« R&D and economic growth | Main | Truths about Innovation »
October 04, 2006
Protecting America's Brand
As I have written about before, I am very worried that America is losing one of its most important international intangibles - its brand. Yesterday, I was at an event that heightened my concerns: a presentation at the Congressional Economic Leadership Institute (CELI) by Keith Reinhard, of Business for Diplomatic Action. Reinhard is a savvy ad executive (remember McDonald's “You deserve a break today”?) who understands brands - and understand that the American brand is in trouble. (See his earlier interview in the Washington Post - New Image for America Begins at Home)
As he pointed out, favorable views of the U.S. have been steadily dropping, according to the Pew Global Attitudes Project June 2006 survey:
A year ago, anti-Americanism had shown some signs of abating, in part because of the positive feelings generated by U.S. aid for tsunami victims in Indonesia and elsewhere. But favorable opinions of the United States have fallen in most of the 15 countries surveyed. Only about a quarter of the Spanish public (23%) expresses positive views of the U.S., down from 41% last year; America's image also has declined significantly in India (from 71% to 56%) and Indonesia (from 38% to 30%).
Even in countries we think of as our friends, their opinion of America has decline: from an 83% favorable opinion in Great Britain in 2000 to 56% in 2006. I remember talking to a good friend of mine who spends half a year in Yorkshire. After 9-11, everyone, even in London, who recognized him as an American spontaneously came up to talk. Needless to say, that doesn't happen any more.
In Australia, the teenage put down is "that's so American."
Not only is growing negative opinion bad for American foreign policy, it is bad for American business. As Reinhard points out, surveys have shown that people in other nations are beginning to not buy American goods as a result. Tourism to the US is down, in part to increased security measures that often border on the rude.
The solutions, he stress, are not easy and not quick. One of the things that caught my attention was a new education project. Business for Diplomatic Action has already created a successful World Citizens Guide to help U.S. business travelers and U.S. students who study abroad become more sensitive to local cultures. Now they propose to create a World Citizens Guide for Kids and a corresponding classroom curriculum.
Give the dearth of geography, history and other social studies in our schools, this is a welcome endeavor. The need is great. For example, a 2006 National Geographic survey, 29% of young Americans (18 to 24) could not located the Pacific Ocean on a map. 11% couldn't even find the US! That is horrific.
It is constantly pointed out that language and cultural skills are just as important as math and science for the future of our prosperity in this international economy. But the talk is not back up with action. Maybe Business for Diplomatic Action can change that.
Unfortunately, their work may be an uphill battle, especially in Washington. The US government is keenly concerned about what the rest of the world thinks of us - but only to try to predict attacks, not that they care about what is said. According to this morning's New York Times - Software Being Developed to Monitor Opinions of U.S. - New York Times:
A consortium of major universities, using Homeland Security Department money, is developing software that would let the government monitor negative opinions of the United States or its leaders in newspapers and other publications overseas.
Such a “sentiment analysis” is intended to identify potential threats to the nation, security officials said.
. . .
American officials have long relied on newspapers and other news sources to track events and opinions here and abroad, a goal that has included the routine translation of articles from many foreign publications and news services.
The new software would allow much more rapid and comprehensive monitoring of the global news media, as the Homeland Security Department and, perhaps, intelligence agencies look “to identify common patterns from numerous sources of information which might be indicative of potential threats to the nation,” a statement by the department said.
Those old-fashioned means of tracking foreign news may not be as sophisticated in their threat pattern recognition as this new software. But, the old-fashioned way was a lot better in understanding what others think of us. Simply reducing world opinion to a threat analysis is the wrong way to go.
So, by all means, look into better software. But understand that people - reading the news and trying to understand the opinions of others - will always be the best source of information. And the best source of the appreciation of others needed to make this a safer and more prosperous world.
Posted by Ken Jarboe at October 4, 2006 12:05 PM
Trackback Pings
TrackBack URL for this entry:
http://www.athenaalliance.org/mt/mt-tb.cgi/927
Comments
Let's be honest; most of the negative perceptions of this country come as the result of Bush Administration policies and actions. One might well have added to your post above that displaying open and public contempt for one's allies tends to drive negative views of one's country. Just amazing how that happens, isnt it?
The best solution for improved perceptions of the US is regime change in Washington, starting this November.
Posted by: Jon at October 5, 2006 06:38 AM