Australia has slipped out of the top 10 of a worldwide league table which measures perceptions of the strength of national “brands” on a range of metrics including business potential, local values and tourism strength.
Australia has slipped out of the top 10 most powerful national brands. But Sydney is now in the top 20 of most influential cities. Picture: Dan Himbrechts/AAPassess the brand value of a country based on benchmarks such as the prestige of products made in that country, environmental efforts, even the civility of national politics.
Mr Curtis, whose company has worked to burnish the reputations of places as diverse as Peru and Tahiti, said having a positive national brand can boost tourism, business investment and even encourage people to choose one country’s products over another. Japan tops the national brand list with a strong showing for quality of life, tourism and business. Picture: iStock“What comes out in this year’s study is the importance of quality of life and safety and stability which is essential if a country is to be seen as a great place to visit, live or invest,” Mr Curtis said.
Since the previous index, Australia has also seen a drop in perceptions of its healthcare and education standards, desirability as a place to live or study, environmental friendliness and safety and security. The term groups many of this together as “values”. The report said people were increasingly placing a premium “not on living richer, but on living a richer life” which meant making positive changes to their present situation rather than holding out for retirement.
Sydney’s 18th position is up from 22 and is “no meagre gain,” the report stated. The Harbour City is now more influential than Toronto and Rome and only a touch less than Los Angeles. Despite scoring well on various liveability indexes, Melbourne doesn’t figure in the FutureBrand list, highlighting its lower brand recognition abroad than its NSW rival.
Why do so many of them live here then?About 600k at last count - that’s roughly 12% of their entire population!