BDA Press Release -- ¿Is it time to re-launch ¿Brand America¿?¿
Brand Finance Forum 2007
September 3, 2007
London
A non-partisan advisor to the American government calls on the US to address its ¿sinking reputation¿ as part of the global Brand Finance Forum on nation branding.
Keith Reinhard, Chairman Emeritus of DDB Worldwide and President of Business for Diplomatic Action, is due to address the Brand Finance Forum 2007 on the 3rd September at the London Stock Exchange. As part of the debate on nation branding, he is due to reveal that:
¿¿.if (America) were a brand in the commercial world it would fire its advertising agency and gear up for a total brand re-launch¿.such is the state of America¿s sinking reputation in the world.¿
The Brand Finance Forum is an annual event providing the opportunity to engage with some of the world's most influential marketers and to learn more about the impact of nation and location branding on business performance.
Reinhard quotes a BBC commissioned survey of the general public in 25 countries, which reveals that the U.S. now ranks between North Korea and Iran in its perceived negative influence in the world.
¿Sadly,¿ says Reinhard, ¿in this survey at least, our country has joined the so-called ¿Axis of Evil¿. ¿ Reinhard¿s challenging speech forms part of the agenda at the Brand Finance Forum at which the theme is ¿Understanding the Value of Nation and Location Branding¿.
The advertising leader, whose testimony in the U.S. Congress urged the American government to do more listening and learning and less telling and selling, proposes a strategy for reversing the negative perceptions of Brand America, urging all Presidential candidates to take note of some basic brand building principles. Reinhard sits on the Secure Borders, Open Doors Advisory Committee (SBODAC), a joint initiative of the US Department of State and Homeland Security. Equally Reinhard believes U.S. multinationals can take the lead by making sure their own ¿foreign policies¿ are sensitive in their commercial behaviour abroad.
The subsequent speaker at the Brand Finance Forum graphically illustrates the importance of Reinhard¿s point. Getachew Mengistie, Director of the Ethiopian Intellectual Property Office, led the legal team against Starbucks concerning the registration of trademarks to protect specialty Ethiopian coffee designations. In a major landmark case for developing countries Ethiopia managed to trademark three of its fine coffee designations- Harar, Sidamo and Yirgacheffe in 28 countries and license them to more than twenty companies in the USA and Europe. These trademarks are now being licensed to Starbucks and others. Starbucks has been criticized by Oxfam and other organizations of abusing its power over developing world coffee producers by challenging trademark registration
Simon Anholt, the nation branding and public diplomacy expert, is also due to present new findings that analyse national perceptions from his influential global survey, the Anholt Nation Brands Index. Anholt will reveal some interesting trends in the way the world sees its countries, including how ¿Brand America¿ continues to decline, as ¿Brand Britain¿ continues to improve.
Reinhard concludes that his country needs to ¿declare a crisis¿ in response to the current anti-American sentiment, advocating that the U.S. should admit mistakes and recommit to the core ¿brand values¿ that, in the past, have inspired hearts and minds the world over.
