Marketing research firm Anholt-GMI has released its latest list of the world’s top “nation brands,” and it will burn Americans’ backsides to see that Canada ranks No. 2, while the U.S. has fallen from No. 4 to No. 11. One thousand people in 10 nations were asked to rank countries on various criteria, including tourism, immigration, exports, investment, culture, heritage and people. (Canada fared poorly only in the “culture” category. The full methodology can be found on Anholt-GMI’s Web site.) Australia somehow came out on top; rounding out the top 10, after Canada, were Switzerland, the U.K., Sweden, Italy, Germany, the Netherlands, France and New Zealand. Says the Anholt-GMI site: “When we express a preference for French holidays, German cars, or Italian opera; when we instinctively trust the policies of the Swedish government, comment on the ambition of the Japanese, the bluntness of the Americans or the courtesy of the British; when we avoid investing in Russia, favor Turkey’s entry into Europe or admire the heritage of China and India, we are responding to brand images in exactly the same way as when we’re shopping for clothing or food. But these are far bigger brands than Nike or Nestle. They are brands of nations.”

—Posted by Tim Nudd