 different Country, Region and City Branding (CRC) objectives or dimensions
represented in the Bloom Consulting CRC Brand Wheel (see figure 1):
1 – Attraction of Investment (Trade)
2 – Attraction of Tourism
3 – Attraction of Talent
4 – Increase in Pride
5 – Improvement of Public Diplomacy
6 – Increase in Exports
Each of these six objectives, or dimensions, have different target audiences that have different needs. In other words,
what attracts each particular target audience to opt for any country, region or city is completely different (see figure 1).
Therefore, Bloom Consulting methodology is used to isolate each objective or dimension and to develop specific strategies
for each one of them.
One may ask why the objectives must be isolated if they refer to the same country brand? The reason for this is that a single
strategy most probably cannot satisfy the needs of investors and tourists simultaneously. If it does, it becomes a very general
message that most probably will not have enough content to make the difference. According to Bloom Consulting theory,
only very few countries can satisfy all needs under an umbrella strategy. Therefore each country, with a professionalized
Country Brand, Region Brand, or City Brand strategy, should select the target audience and attend to their needs.
By strategies, Bloom Consulting does not refer to logos. You can have the same logo for all six dimensions or no logo at all.
The brand is not the logo.
Figure 1. Bloom Consulting CRC Brand Wheel objectives, target audience and respective needs

Experience

Tourists

R e sp e c t


ion

id e

s
ra t
mi

e

ss

G e n e r al p u b li c

Ad

ni

ne

D iplo m acy

nal

Pr

ts

pa

que

s

tio

Inv
est
ors
Inve
stm
e

or

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U ni

Exp

Country,
Region, City
Brand

Na

Adv
ant
ag
e

nt

e
forc
ork
W
t
len
Ta

le
Sty
fe
Li

Tourism

There are 6 objectives or dimensions
for every Country, City and Region
Each dimension has 6 different target audiences
Each target Audience has a specific need


Page 03

Country
Brand
Ranking ©

Business Strategy

Trade
Edition

2013

Bloom Consulting's CRC Brand Wheel

A different approach to Country and Place Branding
Another important aspect that reflects Bloom Consulting's approach is its performance measurement system.
Bloom Consulting has developed a set of performance dashboards that allows us, for the first time, to measure the impact
of Nation Branding in the 6 dimensions. Traditionally, the results were measured only by public perceptions, opinion surveys
and interviews with experts. However, with new proprietary tools, Bloom Consulting is now able to measure the impact
of the brand strategy with new variables such as Online Search Demand (OSD ©), which measures the appeal of a country
for each target audience (see explanation of OSD © in page 7) and the economic impact caused by FDI (Foreign Direct
Investment).
However, not all 6 dimensions can be measured in the same way. Inside the 6 dimensions there are 3 that can be measured in
a more tangible way and 3 that can be measured only in an intangible way. Trade (Investment), Tourism and Talent, represented at the top part of the sphere in figure 2, are the ones that can be measured in a more tangible way. See figure 2 to
understand the current measurement system.
Although we do not discard the importance of the 3 intangible dimensions, Bloom Consulting’s objective is to make Nation
Branding Strategy as tangible as possible. Therefore, we focus on the three tangible dimensions and we call it “The 3T
approach © ”: 1- Trade (Investment), 2- Tourism and 3- Talent.
Based on these explanations, Bloom Consulting should create 3 independent rankings. One for Trade (Investment), one for
Tourism, and one for Talent. For the time being only 2 have been developed - Trade and Tourism.
This ranking deals only with the Trade dimension (Investment).

Figure 2. Current measurement system for each dimension. Trade (Investment) is the dimension selected for this Ranking

Current measurement systems

Present Ranking

Experience

?

Tourists

s
ion
ra t

id e

nal

Pr

$

Happiness

?
Perceptions

!
OSD ©

$

:)

mi

e

ss

G e n e r al p u b li c

Ad

ni

ne

D iplo m acy

tio

Inv
est
ors
Inve
stm
e

ts

pa

que

s

Na

Adv
ant
ag
e

or

Com

U ni

Exp

Country,
Region, City
Brand

OSD ©

Revenue

e
forc
ork
W
t
len
Ta

nt

!

Perceptions

:)

le
Sty
fe
Li

Tourism

Revenue

Happiness

These 3 Dimensions can be
measured in a more tangible
way using metrics such as
OSD © and “Revenues”

These 3 Dimensions can only
be measured in an intangible
way using metrics such as
“Perceptions” and “Happiness”

R e sp e c t



Page 04

Country
Brand
Ranking ©

Business Strategy

Trade
Edition

2013

The Methodology

Understanding how Bloom Consulting developed the ranking
The Bloom Consulting Country Brand Ranking © is derived from the Bloom Algorithm.
This ranking contemplates the Trade (investment) dimension, therefore the Bloom algorithm will only consider investment
related figures. This ranking does not try to measure solely country brand perception. The objective of this ranking is to
classify how well each and every country is doing in terms of branding, that is, to measure how effective their brand is
in the most tangible and realistic manner. For Bloom Consulting to classify the effectiveness of each Country Brand,
we analyzed 4 key variables for each of the 177 countries included in this Brand Ranking (see figure 3).
Through statistical modeling, Bloom Consulting was able to rank the countries to compare them with one another.
The Algorithm takes into consideration each country’s economic level of development. The result is an accurate and objective
Brand Ranking based on hard and soft data. Moreover, the Bloom Algorithm takes into consideration a country's
performance in Bloom Consulting's rankings from previous years in order to leverage Country Brand equity.
Figure 3. Bloom Consulting Country Brand Ranking © algorithm variables

Trade (Investment)
Net Foreign Direct Investment inﬂows

Net Foreign Direct Investment growth

1st Variable

These results demonstrate
a country’s appeal and is an
important variable of the ranking

OSD ©:

Business Environment

Country Characteristics

Sectorial Expertise

2nd Variable

If investors search online about a
country it is a clear indicator of its appeal and
is the most important variable of the ranking

3rd Variable

Country Brand Strategy Rating (CBS Rating ©)

If each country is using the most
accurate country brand strategy
is a key variable of the ranking

4th Variable

Oﬃcial website and Social Media performance

If each Investment Promotion Agency
is performing well online, is the least
important variable of the ranking,
but still relevant.

1st Variable


2nd Variable

3rd Variable

4th Variable


Country
Brand
Ranking ©

Page 05

Country
Brand
Ranking ©

Business Strategy

Trade
Edition

2013

The Methodology - Continued
Details of the first variable

1st Variable

2nd Variable

3rd Variable

4th Variable

Country
Brand
Ranking ©

The Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) performance is a very important variable in the ranking. Good economic results,
whether achieved by a carefully planned strategy or not, are in part a consequence of good country branding. If one applies
common sense to this variable, it is easy to understand that investors prefer to invest in a country with a good reputation
rather than to a country for which this is not the case.
Moreover, all information was calculated based on official UNCTAD international FDI statistics as Nation Branding
is aimed at each country’s international audience, rather than the domestic one.
As illustrated in figure 4, Trade (Investment) economic performance is based on:
a) Net Foreign Direct Investment inflows
Strategies and economic returns do not have an immediate impact, therefore the ranking looks at a country’s medium-term (5
years) historical economic performance in FDI revenues. This way, the ranking reflects more consistent trends rather than
volatile changes that may occur in the recovering economic climate or due to political instability.
and
b) Net Foreign Direct Investment growth
The growth in FDI of each country is also an important indicator when measuring the economic performance of a country’s
brand. Therefore, the Brand Ranking computes the growth rate of FDI over the last five years for more consistent trends,
rather than brief volatile changes.

Figure 3. Bloom Consulting Country Brand Ranking © algorithm variables

Net Foreign Direct Investment inﬂows

Net Foreign Direct Investment growth

Average Net FDI inﬂows
between 2007-2011

1st Variable

Average growth of Net FDI
between 2007-2011



Page 06

Country
Brand
Ranking ©

Business Strategy

Trade
Edition

2013

Details of the 2nd Variable

1st Variable

2nd Variable

3rd Variable

Country
Brand
Ranking ©

4th Variable

Traditionally, the only way to understand the appeal of a country to international investors is through market research and
opinion studies based on extensive research. Now, for the first time, Bloom Consulting introduces a new measurement system
as a variable in the Algorithm that is more accurate, more scientific, regularly updated and reaches a broader audience - the
Online Search Demand (OSD ©). By using its proprietary OSD © Tool, Bloom Consulting is able to measure the total
global online searches performed specifically for investment and assess international investors’ online behavior and decisionmaking process when selecting a country. The more online investment related searches a country has from international
investors, the more appealing it is, regardless of its size or the type of investment it attracts.
Why is this so relevant?
According to a recent report from The Economist Intelligence Unit (Economist IU - Assessing and explaining risk: Investors’
expectations after the financial crisis) more than 58% of investors assess investment risk online, against 49% who consult
directly with their financial advisors.
Bloom Consulting has been able to define and gather all country characteristics (selling propositions and strategic positioning
of all 177 countries) and messages or "Brand Tags" used by all the Investment Promotion Agencies. In total, 1.188.250
investment-specific keywords were classified into 50 investment “Brand Tags”, which allows us to understand selling
propositions and strategic positioning of all 177 countries in the world. This information was gathered in eight different
languages: Chinese, English, French, German, Japanese, Portuguese, Russian and Spanish, and it was used in the 2nd
variable (see figure 4).
NOTE: OSD © information for every country cannot be presented in this document but can be ordered.
If you are interested in a full OSD © report for a specific country or a group of countries, please contact us at:
countrybranding@bloom-consulting.com or call us directly at +34 913 080 286 (CET), we can provide you with a cost
estimate for a “Basic” or “Premium” report.
Figure 4. “Brand Tags” analyzed via OSD © and used in the 2nd Variable

OSD ©: Business Environment
1. Access to
Consumer Markets
2. Ease of Doing Business
3. Entrepreneurship
Ecosystem
4. FDI Records
5. Government Support
6. Investment Incentives
7. Labor Market Policy
8. Legal System
9. Monetary Policy
10. Open Market Economy
11. Tax Policies
12. Workforce

Country Characteristics
13. Corruption Level
14. Cost of Living
15. Growing Economy
16. Infrastructure &
Logistics Facilities
17. Natural Resources
18. Political Stability
19. Quality of Life
20. Security & Safety
21. Social Welfare
22. Strategic Location
23. Strong Economy
24. Utilities

25. Advanced Sciences Industry
26. Agriculture Sector
27. Automotive Industry
28. Chemical Industry
29. Construction Industry
30. Creative Industry
31. Education Sector
32. Energy Sector
33. Financial Services Sector
34. Food Processing Industry
35. IT Industry
36. Manufacturing Industry
37. Wood Industry
38. Mining Industry

2nd Variable

Sectorial Expertise
39. Medical Care Sector
40. Metal Industry
41. Logistics and Transport Industry
42. Oil & Gas Industry
43. Pharmaceutical Industry
44. Professional Services Sector
45. Real Estate Industry
46. Renewable Energy Sector
47. Research & Development Industry
48. Retail Industry
49. Tourism Industry
50. Aerospace and Military Industry

(1)


Economist IU - 2010
Page 07

Country
Brand
Ranking ©

Business Strategy

Trade
Edition

2013

Details of the 3rd Variable

1st Variable

2nd Variable

3rd Variable

4th Variable

Country
Brand
Ranking ©

Almost every country listed in the Bloom Consulting Country Brand Ranking © has a Investment Promotion Agency
(IPA). The IPA is the official state agency responsible for positioning their respective Country Brand (from a Investment
Strategy perspective). The IPA effectiveness can impact the Country Brand performance.
The 3rd Variable is about the accuracy of each strategy set in place by each IPA. This accuracy is measured through the value
each “Brand Tag” produces to the country. The value provided to each “Brand Tag” is given by the popularity it has from the
OSD © perspective and also from an economic perspective.
A country receives a higher rating if it uses the most searched and valuable “Brand Tag”. If a country receives a poor rating,
it means it is focusing on the least searched and valuable “Brand Tags” or not using “Brand Tags” in demand and high value.
What is particularly interesting about this rating is that a country rating will not be better if the IPA simply uses all available
“Brand Tags”. If they do so and they are not the “correct ones” they will have a poorer rating.
The final result is a live snapshot of the supply and demand for information in the international investment market. For
example, how much value is the “Brand Tag” “Workforce” bringing to Sweden? What other “Brand Tags” are not being used
that could have a positive impact? Or, even more importantly, which are the “Brand Tags” that are being promoted that do not
bring value to the Country Brand Strategy? This 3rd Variable is the Country Brand Strategy rating and it is shown in figure 5.
For reference, it is used throughout the Ranking next to each country.
Exceptions may apply to countries that recently (last year) implemented a new Country Brand Strategy, with an objective to
move away from specific perceptions. In this case, the rating does not mean a country is doing poorly but rather the results
are not visible yet.
One may question why “Brand Tags” are used to measure the effectiveness of Country Brand Strategies, as they are simply
promotional messages or products of a country and not the Country Branding Strategy itself? Bloom Consulting assumes that
tourists’ interest for the “product” is the most tangible way to assess Country Brand appeal and, subsequently, the effectiveness of a Country Brand Strategy.
Figure 5. 3rd Variable CBS Rating © and respective scores used in the ranking
Country Brand Strategy Rating (CBS Rating ©)
Score


Description

AAA
AA
A
BBB
BB
B
CCC
CC
C
D

3rd Variable

Very Strong
Strong
Slightly Strong
Very Good
Good
Slightly Good
Slightly Weak
Weak
Very Weak
Poor

Page 08

Country
Brand
Ranking ©

Business Strategy

Trade
Edition

2013

The Methodology - Conclusion
Details of the 4th Variable

1st Variable

2nd Variable

3rd Variable

4th Variable

Country
Brand
Ranking ©

We believe it is essential to consider how well a Country Brand is positioned digitally. In order to do that, we have used
“Website Analytics” and “Social Media” to evaluate each country’s efforts to make it visible.
The official Investment Promotion Agency (IPA) website is one of the most important sources of information and it serves as
an online gateway to each country. Nevertheless, it is not the only one by far, therefore this variable has less importance
compared to other variables in the Algorithm.
In order to assess the performance of each country’s website we used the “Website Analytics” tool where we examined each
country’s IPA website and analyzed the number of visits and the average time spent on the web page. The Bloom Algorithm
values websites with more visitors, richer content and a higher digital reach.
Additionally, a country’s presence in online communities, such as Twitter and Facebook, has been taken into account, because
online social networking is an efficient and a cost-effective way to interact with the public and promote what a country offers.
As each social media network has different purposes and a varying degree of popularity, the ranking has treated the two
independently.
The assessment criteria are simple. The more “likes” a country’s IPA has on Facebook and the more followers there are on
Twitter, the better. If an IPA is not active in social networks or if it does not have an account, the Bloom Algorithm penalizes
its online performance, however the country is still included in the ranking.
Both online performance indicators, Website Analytics and Social Media, are shown in the figure 6.
While a country’s Online Performance is a relevant variable, it holds less importance compared to the other variables in
determining a country’s position in the ranking.

Figure 6. Website and Social Media performance correspond to the 4th variable

Oﬃcial website and Social Media performance



4th Variable

Page 09

Country
Brand
Ranking ©

Business Strategy

Trade
Edition

2013

Bloom Consulting Country Brand Ranking ©

2013 TRADE (INVESTMENT) EDITION - WORLD Ranking

World Rank

CBS Rating ©

1.

United States of America

2.

China

A

3.

United Kingdom

AA

4.

France

5.

Hong Kong SAR, China

A

6.

Canada

A

7.

Germany

8.

Brazil

A

9.

Singapore

A

10.

India

AA

AAA

AAA

AA

Due to the historical brand equity and the fact that all have strong country brand strategies, China, Hong Kong and Macao have been considered as separate countries in this ranking.


Page 10

Country
Brand
Ranking ©

Business Strategy

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Edition

World Rank

2013

CBS Rating ©

11.

Australia

12.

Spain

BBB

13.

Belgium

BBB

14.

Russian Federation

15.

Turkey

AAA

16.

Mexico

A

17.

Netherlands

AA

18.

Luxembourg

BBB

19.

Sweden

AA

20.

Thailand

AA

21.

Saudi Arabia

22.

Italy

23.

Norway

BBB

24.

Poland

AA

25.

United Arab Emirates


A

A

BBB
A


AAA

Page 11

Country
Brand
Ranking ©

Business Strategy

Trade
Edition

2013

Top 25 - Highlights

For the third year in a row, the United States of America are the winners of the ranking. This is no surprise though, having
registered their strongest level of FDI for the past three years and also the largest online appeal in the world.

The rest of the top 5 most successful Nation Brands is split between
Europe with the United Kingdom (3) and France (4) and Asia with
China (2) and Hong Kong (5). China and Hong Kong have both
increased due to their best year ever in terms of FDI Strategy.
However, they have been penalized as neither utilizes an active
Social Media platform as a component of their Country Branding
Strategy. This would be the way forward if they were to challenge
the United States at the top of the Brand Index.
The United Kingdom Nation Brand leads Europe, partly due to its improved FDI, but also, thanks to their hugely impressive
Social Media use in promoting themselves as a profitable destination for trade. We also see France Nation Brand (4) improving from last year due to another improvement in their FDI and their promising online presence.

Furthermore, Europe is strongly represented in the top 25 with 12
countries making an appearance. Strong performances from the rest
of the European economies of Germany (7), Spain (12) and the Netherlands (17) actively demonstrate their consistent positioning as the
safest region thanks to the European Union. Spain Nation Brand, despite such economic turmoil and corruption scandals, maintains the
4th position in the ranking as last year.
Luxembourg (18) has lost 80% of its FDI figure since last year as a result of a revision of the international investment
position manual by the World Bank, as Special Purpose Entities and other financial intermediaries have been excluded.



Page 12

Country
Brand
Ranking ©

Business Strategy

Trade
Edition

2013

Top 25 - Highlights - Continued

The top 25 includes 8 Asian countries too, with Singapore (9) getting
into the top 10 for the first time. This can be attributed to a hugely
improved FDI in the past five years and a very strong Online Search
Demand. As an improvement, they should turn to Social Media as the
way to continue this strong trend.
Additionally, there is a strong presence from the BRIC nations powered by a historically strong economic growth and
optimistic vision of the future, causing China Brand (2), Brazil Brand (8) and India Brand (10) all to improve on last year’s
results in the Country Brand Ranking. Nonetheless, all these Nation Brands will suffer a decrease in ranking in the medium
run, with the Russian Federation (14) displaying the first sign of this trend, having lost 4 positions compared to last year.

At 8th place, Brazil Nation Brand leads Latin America thanks to its
strong Online Search Demand performance. However, this is also
surprising as it also registered its lowest FDI in five years. Mexico
(16) has also had a very impressive increase in its FDI while also
providing a very exciting Social Media presence.
Once again, Australia (11) finishes strongly despite their geographical disadvantage, thanks to very strong increases in FDI
and Online Search Demand.

Finally, Turkey (15), Saudi Arabia (21) and the United Arab Emirates
(25) lead the Middle Eastern countries, but they have all decreased in
the ranking since last year as a result of very poor online presence in
Social Media and Website Analytics.



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Country
Brand
Ranking ©

Business Strategy

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Edition

2013

Africa
Nigeria... Fueled by oil




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Country
Brand
Ranking ©

Business Strategy

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Edition

2013

The continent is transforming - slowly but steadily, with some countries experiencing high
growth rates, thanks to natural resources richness as well as the significant changes that are
happening in the global economy. This can help Africa to find a new advantage and gradually
become the new focus on investors’ radars. Our prediction is that Africa will become the new
Asia in 20 years time.

Three countries managed to make it to the world top 50 this year, which is an improvement
from last year. Nigeria (1), Egypt (2) and South Africa (3) stand out from the rest of the
African countries with Morocco (4) slightly behind. The four countries received high Online
Search Demand (OSD ©) scores, meaning that their trade brand equities have much more
value than the rest in the continent. In terms of net FDI inflows, Egypt is an outlier, showing
weaker performance, which may compromise its 2nd position in the future.
South Africa really excels among the African states for its active engagement with the public
online. Morocco received the highest CBS Rating ©, reflecting its efforts to make it more
competitive internationally.

After the aforementioned four key players in Africa, the gap widens however the following
countries - Ghana (5), Tunisia (6), Algeria (7), the Democratic Republic of Congo (8th) and
Zambia (9) – are on an equal footing in terms of their ranking scores. Ghana (5) received the
highest OSD © results from the bottom 6.

Algeria has higher net FDI growth but it was not enough to overcome Tunisia (7) which is
much more focused in promoting itself online. Compared to last year, Zambia declined four
places and the Democratic Republic of the Congo made it to the top 10 for the first time.



Page 15

Country
Brand
Ranking ©

Business Strategy

Trade
Edition

Africa Rank

2013

World Rank

CBS Rating ©

1.

Nigeria

35.

BBB

2.

Egypt

38.

A

3.

South Africa

39.

A

4.

Morocco

50.

AA

5.

Ghana

62.

BBB

6.

Tunisia

65.

BBB

7.

Algeria

71.

A

8.

Congo, Dem. Rep.

74.

BBB

9.

Zambia

80.

A

10.

Mozambique

84.

BBB

11.

Tanzania, United Rep.

88.

A

12.

Madagascar

90.

BBB

13.

Uganda

97.

BB

14.

Botswana

100.

BBB

15.

Kenya

111.

AA

16.

Cameroon

113.

AA

17.

Niger

114.

CCC

18.

Chad

116.

BB

19.

Senegal

117.

A

20.

Mauritius

118.

BBB

21.

Mali

119.

BBB

22.

Namibia

120.

B

23.

Congo, Rep.

122.

C

24.

Liberia

125.

BBB

25.

Ethiopia

129.

B



Page 16

Country
Brand
Ranking ©

Business Strategy

Trade
Edition

Africa Rank

2013

World Rank

CBS Rating ©

26.

Rwanda

133.

A

27.

Zimbabwe

135.

BB

28.

Gabon

136.

BB

29.

Burkina Faso

137.

BBB

30.

Equatorial Guinea

138.

CC

31.

Guinea

141.

CCC

32.

Côte d’Ivoire

146.

CC

33.

Mauritania

150.

BBB

34.

Swaziland

152.

BBB

35.

Seychelles

154.

B

36.

Djibouti

155.

BBB

37.

Malawi

157.

BB

38.

Sierra Leone

158.

B

39.

Cape Verde

160.

CCC

40.

Togo

161.

BB

41.

Lesotho

163.

CCC

42.

Gambia

165.

B

43.

Burundi

167.

BB

44.

Guinea-Bissau

173.

CC

45.

Angola

176.

CCC



Page 17

Country
Brand
Ranking ©

Business Strategy

Trade
Edition

2013

The Americas

The U.S.A. first in the North, Brasil first in the South... for how long?



Lao P.D.R., Latvia, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macao SAR China, Macedonia, FYR, Madagascar, Malawi, Belize, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei Darussalam, Bulgaria,
Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belgium,
Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Malta, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico, Micronesia, Moldova Rep., Mongolia, Montenegro,Cameroon, Canada, Cape Verde, Cayman Islands, Chad, Chile, China, Colombia, Congo Dem.
Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cambodia, Montserrat,
Rep., Congo Rep., Costa Rica, Côte d'Ivoire, Croatia,
Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Nepal, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Cuba, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican
Republic, Ecuador, Russian Federation, Rwanda,
Palestine, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Romania,Egypt, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Estonia, Ethiopia, Fiji, Finland, France, Gabon, Gambia, Georgia, Germany,









Page 18

Country
Brand
Ranking ©

Business Strategy

Trade
Edition

2013

The Americas region scores well for trade, with three countries making it the world top 10.
There has not been much change between the 2012 and 2013 rankings of the top 10 countries
in the Americas, with the top 6 countries, the leaders in the trade domain, remaining in the
same positions.

The U.S.A., unsurprisingly with no rivals, came 1st, with a Trade Ranking score considerably higher than that of the other top 10 countries. It is seen to have a perfect Online Search
Demand (OSD ©) result, a very impressive social media output (beaten only by Colombia)
and strong online performance. Canada stayed in 2nd place. Its online performance was
extremely impressive and a lot higher than that of all other countries in the top 10. Brazil
ranked 3rd, demonstrating its resoluteness to be seen as the top investment destination.
It ranked second after the U.S. for its OSD ©.

Mexico remained in 4th place in 2013, however its CBS Rating © greatly improved from
CCC to A. Chile ranked 5th, unchanged from last year. Its CBS Rating © improved, but its
social media performance was quite weak. Colombia’s (6) position stayed unaltered,
however its social media performance is the best in the world.

Peru’s (7) position and CBS Rating © improved while Argentina moved down one place
to number 8, with both countries completely ignoring social media.

Uruguay (9) and the Cayman Islands (10) received very similar ratings to one another,
with their ranking scores quite a lot lower than that of Argentina’s.

The Cayman Islands is a new country to appear in the top 10 and the only
country representing the Caribbean.



Page 19

Country
Brand
Ranking ©

Business Strategy

Trade
Edition

Americas Rank

2013

World Rank

CBS Rating ©

1.

United States of America

1.

AA

2.

Canada

6.

A

3.

Brazil

8.

A

4.

Mexico

16.

A

5.

Chile

28.

BBB

6.

Colombia

29.

BBB

7.

Peru

34.

BBB

8.

Argentina

45.

BBB

9.

Uruguay

64.

AA

10.

Cayman Islands

67.

CC

11.

Venezuela

73.

B

12.

Costa Rica

79.

BB

13.

Panama

82.

BB

14.

Dominican Republic

86.

BB

15.

Guatemala

93.

BBB

16.

Trinidad and Tobago

94.

B

17.

Jamaica

102.

B

18.

Ecuador

106.

BB

19.

Honduras

107.

CC

20.

Nicaragua

108.

BB

21.

Bahamas

109.

CCC

22.

Barbados

127.

BB

23.

El Salvador

128.

CC

24.

Paraguay

130.

B

25.

Haiti

140.

B



Page 20

Country
Brand
Ranking ©

Business Strategy

Trade
Edition

Americas Rank

2013

World Rank

CBS Rating ©

26.

Aruba

143.

BB

27.

Saint Lucia

144.

BB

28.

Saint Kitts and Nevis

147.

BB

29.

Guyana

149.

B

30.

Belize

153.

CC

31.

Cuba

156.

CCC

32.

Grenada

159.

B

33.

Antigua and Barbuda

166.

CC

34.

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

168.

CC

35.

Dominica

169.

CCC

36.

Montserrat

174.

B



Page 21

Country
Brand
Ranking ©

Business Strategy

Trade
Edition

2013

Asia

Unsurpringly, China comes first




Page 22

Country
Brand
Ranking ©

Business Strategy

Trade
Edition

2013

It is no surprise that many Asian countries have become more involved in international trade
and commerce. In 2013, there were two new entrants into the top 10 positions in the World
Ranking. Strikingly, the majority of the countries in the Asian top 10 have very limited
presence in social media, a point that should be addressed in order stay in touch with the
reality characterized by increasing digitization.

China remained in 1st place and outpaced others with a very high Online Search Demand
(OSD ©) and the highest amount of net FDI. However, it did not use social media to promote
itself and its online performance score was weak. Hong Kong remained in 2nd place. Its
online performance score was better than China’s, however its use of social media is very
limited. Singapore’s (3) ranking improved by 5 places, ranking second for online performance. India received a very similar Ranking score to Singapore and remained in 4th place.

Turkey dropped to 5th place from 3rd but kept its CBS Rating © of AAA. Thailand’s
position improved by 5 places, moving it into the top 10. Its online performance was better
than China’s and it was powered by its excellent CBS Rating ©. Saudi Arabia’s position,
compared to last year, worsened to 7th place. It received the worst (OSD ©) score out of the
top 10 countries.

The United Arab Emirates dropped to 8th place. Its OSD © score was the same as China’s,
but it scored badly for online performance and social media and its net FDI growth is the
weakest in the top 10. Japan, remaining at 9th place and very close behind the U.A.E., and
Indonesia (10th), which came 13th in 2012, both stood out from the top 10 as they leveraged
on social media.



Page 23

Country
Brand
Ranking ©

Business Strategy

Trade
Edition

Asia Rank

2013

World Rank

CBS Rating ©

1.

China

2.

A

2.

Hong Kong SAR, China

5.

A

3.

Singapore

9.

A

4.

India

10.

AA

5.

Turkey

15.

AAA

6.

Thailand

20.

AA

7.

Saudi Arabia

21.

BBB

8.

United Arab Emirates

25.

AAA

9.

Japan

26.

A

10.

Indonesia

27.

BBB

11.

Israel

30.

A

12.

Malaysia

33.

BBB

13.

Korea, Rep.

36.

AAA

14.

Kazakhstan

37.

AA

15.

Viet Nam

42.

AAA

16.

Qatar

46.

A

17.

Pakistan

49.

A

18.

Taiwan

53.

AAA

19.

Lebanon

54.

BBB

20.

Iraq

56.

AA

21.

Jordan

57.

AA

22.

Iran

58.

BBB

23.

Cyprus

59.

AA

24.

Macao SAR, China

60.

BBB

25.

Georgia

63.

A



Page 24

Country
Brand
Ranking ©

Business Strategy

Trade
Edition

Asia Rank

2013

World Rank

CBS Rating ©

26.

Bangladesh

70.

A

27.

Bahrain

76.

A

28.

Philippines

77.

B

29.

Oman

78.

BB

30.

Mongolia

89.

BB

31.

Uzbekistan

91.

BB

32.

Cambodia

95.

BB

33.

Syrian Arab Republic

99.

CCC

34.

Myanmar

104.

BB

35.

Sri Lanka

105.

BBB

36.

Palestine

110.

A

37.

Brunei Darussalam

112.

BB

38.

Armenia

115.

CCC

39.

Yemen

121.

BBB

40.

Afghanistan

123.

A

41.

Kuwait

126.

BB

42.

Lao P.D.R.

132.

BB

43.

Nepal

134.

A

44.

Maldives

139.

BB

45.

Kyrgyzstan

148.

CC

46.

Tajikistan

151.

BB

47.

Azerbaijan

172.

BB



Page 25

Country
Brand
Ranking ©

Business Strategy

Trade
Edition

2013

Europe has been experiencing troublesome economic times for several years now and the
future still remains rather unclear, marked by slow decision making. In spite of that, the
established European country brands have withstood the economic challenges and continue
to bring value to their nations.

The U.K., the only country in the top 5 not using the Euro, took the lead and rose to number
1 with a stronger CBS Rating © than last year. It was boosted by impressive Online Search
Demand (OSD ©) results, indicating its continuous popularity among investors, and very
good social media presence.

France ranks 2nd, which is an improvement from last year. It has a better Rating than the
U.K. and a better net FDI index, but the U.K. significantly overshadows its net FDI growth.
Germany earned the 3rd place with dramatically improved brand strategy performance.
Germany has a higher OSD © score than France. Both France and Germany are a lot less
active in online communities than the U.K.
Spain and Belgium were in an intense fight for the 4th place, although Spain took the lead in
the end, owing to a better CBS Rating © and being more active in promoting itself online.
Luxembourg, a high-scoring performer last year, slipped to the 8th place this year showing
weaker OSD © results compared to the rest of the top 10. Additionally, Luxembourg has lost
80% of its FDI figure since last year as a result of a revision of the international investment
position manual by the World Bank; as Special Purpose Entities and other financial intermediaries have been excluded.

Russia held on to its 6th position, same as last year, while the Netherlands finished 7th. Both
countries need to dramatically improve their digital strategies in order to stay in touch with
investors who are becoming more active at looking for opportunities online.
Sweden (9) and Italy (10) are ranked very closely. Both countries have good net FDI
indicators, although weaker FDI growth inhibits their performance in the European ranking.



Page 27

Country
Brand
Ranking ©

Business Strategy

Trade
Edition

Europe Rank

2013

World Rank

CBS Rating ©

1.

United Kingdom

3.

AA

2.

France

4.

AAA

3.

Germany

7.

AAA

4.

Spain

12.

BBB

5.

Belgium

13.

BBB

6.

Russian Federation

14.

A

7.

Netherlands

17.

AA

8.

Luxembourg

18.

BBB

9.

Sweden

19.

AA

10.

Italy

22.

A

11.

Norway

23.

BBB

12.

Poland

24.

AA

13.

Switzerland

31.

BB

14.

Ukraine

32.

A

15.

Portugal

40.

A

16.

Austria

41.

BBB

17.

Hungary

43.

BBB

18.

Romania

44.

BB

19.

Ireland

47.

BB

20.

Czech Republic

48.

BB

21.

Denmark

51.

A

22.

Finland

55.

A

23.

Bulgaria

61.

B

24.

Slovakia

66.

A

25.

Greece

68.

B



Page 28

Country
Brand
Ranking ©

Business Strategy

Trade
Edition

Europe Rank

2013

World Rank

CBS Rating ©

26.

Iceland

69.

A

27.

Serbia

72.

BB

28.

Malta

75.

AA

29.

Croatia

81.

BB

30.

Lithuania

83.

BB

31.

Belarus

85.

B

32.

Estonia

87.

BBB

33.

Latvia

92.

BB

34.

Albania

96.

B

35.

Slovenia

98.

BBB

36.

Montenegro

101.

B

37.

Bosnia and Herzegovina

103.

BBB

38.

Macedonia, FYR

124.

BBB

39.

Moldova, Rep.

131.

B

40.

Gibraltar

164.

C



Page 29

Country
Brand
Ranking ©

Business Strategy

Trade
Edition

2013

Australia (1) and New Zealand (2) are the reference points in Oceania, with the most
developed economies and robust business climate, while other Pacific nations and territories
still have to improve their economic performance and enhance their brands. The region’s
geographic isolation makes it challenging to compete in the international arena, especially
for the small island nations.

Australia’s brand is the undisputed leader in trade with the largest economy and investment
in the region, achieving 11th position in the world brand ranking. That said, New Zealand
has a very strong CBS Rating © and a competitive online presence to match, nearly making
it to the world top 50.

Fiji ranks 3rd and the Solomon Islands (4) follow a similar pattern. Compared to 2012, Fiji
improved its standing and rose two places, although the Solomon Islands still demonstrate a
stronger net FDI growth.

Papua New Guinea is ranked 5th, with its strongest indicator being the Online Search
Demand (OSD ©) results. It must concentrate on promoting what it offers using various
online channels to ensure that this interest from potential investors materializes into growing
net FDI. Other brands in the region lag behind the top 5, with weaker CBS Rating © and
poor economic performance.
.



Page 31

Country
Brand
Ranking ©

Business Strategy

Trade
Edition

2013

World Rank

Oceania Rank

CBS Rating ©

1.

Australia

11.

A

2.

New Zealand

52.

BBB

3.

Fiji

142.

CCC

4.

Solomon Islands

145.

B

5.

Papua New Guinea

162.

B

6.

Tonga

170.

CCC

7.

Vanuatu

171.

CCC

8.

Samoa

175.

CCC

9.

Micronesia

177.

C



Page 32

Country
Brand
Ranking ©

Business Strategy

Trade
Edition

2013

FAQs

Who is this Ranking meant for?
The Bloom Consulting Country Brand Ranking © is for anyone interested in Nation Branding and Place Branding from
every perspective, whether you are in government, academia, industry, finance, or for anyone who just finds it interesting.
Why did Bloom Consulting create the Ranking?
Bloom Consulting created the Ranking to evaluate the impact of country brand strategies in economic terms and, above all, to
answer the important question of how countries can become more attractive.
How does Bloom Consulting’s Ranking differ from other rankings?
Other rankings measure perceptions, this ranking measures reality. Thanks to statistical models and the Online Search
Demand (OSD ©) tool, we were able to measure how effective each Country Brand is in a more tangible way. Moreover, this
ranking isolates Trade (investment) as a separate dimension, analyzing investors as a separate target audience. Please see the
tourism edition of the ranking as well here: http://bloom-consulting.com/en/tourism-ranking
What is new in the 2013 edition of the Ranking?
First of all, it is the third “World Edition” of Bloom’s Country Brand Ranking. Secondly, Bloom has improved its methodology, in comparison to past editions, in order to deliver more accurate and objective results.
What is the Online Search Demand (OSD ©)?
The Online Search Demand (OSD ©) is a Bloom Consulting proprietary measurement system used to assess all global
online searches performed specifically for trade (investment).
How can a country have a poor rating but still do well in the Ranking?
If a country has a poor CBS Rating ©, its brand strategy is not actively reflecting what the country has to offer (from the
investment demand perspective). Therefore, even though its economic performance may be strong, the investment strategy is
not taking full advantage of the country’s selling propositions.
What if a country does not have social media accounts, does it still feature in the ranking?
Yes, it still appears but it receives a lower ranking than it would have done otherwise.
Does Bloom Consulting provide different services from the Ranking?
Yes, Bloom Consulting provides Nation Branding and Place Branding integrated strategies and Online Search Demand
(OSD ©) tailored reports for every country, region and city in the world.
What criteria was used to define the geographical distribution of countries?
We used the official United Nations classification of countries by region.



Page 33

Country
Brand
Ranking ©

Business Strategy

Trade
Edition

2013

Glossary

OSD ©
Online Search Demand
Measurement of all global online searches performed specifically for investment
CBS Rating ©
Country Brand Strategy Rating
Rates the accuracy of each strategy set in place by each IPA
“Brand Tag”
Unique selling propositions and strategic positioning of all 177 countries (used by all the Investment Promotion Agency).
“3T approach”
The three tangible dimensions 1- Trade (Investment), 2- Tourism and 3- Talent
Bloom Algorithm
It is an equation that consists of 4 key variables and calculates each country’s position in the ranking.
IPA
Investment Promotion Agency
It is the official state agency responsible for positioning their respective Country Brand (from an investment perspective).
Web Analytics
Is an online tool that measures the performance of each country’s website, where each country’s IPA website is analyzed by
the number of visits and the average time spent on the web page.



Page 34

Country
Brand
Ranking ©

Business Strategy

Trade
Edition

2013

Bloom Consulting
Contacts

For ranking related queries please contact:
Methodology:

Gonzalo Vilar - Partner and Global Strategy Director
gvilar@bloom-consulting.com

Press:

corporate@bloom-consulting.com

For any other queries please contact Bloom offices
Spain - (WORLD HEAD QUARTERS)

José Filipe Torres - Founding Partner and CEO
jtorres@bloom-consulting.com
Monte Esquinza 14, 6 D ext
28010 Madrid, Spain
+34 91 308 0286 Office

Brazil

Marcello Pastore - Partner and Brazil General Manager
mpastore@bloom-consulting.com
Rua Pedroso Alvarenga 1254,
4º andar - Conjunto 42 Itaim Bibi
São Paulo - SP - CEP 04531 004, Brazil
+55 11 3044 6219 Office

Portugal

Filipe Roquette - Partner and Portugal General Manager
froquette@bloom-consulting.com
Avda. Joao XXI, 43, 1 Esq
1000-303 Lisboa, Portugal
+351 210 936 819 Office

U.S.A.

Timothy Roberts - Partner and USA General Manager
troberts@bloom-consulting.com
5808 Denny Ave.
North Hollywood, CA 91601
Los Angeles, USA
+1 888 576 0065 Office



Page 35

Bloom Consulting Country Brand Ranking Trade 2013

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