Qatar is this year’s fastest growing nation brand with its brand value increasing by 39 per cent to $256 billion this year, a report said.

While alleged corruption surrounding its bid for the world cup has focussed attention on Qatar’s social policies and political entanglements, these reputational issues have by no means overwhelmed the emirate, added the annual report on the world’s 100 leading ‘nation brands, released by Brand Finance, the world’s leading brand valuation consultancy.

For the region it is particularly stable and has been afflicted by neither civil war, nor conflict in neighbouring states; a rarity in today’s Middle East. Home grown brands such as Ooredoo are flourishing internationally, laying the foundations for success beyond the era of liquefied natural gas, the report said.

Qatar is followed by Bangladesh, which registered an increase of 38.8 per cent in brand value, which reached $115 billion, while Sri Lanka claimed the third place with a total brand value of $61 billion, marking an increase of 37.1 per cent.

The Brand Finance provides a comprehensive insight on the world’s leading nation brands and the impact that a country’s reputation and image has on governments, investors, students and consumers.

Lebanon was ranked 99th out of a possible 100 with its brand value dropping 23.3 per cent to $22 billion in 2014. Kuwait’s brand value dropped 5.3 per cent to $100 billion. Both nations were classified in the ‘worst performing nation brands’ in the Brand Finance report.

Other key findings:

•    The US is the world’s most valuable nation brand with a $19.3 trillion brand value

•    Germany is the strongest nation brand, with a score of 75.84 out of 100

•    Ukraine is the fastest faller; its brand value is down 37% to $80 billion

•    The impact of conflict has been felt in Russia too; its brand value is down $90 billion

•    The Scottish referendum threatened ‘Brand Britain’ but a ‘no’ vote has seen the UK’s nation brand value surge 20 per cent to $2.8 trillion

“The states of the 21st century are participants in a global marketplace, with intense competition for tourists, students, the best workers and investment,” said David Haigh, Brand Finance CEO.

“The results of this year’s Brand Finance Nation Brands report show the advantages that a strong nation brand can confer; the effect of a country’s image on the brands based there and the economy as a whole makes a nation brand the most important asset of any state.

“Governments, trade bodies and businesses must take steps to ensure that their nation brand is strategically appropriate, well-managed and regularly monitored in order to maximise the benefits,” he added. – TradeArabia News Service