FutureBrand, a global brand and innovation consultancy, has announced that the UAE has once again reached the top 25 in its 2011 – 2012 yearly study of country brands.

FutureBrand’s yearly study: 2011 – 2012 Country Brand Index (CBI), now in its seventh year, assesses 113 countries across 26 image attributes and six measures of brand strength.

It saw the UAE make its return to the top 25 country brands owing much to its comparative regional stability, a statement said.

Lana Bdeir, managing director of FutureBrand Middle East & Africa, said: “While the UAE may have been affected in the past by issues such as the financial crisis, the bounce back the country has made to the 25 global country brands is an indicator of its ongoing strength.”

“Given the backdrop of the Arab Spring, the UAE has clearly come out as a secure place to live and work in the Middle East, as well as inspiring confidence in the tourism sector both regionally and internationally.  As the country approaches its 40th anniversary this week, we hope to see its brand continue to thrive in the coming years.”

In addition to the UAE’s success, FutureBrand 2011 – 2012 CBI has seen Canada takes the No.1 spot for the second year running, the UK fall out of the top 10 despite major brand building events such as the Royal Wedding and the US drop a further two places to No.6.

As one of the largest studies of its kind, the CBI is an in-depth study that explores the complexity, dynamics and benefits of how nations manifest as brands.

The strength of a country brand is determined in the same way as any other brand - it’s measured on the levels of awareness, familiarity, preference, consideration, advocacy and active decisions to visit or establish a commercial relationship with.

However, the most important factors that truly differentiate a nation brand are its associations and attributes – the qualities that people think of when they hear a place name, or look at a photograph or plan a trip. – TradeArabia News Service