(MENAFN - The Peninsula) Qatar has grabbed a top slot in the 'future forward country' brand announced by the FutureBrand, a global brand consultancy built on an inimitable focus on innovation and future.
"Future Fifteen", a ranking of 15 country brands on course to transform the global landscape economically, politically and culturally in years to come was released for the first time by the FutureBrand along with its 8th annual Country Brand Index (CBI).
The UAE was the only one country in the Middle East made it into the top 25 for 2012-2013 CBI which saw Switzerland on top. The UAE came in 23rd place, an improvement of two spots from last year. However, the emirate came first on the "Future Fifteen" list.
Qatar came 4th on this list of 15 countries. Fast emerging countries like China, India, Brazil, Turkey, Thailand and Vietnam were all ranked far below Qatar.
The report cites the top ranking countries' aptitude in capitalizing on their abundance of natural resources and in exercising excellent government foresight around policy and investment as one of the strongest indicators of their future success.
To develop the "Future Fifteen", FutureBrand collaborated with a global panel of experts across public policy, business, and media-related disciplines to identify the driving forces behind consumers' country-based decisions and perceptions. A forward-focused evolution of the CBI's existing dimensions, these Future Drivers of brand strength emphasizes core determinants of a country's prospective leadership.
FutureBrand ranks the world's countries according to international perceptions of their cultures, industries, economic vitality, and public policy initiatives. The company collects data from 3,600 frequent international travelers, including residents, investors, tourists, and foreign government employees, in order to determine the rankings using its proprietary Hierarchical Decision Model.
Commenting on the Future Fifteen ranking FutureBrand stated, "The inaugural Future Fifteen recognizes the United Arab Emirates as the forerunner among tomorrow's leading country brands. The report cites the UAE's aptitude in capitalising on its abundance of natural resources and in exercising excellent government foresight around policy and investment as one of the strongest indicators of its future success."
Nevertheless, FutureBrand anticipates challenges, saying, "Despite positive momentum in the region, the CBI also notes the UAE's impending obstacles, including the tremendous challenge of fair wealth distribution." The "Future Fifteen" looks at six specific areas where positive performance drives a country's success as a brand. These are good governance, commitment to investment, quality of human capital, growth in various economic metrics, sustainability of the country's current path, and influence in the international community.
