Another important poll

The latest quarterly Anholt-GMI Nations Brand Index - the equivalent of a global popularity contest - put the UK fourth, behind Australia, in the top spot, followed by Canada and Switzerland. Germany came in seventh and France ninth, while America lagged at 11th, continuing a downward trend that is worrying some analysts.
Guardian story

Well I'm glad they approached it scientifically. You've got to admire the sheer chutzpah of someone who sets themselves up as a 'nation brands' analyst. Why didn't I think of that wheeze, the technique's a doddle, ask people from all over the world what they think about foreigners.

It turns out that some folk think the French are a bit snooty. A searing insight that was previously unknowable I think you'll agree. The official website is brimming with similar pearls of wisdom. The kind of genius only possible when you ask thousands of world citizens for an opinion and then boil all your findings down to a cliche, sometimes quite amusing if like me you enjoy a cheap joke...

"When the international panel was asked how much they trust a country’s government to make responsible decisions on peace and security, the U.S. came 19th just above South Korea."

I could only assume Paul Hogan's oeuvre is still the hot ticket in some of the more backward parts of the world when I read this little gem...

"Australia - low rankings for products and culture are a concern. The latter finding is a surprise given the strength of Australia in popular culture for example, in music and movies."

Yeah, and I hear there's this new beat combo called INXS.

For these important findings and more visit the Official website for those who need to get on with some actual work here's the final results. Cue Paul Hardcastle, The Wizard

Complete ranking of all 25 nation brands:
1. Australia
2. Canada
3. Switzerland
4. UK
5. Sweden
6. Italy
7. Germany
8. Netherlands
9. France
10. New Zealand
11. United States
12. Spain
13. Ireland
14. Japan
15. Brazil
16. Mexico
17. Egypt
18. India
19. Poland
20. South Korea
21. China
22. South Africa
23. Czech Republic
24. Russia
25. Turkey