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UAE’s Nation Brand Value Leads the Way in the Middle East

13 October 2017
This article is more than 6 years old.

· Brand Finance reveals 100 most valuable nation brands of 2017

· UAE is the strongest, most valuable, and fastest-growing nation brand in the Middle East

· China is the fastest growing nation brand in absolute terms, up US$3.1 trillion

· US dominance as the most valuable nation brand threatened by Trump’s presidency

· Southern European nations show double-digit growth, recovering after Eurozone crisis

· UK’s nation brand value shows resilience in the face of Brexit, up 6% from 2016

· Game of Thrones brings record growth to Iceland, up 83% year on year

· Singapore defends strongest nation brand title as it continues to invest in its citizens

In recognition of the growing influence of national image on the success of corporate brands, Brand Finance has evaluated the 100 most valuable nation brands of 2017.

View the Brand Finance Nation Brands report here

UAE is the champion of nation brand management in the Middle East. The country’s nation brand value has grown 24% year on year to US$594 billion. The UAE is also the world’s third most powerful nation brand, with a Brand Strength Index score of 88.8, coming behind only Singapore and Switzerland.

Andrew Campbell, Managing Director, Brand Finance Middle East, commented: “The UAE’s outstanding performance can be attributed to the diversification of its economy and the ability to mitigate risk. The lower reliance on oil and higher emphasis on tourism have both undoubtedly played a vital role. What is more, the country is improving its scores in brand strength metrics within the fields of judicial system efficiency, reliability of police services, and ethical behaviour of firms.”

At US$575 billion, up 19% year on year, Saudi Arabia is the second most valuable nation brand in the region. Oman and Kuwait are also recording significant growth, both up by 22%.

“Growth is likely to come from countries that successfully manage to transform their economies and decrease their dependence on oil. Improving social welfare is another key point to future brand value growth. At the same time, the region provides a steady flow of commodities to satisfy China’s demand for natural resources and maintaining a good relationship with the Middle East is high on the agenda of the ‘Belt and Road Initiative’. The region stands to gain from the mutually beneficial relationship with China as the project unfolds”, Campbell added.

The Rise of Brand China

According to the Brand Finance Nation Brands study, China is the fastest-growing nation brand of 2017 in absolute terms, with a change of over US$3.1 trillion year on year. This figure is equal to the entire nation brand value of Britain, which illustrates just by how much China is outpacing other countries.

In relative terms, China’s nation brand value grew 44% year on year, or at a 20-times faster pace than the United States’. However, at US$10.2 trillion, China’s nation brand value is still only half that of America’s and sustaining growth will be key to narrow the gap.

Chinese companies make up 50 of the Global 500 most valuable brands, increasing from only 8 in 2008. Chinese brands lead in 4 sectors – banks (ICBC), spirits (Moutai), insurance (PingAn), real estate (Dalian Wanda) – as opposed to zero in 2008. The country also celebrates an annual Chinese Brands Day on May 10th and has a nationwide China Council for Brand Development, dedicated to research on brand building and brand evaluation.

The forthcoming 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China will mark the end of the Central Committee’s five-year term which has seen a revolutionary change in China’s approach to brands. In a virtuous circle, Chinese brands and the transformed national image of China as an emerging global power are reinforcing each other and further add to the country’s attractiveness to investors and tourists.

The Trump Effect

With a value of US$21.1 trillion, the United States remains the most valuable nation brand in the world but the meagre growth of 2% year on year is putting its dominance at risk in the long run.

The United States’ nation brand value’s stagnation can be attributed to macroeconomic challenges, like the declining participation rate caused by the mass-retirement of baby boomers, ultimately contributing to a slow pace of GDP growth compared to previous expansions.

However, perceptions of Donald Trump’s presidency are not exactly helping Brand America either. Trump’s administration is seen as increasingly unpredictable and although tax relief promises can boost FDI in the short run, a failure to fulfil them, considering that many propositions of new legislation fell through in Congress, will make investors’ confidence disappear.

America’s image in the world is also waning. Sabre rattling in the Middle East and Asia, closing borders to migrants and refugees, and breaching global commitments in relation to climate change, have all seriously undermined the United States’ global leadership. Recovering that influence in the future may be close to impossible.

East and West: Trading Places

The dynamic between American and Chinese nation brands is mirrored by the broader trends of Western stagnation and Asian advance. Established European nation brands, such as Germany, Netherlands, Belgium, Switzerland, Sweden, Austria, record either a decline or a negligible growth of value. At the same time, Asian nation brands grow at breakneck speed. Vietnam, the Philippines, Thailand and South Korea have all added between 37%-43% to their nation brand value.

Southern Europe growing fast

Unlike their sluggish Northern neighbours, Southern European countries can boast record nation brand value growth year on year. Infamously branded as ‘PIGS’ during the Eurozone Crisis, Portugal (up 22%), Italy (up 34%), Greece (up 41%), and Spain (up 46%), as well as smaller Cyprus (up 57%), have since all introduced necessary reforms and regained the confidence of analysts and investors. Channelling those new levels of trust to a long-term advantage will be the most difficult task of those responsible for managing nation brands of Southern European economies. It seems particularly challenging in the case of Spain, which is balancing on the brink of anarchy following the Catalan independence vote.

Brand Britain shows resilience

The Brexit process has not yet brought the widely expected negative consequences. Brand Britain relies however on the government's ability to mitigate potential dangers in the near future. Although uncertainty has caused a slight drop in the UK’s brand strength, from a score of 86 to 85, brand value is up 6% year on year to US$3.1 trillion. Britain should now engage with the world, especially booming Asian markets, to sustain growth and dispel negative perceptions.

Iceland: Money is Coming

Iceland is the fastest growing nation brand of 2017, up 83% from last year, and may only continue to enjoy unrivalled growth in the near future. The country’s tourism industry is booming and expanding its share of GDP at the expense of the traditionally dominant fishing sector. Thanks to the hit television show, Game of Thrones, which films most of its winter scenes in Iceland, the country has seen a record 1.8 million foreign visitors in 2016, up 40% from 2015. The first two months of 2017 saw a 59% increase on the same period of 2016 and the figure is expected to reach 2.4 million by the end of this year. The increase in visitors brings great financial benefits to the nation. Tourists spent US$212 million in 2016, using credit and debit cards alone, and as the number of visitors is forecasted to increase, so will the injection of money.

Future Looks Bright for Singapore

Singapore has not only maintained its position as the strongest nation brand this year, but with a Brand Strength Index (BSI) of 92.9, it is also the only one to score over 90. Singapore’s reputation for investing in its citizens has particularly boosted its ‘People and Skills’ result, factored in the BSI calculation. The SkillsFuture movement initiated by the government, which allows every Singaporean aged 25 and above to secure S$500 for professional development, helps to maximise the nation’s potential. More than 400,000 people undertook training in 2016, an increase from 379,000 in 2015. The state’s willingness to invest in the development of its people demonstrates a nurturing element that many other nations have yet to adopt.

ENDS

Note to Editors

2017 brand values are calculated in USD with a valuation date of 1/7/17.

For full results, expert insights, and a detailed explanation of methodology, please consult the Brand Finance Nation Brands 2017 report.

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Penny Erricker
Communications Executive
Brand Finance

About Brand Finance

Brand Finance is the world’s leading brand valuation consultancy. Bridging the gap between marketing and finance for more than 25 years, Brand Finance evaluates the strength of brands and quantifies their financial value to help organizations of all kinds make strategic decisions.

Headquartered in London, Brand Finance has offices in over 20 countries, offering services on all continents. Every year, Brand Finance conducts more than 5,000 brand valuations, supported by original market research, and publishes over 100 reports which rank brands across all sectors and countries.

Brand Finance also operates the Global Brand Equity Monitor, conducting original market research annually on over 5,000 brands, surveying more than 150,000 respondents across 38 countries and 31 industry sectors. Combining perceptual data from the Global Brand Equity Monitor with data from its valuation database enables Brand Finance to arm brand leaders with the data and analytics they need to enhance brand and business value.

Brand Finance is a regulated accountancy firm, leading the standardization of the brand valuation industry. Brand Finance was the first to be certified by independent auditors as compliant with both ISO 10668 and ISO 20671 and has received the official endorsement of the Marketing Accountability Standards Board (MASB) in the United States.

Definition of Brand

Brand is defined as a marketing-related intangible asset including, but not limited to, names, terms, signs, symbols, logos, and designs, intended to identify goods, services, or entities, creating distinctive images and associations in the minds of stakeholders, thereby generating economic benefits.

Brand Strength

Brand strength is the efficacy of a brand’s performance on intangible measures relative to its competitors. Brand Finance evaluates brand strength in a process compliant with ISO 20671, looking at Marketing Investment, Stakeholder Equity, and the impact of those on Business Performance. The data used is derived from Brand Finance’s proprietary market research programme and from publicly available sources.

Each brand is assigned a Brand Strength Index (BSI) score out of 100, which feeds into the brand value calculation. Based on the score, each brand is assigned a corresponding Brand Rating up to AAA+ in a format similar to a credit rating.

Brand Valuation Approach

Brand Finance calculates the values of brands in its rankings using the Royalty Relief approach – a brand valuation method compliant with the industry standards set in ISO 10668. It involves estimating the likely future revenues that are attributable to a brand by calculating a royalty rate that would be charged for its use, to arrive at a ‘brand value’ understood as a net economic benefit that a brand owner would achieve by licensing the brand in the open market.

The steps in this process are as follows:

1 Calculate brand strength using a balanced scorecard of metrics assessing Marketing Investment, Stakeholder Equity, and Business Performance. Brand strength is expressed as a Brand Strength Index (BSI) score on a scale of 0 to 100.

2 Determine royalty range for each industry, reflecting the importance of brand to purchasing decisions. In luxury, the maximum percentage is high, while in extractive industry, where goods are often commoditised, it is lower. This is done by reviewing comparable licensing agreements sourced from Brand Finance’s extensive database.

3 Calculate royalty rate. The BSI score is applied to the royalty range to arrive at a royalty rate. For example, if the royalty range in a sector is 0-5% and a brand has a BSI score of 80 out of 100, then an appropriate royalty rate for the use of this brand in the given sector will be 4%.

4 Determine brand-specific revenues by estimating a proportion of parent company revenues attributable to a brand.

5 Determine forecast revenues using a function of historic revenues, equity analyst forecasts, and economic growth rates.

6 Apply the royalty rate to the forecast revenues to derive brand revenues.

7 Discount post-tax brand revenues to a net present value which equals the brand value.

Disclaimer

Brand Finance has produced this study with an independent and unbiased analysis. The values derived and opinions presented in this study are based on publicly available information and certain assumptions that Brand Finance used where such data was deficient or unclear. Brand Finance accepts no responsibility and will not be liable in the event that the publicly available information relied upon is subsequently found to be inaccurate. The opinions and financial analysis expressed in the study are not to be construed as providing investment or business advice. Brand Finance does not intend the study to be relied upon for any reason and excludes all liability to any body, government, or organisation.

The data presented in this study form part of Brand Finance's proprietary database, are provided for the benefit of the media, and are not to be used in part or in full for any commercial or technical purpose without written permission from Brand Finance.

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