Canada Ranks First as Most Welcoming Country in 2015 Global Nation Brands Index

• New findings rank Canadians as most appealing friends
• Canada also places in the Top 3 for Immigration/Investment,
  Governance
• Latest Anholt-GfK Report rates 50 countries on 23 attributes, from
  governance to culture

TORONTO–(BUSINESS WIRE)–A new study of 50 “nation brands” finds that Canada is seen as the most
welcoming country in the world, rating the Great White North number one
in the People category.

The just released Anholt-GfK Nation Brands Index^SM (NBI^SM)
also places Canada in the top three in two other areas:
Immigration/Investment and Governance. This makes Canada one of the most
attractive nations for people to live, work, study, and conduct business
in globally.

Overall, Canada ranked fifth among the 50 nations covered, after the
United States, Germany, UK, and France. The US has taken back the top
spot after falling to second place in 2014. (See table below.)

The annual study measures global perceptions of 50 developed and
developing countries – and is unmatched in the level of detail on which
the nation ranking is judged. The research asks questions about 23
different national attributes, which are then combined into six overall
“dimensions” on which the national image is based. Those dimensions are:
Exports, Governance, Culture, People, Tourism, and
Immigration/Investment.

Anholt-GfK Nation Brands Index^SM
Overall
Brand Ranking 2015 (Top 10 of 50 Nations)

Professor Simon Anholt, the independent policy advisor who created the
Nation Brands Index in 2005, comments, “This year’s results stand as a
reminder that, although the images of countries are incredibly stable,
changes can and do take place, particularly when people around the world
sense that countries are contributing noticeably more or less to
humanity and the planet. It is their perceived impact on the world that
affects countries’ reputation far more than their assets or achievements.

“Despite its continued perceived leadership in Europe,” Anholt
continued, “Germany has fallen back to second place, largely as a result
of losing the gains it made last year. On top of that, Germany also lost
ground on ‘governance’ (which incorporates both international and
domestic behaviors) following its high-profile stance on European
challenges such as immigration and struggling Eurozone economies. In
particular, Russia’s perceptions of Germany’s governance dropped
significantly, following Germany’s support of anti-Russian sanctions.”

Greece, a nation facing chronic economic issues, is struggling to
maintain its image, with notable falls across all indices. In the
overall ranking, it has slipped one place, to 21^st position,
while Brazil moves up to 20^th.

Vadim Volos, Senior Vice President and Director of NBI^SM at
GfK, comments, “A country’s global reputation can make a critical
difference to the success of its business, trade and tourism efforts, as
well as its diplomatic and cultural relations with other nations. Our
clients depend on the NBI^SM study because it is unbeaten in
the depth of information that is included in forming the ranking –
making it the most thorough and robust monitor of national reputation
available.”

For more information on the full scope of findings from the Anholt-GfK
Nation Brands Index, please contact Vadim Volos via Vadim.Volos@gfk.com
or +1 212 240 5408.

About the Anholt-GfK Nations Brand Index^SM
2015

Conducted annually, the Anholt-GfK Nation Brands Index^SM
measures the image of 50 countries, with respect to Exports, Governance,
Culture, People, Tourism and Immigration/Investment. For the 2015 study,
a total of 20,342 interviews were conducted in 20 major developed and
developing countries that play important and diverse roles in
international relations, trade and the flow of business, cultural and
tourism activities. Interviews were conducted online with adults aged 18
or over. The most up-to-date online population parameters were used to
weight the achieved sample in each country to reflect key demographic
characteristics such as age, gender and education of the 2015 online
population in that country. Additionally, in the US, the UK, South
Africa, India, and Brazil, race/ethnicity has been used for sample
balancing. The report reflects the views and opinions of online
populations in the 20 countries surveyed. Fieldwork was conducted from
July 9 to July 27, 2015 (extended to July 28 in Egypt and South Korea).

About GfK

GfK is the trusted source of relevant market and consumer information
that enables its clients to make smarter decisions. GfK’s public affairs
division specializes in customized public opinion polling, media and
corporate communications research and reputation measurement globally.
In addition to delivering a broad range of customized research studies,
the division draws from GfK’s syndicated consumer tracking service, GfK
Consumer Life, which monitors consumer values, beliefs, attitudes, and
behaviors in around 25 countries each year. The division is also the
official polling partner of the Associated Press, conducting the AP-GfK
Poll (www.ap-gfkpoll.com).

For more information, please visit www.gfk.com
or follow GfK on Twitter: https://twitter.com/GfK

About Simon Anholt

Professor Simon Anholt is recognized as the world’s leading authority on
national image and identity. Professor Anholt was Vice-Chair of the UK
Government’s Public Diplomacy Board for several years, and has worked as
an independent policy advisor to the Heads of State and Heads of
Government of more than 50 other countries. Anholt developed the concept
of the Nation Brands Index^SM and the City Brands Index^SM
in 2005. He launched the Good Country Index in 2014 and is President of
the Anholt Institute in Copenhagen. He is the founder and Editor
Emeritus of the quarterly journal, Place Branding and Public Diplomacy,
and the author of Brand New Justice, Brand America, Competitive
Identity, and Places: Image, Identity, Reputation. Anholt was
awarded the 2009 Nobels Colloquia Prize for Economics and an Honorary
Professorship in Political Science by the University of East Anglia in
2013.

Contacts

GfK
Vadim Volos, +1 212-240-5408
Global Research and Consulting
Vadim.Volos@gfk.com
or
PUNCH
Canada
Marela Lucero-Lee, 647-837-1260
marela@punchcanada.com