GfK Roper Public Affairs & Media Partners With Anholt to Expand Nation Brands Index(SM)

NEW YORK, April 3, 2008 /PRNewswire/ -- GfK Roper Public Affairs & Media, a division of GfK Custom Research North America, today announced a new partnership with renowned government advisor and author Simon Anholt to provide an expanded Nation Brands Index(SM) (NBI). The annual index is based on the perceptions of more than 20,000 people across the globe, ranking nations according to the strength and appeal of their image.

Growing from 35 to now 50 countries, the Anholt-GfK Roper Nation Brands Index(SM) measures the power and quality of each country's 'brand image' by combining the following six dimensions:

     -- Exports - Determines the public's image of products from each country
        and the extent to which consumers proactively seek or avoid products
        from each country-of-origin.
     -- Governance - Measures public opinion regarding level of national
        government competency and fairness and describes individuals' beliefs
        about each country's government.
     -- Culture and Heritage - Reveals global perceptions of each nation's
        heritage and appreciation for its contemporary culture, including
        film, music, art and literature.
     -- People - Measures a country's reputation for openness and friendliness
        as well as perceived levels of potential hostility and discrimination.
     -- Tourism - Captures level of interest in visiting a country and the
        draw of popular tourist attractions.
     -- Investment and Immigration - Determines the power to attract people to
        live, work or study in each country.  Reveals how people describe a
        country's economic and social situation.

"To build and sustain a positive national image, government officials, business executives and citizens alike must first understand how their country is viewed," explains Barry M. Feinberg, Ph.D., Group Managing Director, GfK Roper Public Affairs & Media. "Our hope is that nations will look to this index to gain insight in their path towards more positive perceptions and the benefits that come from that."

"My partnership with GfK Roper Public Affairs significantly increases the number of countries I'm able to assess, further expanding reach across the globe," adds Simon Anholt. "I believe that this partnership will bring the Nation Brands Index(SM) to a whole new level around the world."

Conducted annually with GfK Roper beginning spring 2008, the Nation Brands Index measures the image of 50 countries. Each year, a total of 20,000 adults ages 18 and up are interviewed in 20 core countries.

As part of their collaboration, GfK and Anholt are also expanding the City Brands Index(SM) which is to be conducted in late 2008. For more information on the Anholt-GfK Roper Nation Brands Index or the upcoming City Brands Index, please visit www.gfkamerica.com and/or www.simonanholt.com.

About GfK Roper Public Affairs & Media

GfK Roper Public Affairs & Media is a division of GfK Custom Research North America. The division specializes in customized public opinion polling, media & communications research, and corporate reputation measurement -- in the US and globally. In addition to delivering a broad range of customized research studies, GfK Roper Public Affairs & Media draws from GfK's syndicated consumer tracking services, GfK Roper Reports(R) US and GfK Roper Reports(R) Worldwide, which monitor consumer values, beliefs, attitudes and behaviors in the US and more than 25 other countries.

About GfK Custom Research North America

Headquartered in New York, GfK Custom Research North America is part of the GfK Group. With home offices in Nuremberg, Germany, the GfK Group is the No. 5 market research organization worldwide. Its activities cover the three business sectors of Custom Research, Retail and Technology and Media. The Group has 115 companies covering over 90 countries. Of a total of approximately 8,760 employees (as of September 30, 2007), 80% are based outside Germany.

About Simon Anholt

Simon Anholt is recognized as the world's leading authority on national image and identity. He is a member of the UK Government's Public Diplomacy Board, and works as an independent advisor to around 20 other national, regional and city governments on brand strategy and public diplomacy. Anholt developed the concept of the Nation Brands Index in 2005. He is founding editor of the quarterly journal, Place Branding and Public Diplomacy, and the author of Brand New Justice, Brand America and Competitive Identity -- the New Brand Management for Nations, Cities and Regions.