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31
UNIT 4
ADVERTISING
READING
1 Read a newspaper article about brands of nations and answer the
questions below.
WHAT’S YOUR FAVOURITE BRAND OF THE COUNTRY?
When we choose Italy as our holiday destination, decide to buy a German
car, support the policies of the Swedish government or criticize those of the
American one, we are not only influenced by stereotypes, we express a
preference for brands. These brands, however, are much stronger than Coca-
Cola or Nike, as we are talking here about the brands of the nations.
According to Anholt-GMI, authors of National Brands Index, ‘nation brand’
is an important concept especially now, in the times of globalization, when
countries compete with each other for the attention, respect and trust of investors,
tourists and consumers. To recognize the strongest brand, five million consumers
were asked to score 11 countries on six points – tourism, governance, people,
culture, investment and exports.
So, what are the results? Well, Americans are seen as ignorant, Russians
are considered violent, we love holidays in Italy, we trust the British, but the
winner is … Sweden, as the Swedish scored the highest marks across all points.
“Sweden is universally admired for a combination of stable and responsible
governance, honest and trustworthy people, successful cultural exports, a prime
location for investment, and yet isn’t seen as boring or predictable, but young and
dynamic” – the report says. “Sweden is the country that nobody minds.”
Perhaps to the surprise of many nations, Britain comes second in the
survey. The Brits are considered intelligent, polite, trustworthy and honest, but
unlike the Swedes, other countries see them as a bit boring.
The belief that we respond to nation brands in a similar way as we react to
Nike or Nestle is supported by the fact that, some opinions shown in the report are
based on our overall feelings rather than rational reasons. For example, so
powerful is the “holiday” element of Italy, that it would be impossible to show
Italian people as serious-minded and reliable, and South Korea scored pretty low
in the survey, not due to any logical reasons but simply because many
respondents confused it with its Northern neighbour. However, it is not South
Korea which got the poorest scores.
The struggling brands are Turkey and Russia. The former is bottom of the
list and the latter is second from the bottom and considered violent and unstable.
The report devotes a lot of attention to the brand of America. Although the United
States is still rated highest for goods and services, its brand has been tarnished
by its foreign policy. “America is perceived as best place to do business, although
Sweden is preferred as a place to live and work.”
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