Anholt City Brands Index-60 World Cities ranked by familiarity to outsiders

[dimondpark]

How The World Views Its Cities
The Presence
This point of the City Brand Hexagon is
all about the city’s international status and
standing. In this section, we ask how
familiar people are with each of the 60
cities in the survey, whether they have
actually visited them or not, and ask what
the cities are famous for. We also ask
whether each city has made an important
contribution to the world in culture,
science, or in the way cities are governed,
during the last 30 years.

The Place
Here, we explore people’s perceptions
about the physical aspect of each city: How
pleasant or unpleasant they imagine it to be
outdoors and to travel around the city, how
beautiful it is, and what the climate is like.

The Potential
This point of the City Brand Hexagon
considers the economic and educational
opportunities that each city is believed to
offer visitors, businesses and immigrants.
We ask our global panel how easy they
think it would be to find a job in the city,
and if they had a business, how good of
a place they think it would be to do
business. Finally, we ask whether each
city would be a good place for them or
other family members to get a higher
educational qualification.

The Pulse
The appeal of a vibrant urban lifestyle is an
important part of each city’s brand image.
In this section, we explore how exciting
people think the cities are, and ask how
easy they think it would be to find
interesting things to do, both as a shortterm
visitor and a long-term resident.

The People
The people make the city, and in this point
of the hexagon, we ask whether our
respondents think the inhabitants would be
warm and friendly, or cold and prejudiced
against outsiders. We ask whether they
think it would be easy for them to find
and fit into a community that shares their
language and culture. Finally, and very
importantly, we ask our global panel how
safe they think they would feel in the city.

The Prerequisites
This is the section where we ask people
about how they perceive the basic qualities
of the city: What they think it would be
like to live there, how easy they think it
would be to find satisfactory, affordable
accommodation, and what they believe
the general standard of public amenities
is like – schools, hospitals, public transport,
sports facilities, and so on.

For the 2006 edition of the Anholt City Brands Index, we have doubled the
number of cities included in the survey, from 30 to 60. The new cities included in the survey are: Melbourne, Montreal, Vancouver, Copenhagen, Munich, Boston, Las Vegas, Seattle, Chicago, Atlanta, Dublin, Philadelphia, Oslo, Lisbon, Helsinki, Dallas, New Orleans, St. Petersburg, Buenos Aires, Seoul, Reykjavik, Budapest, Shanghai, Warsaw, Havana, Jerusalem, Bangkok, Dubrovnik, Manila and Nairobi.

The survey was conducted online
among 15,255 men and women aged
18-64 from a wide range of income
groups in the following countries:
Australia, Brazil, Canada, China,
Denmark, France, Germany, India, Italy,
Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, the
Netherlands, New Zealand, Poland,
Russia, Spain, the United Kingdom
and the United States.

2006 City Brands Index
1 Sydney
2 London
3 Paris
4 Rome
5 New York
6 Washington DC
7 San Francisco
8 Melbourne
9 Barcelona
10 Geneva
11 Amsterdam
12 Madrid
13 Montreal
14 Toronto
15 Los Angeles
16 Vancouver
17 Berlin
18 Brussels
19 Milan
20 Copenhagen
21 Munich
22 Tokyo
23 Boston
24 Las Vegas
25 Seattke
26 Stockholm
27 Chicago
28 Atlanta
29 Dublin
30 Ediburgh
31 Philadelphia
32 Oslo
33 Lisbon
34 Prague
35 Singapore
36 Helsinki
37 Hong Kong
38 Dallas
39 New Orleans
40 St Petersburg(Russia)
41 Rio de Janeiro
42 Buenos Aires
43 Beijing
44 Seoul
45 Reykjavik
46 Budapest
47 Shanghai
48 Moscow
49 Johannesburg
50 Mexico City
51 Warsaw
52 Havana
53 Jerusalem
54 Bangkok
55 Cairo
56 Dubrovnik
57 Mumbai
58 Manila
59 Lagos
60 Nairobi

Cities have always been brands, in the truest sense of the word. Famous and successful cities are usually associated in people’s minds with a single quality, promise, attribute or story. That simple brand narrative can have a major impact on people’s decision to visit the city, to buy its products or services,
to do business or relocate there. All decisions, whether they are as trivial
as buying an everyday product or as important as relocating a company, are
partly rational and partly emotional. No human activity is exempt from this
rule, and the brand images of cities and countries underpin the emotional part
of every decision, and also strongly affect the rational part.
Paris is romance, Milan is style, New York is energy, Washington is power,
Tokyo is modernity, Lagos is corruption, Barcelona is culture, Rio de Janeiro is
fun, and so on. These are the brands of cities, and they are inextricably tied to the histories and destinies of all these places. In today’s globalised, networked world, every place has to compete with every other place for its share of the world’s consumers, tourists, businesses, investment,
capital, respect and attention. Cities, the economic and cultural
powerhouses of nations, are increasingly becoming the focus of this international competition for funds, talent and fame. Yet the international brand of a city isn’t always accurate or up-to-date –especially when seen from a country on the other side of the planet. Some cities don’t attract much investment or the right kind of talent because their brand isn’t as strong or as positive as it deserves to be, while other cities still
benefit from a positive brand which today they do little to deserve.It is crucial for political and business leaders to understand the brand of their
respective cities, and see how they are viewed by potential visitors, investors, customers and future citizens around the world. If the image doesn’t match up to the reality, they need to decide what to do in order to close up the gap between the two.


http://www.citybrandsindex.com/downloads/cbi2006-q4-free.pdf

[dimondpark]

Table 1: "Think about how people in
general would behave towards you -
about whether for example they might
be warm and friendly, cold or show
prejudice towards you. How welcome
do you think people in general would
make you feel in the city?"
1 New York
2 London
3 Sydney
4 San Francisco
5 Los Angeles
6 Toronto
7 Washington DC
8 Chicago
9 Boston
10 Vancouver

Table 2: "Thinking about the climate in
the city throughout the year, how would
you assess it in general?"
1 Rio de Janeiro
2 Sydney
3 Barcelona
4 Los Angeles
5 Madrid
6 Rome
7 Havana
8 Melbourne
9 San Francisco
10 Buenos Aires

Table 3: "Thinking in particular about
the buildings and parks, how physically
attractive do you think the city is?"
1 Paris
2 Rome
3 Sydney
4 London
5 Barcelona
6 Madrid
7 St Petersburg
8 Amsterdam
9 Prague
10 San Francisco

Table 4: "The environments of cities
vary in terms of air, visual and other
types of pollution. How clean or dirty
do you think the city is?"
1 Geneva
2 Oslo
3 Stockholm
4 Helsinki
5 Copenhagen
6 Reykjavik
7 Sydney
8 Vancouver
9 Montreal
10 Melbourne

Table 5: "How easy do you think it
would be to find satisfactory, affordable
accommodation in the city?"
1 Melbourne
2 Vancouver
3 Lisbon
4 Sydney
5 Montreal
6 Amsterdam
7 Seattle
8 Dublin
9 Prague
10 Atlanta

Table 6: "What do you think the general
standard of public amenities – schools,
hospitals, public transport, sports
facilities – is like?"
1 Sydney
2 Geneva
3 London
4 Paris
5 Stockholm
6 Toronto
7 Tokyo
8 Montreal
9 Washington DC
10 Oslo

Table 7: "Think about how people in
general would behave towards you -
about whether for example they might
be warm and friendly, cold or show
prejudice towards you. How welcome
do you think people in general would
make you feel in the city?"
1 Sydney
2 Rio de Janeiro
3 Barcelona
4 Melbourne
5 Rome
6 Madrid
7 Vancouver
8 Las Vegas
9 Toronto
10 Amsterdam

Table 8: "How safe would you feel in
the city?"
1 Geneva
2 Oslo
3 Stockholm
4 Sydney
5 Copenhagen
6 Melbourne
7 Montreal
8 Helsinki
9 Vancouver
10 Brussels

Table 9: "If you had a week of free time
in the city, how easy do you think it
would be to find interesting things to fill
that time?"; "If you lived in the city, do
you think there would always be new
things to discover or would you become
bored with it after a time?"
1 Paris
2 Rome
3 London
4 New York
5 Sydney
6 San Francisco
7 Madrid
8 Barcelona
9 Los Angeles
10 Amsterdam

Table 11: "If you or a member of your
family wanted to go abroad to get a
good higher educational qualification,
how good a city do you think it would
be for that?"
1 London
2 Paris
3 New York
4 Washington DC
5 Boston
6 Sydney
7 Geneva
8 San Francisco
9 Toronto
10 Tokyo

Table 10: "If you had a business, how
good of a place would the city be to do
business in?"
1 New York
2 Sydney
3 London
4 Los Angeles
5 San Francisco
6 Paris
7 Toronto
8 Tokyo
9 Washington DC
10 Melbourne

[VivaLFuego]

Interesting; sounds about right. Chicago's national and international brand identity is awful given its economic stature.

[Gordo]

Lagos above Nairobi!?!?

I don't buy it! Not for a second!

:)

[Shawn]

Now before the hoards start bitching about how poorly done this ranking is, let's get something straight here.

Simon Anholt is a British government adviser specializing in the field of nation branding. Anholt has advised numerous governments and edits the journal Place Branding and Public Diplomacy - a highly respected periodical in both the International Relations and International Marketing communities. He is a member of the British government's Public Diplomacy Board and advises a number of other governments on their branding strategies, several of them developing countries in collaboration with the United Nations.

As someone who has degrees in both of these fields, I for one will vouch for the integrity of this survey's sampling frame and sampling method. No, branding is not a perfect science - no social science is - but like IR and other IBE fields, branding method has been refined to the point of bordering on natural science-like predictability. Just because your city is ranked lower than you'd like in no way invalidates this survey.

Sydney has been the Gold Standard of city branding for the past decade; I don't predict this will change for at least another decade.

[LordMandeep]

Nice to see Toronto on the list.

The Cn tower has done wonders.

[bobdreamz]

I find it kind of strange that no Florida city was listed. We get millions of international tourists per year but Orlando or Miami didn't make the list? The power of the Mickey or Sonny Crockett isn't as powerfull as I thought!

[mhays]

I think the clarity and prominence of a city's brand isn't the same as a city being well known, despite heavy overlap. For example, Chicago can be very well known, but simply have a less distinct or remembered brand.

As for Seattle, I'm surprised it ranks so high. We don't market our city heavily. We don't spend much time or tax money worrying about what outsiders think. We don't build supertalls. Call me happily surprised.

[alleystreetindustry]

yay atlanta. looking good. i guess.

as for seattle.. seattle is known for being seattle. n.w. location, space needle, beautiful skyline, etc.
atlanta is more present because of the olympics (but big in the economy dept. too).

[PhillyRising]

I'm shocked we even made the list!

The US Olympic Committee swore that foreigners knew nothing about Philly which is why we got dumped off the short list because they wouldn't vote for us. I guess the morons in the US Olympic Committee are the ones who don't know anything!

[ComandanteCero]

I wonder how much Atlanta's standing has to do with having hosted the Olympics. If so, that's pretty impressive. If Chicago can pull off the 2016 Olympics I wouldn't be surprised to see their brand go up a ways on the list (nor would i be surprised if Beijing goes up a bunch of spots after 2008).

[Evergrey]

Chicago definately needs a totally outrageous and proactive branding initiative.

[WonderlandPark]

Wow, a list that I actually don't necessarily disagree with. The 2000 games has done Sydney good. If it weren't so damn expensive to get to Australia from the States, I would love to visit Sydney and Melbourne (also top 10!)

[BigBird9]

I find it kind of strange that no Florida city was listed. We get millions of international tourists per year but Orlando or Miami didn't make the list? The power of the Mickey or Sonny Crockett isn't as powerfull as I thought!

That's what I thought. I was in Orlando recenlty at Disney World and both my Dad and I agreed that probably about half the people there were forriegn.

[atl2phx]

I wonder how much Atlanta's standing has to do with having hosted the Olympics. If so, that's pretty impressive. If Chicago can pull off the 2016 Olympics I wouldn't be surprised to see their brand go up a ways on the list (nor would i be surprised if Beijing goes up a bunch of spots after 2008).

beyond the 1996 olympics, i'd suggest atlanta's ranking is equally attributed to her association with media outlets such as CNN, TBS and the weather channel. atlanta's hip hop culture may have played a role as well.

[kevin22]

I find it kind of strange that no Florida city was listed. We get millions of international tourists per year but Orlando or Miami didn't make the list? The power of the Mickey or Sonny Crockett isn't as powerfull as I thought!

i was wondering the same thing, miami has the largest foreign born population in the world, and its not up there, i think theres something wrong with that list

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/3898795.stm

Miami has the largest foreign-born population of any city in the world, a United Nations report says.

[PhilippeMtl]

wtf?? Montreal and Toronto before L.A?

3 canadians cities in Top 20.

[LordMandeep]

Miami, Orlando are just classified as Florida by many people.


LA and SF are classified as California by people.


thats why i think they rank low.

[kevin22]

wtf?? Montreal and Toronto before L.A?

3 canadians cities in Top 20.

oh shit your right, its official this list makes no sence

[Shawn]

Why does it officially not make "sence"? Brand perception is purely subjective; to a vast number of non-Americans, Canada - and by extension, her people and cities - are viewed in a more positive light than America and her cities and people. Did you even bother to read the indicators being measured here?

[Gordo]

It is interesting that they did leave Miami out of the survey. It strikes me as the only American city left out that is well known on multiple continents besides North America.

[Xelebes]

Can someone define "brand" in this particular situation for me?

Right now the list doesn't seem fishy but I just want to know what this thread is about.

[ginsan2]

I'd dispute this. How many people even know where Sydney is? Much less Melbourne? Is that even a city?

And where the hell is Dubrovnik?

[Lecom]

Philly at 31! Take that, Oslo!

[big T]

I'd dispute this. How many people even know where Sydney is? Much less Melbourne? Is that even a city?

And where the hell is Dubrovnik?

Nice try.
Though I'll give you that, I have no idea where Dubrovnik might be either.

Australia in general seems like such a highly regarded nation, it always struck me as odd. I don't mean to put the place down, but my sentiment is exactly what's said in the survey -- so few people are actually able to elaborate on why they idealize the place so much.
Otherwise, as Shawn emphasized this is a survey about perceptions, so I don't really understand why some might be questioning its validity.

[raggedy13]

I'd dispute this. How many people even know where Sydney is? Much less Melbourne? Is that even a city?

And where the hell is Dubrovnik?

You're joking about the Australian cities right?

As for Dubrovnik, it's in Croatia on the Dalmation Coast. Personally I was quite surprised to see it on the list and I've been there. It is a beautiful little city with quite a large tourist draw but outside of Europe I don't think it is really on most people's radar screens.

[bobdreamz]

^ yes I know of Dubrovnik through tv & magazines but it's basically a tourist city on a very small scale though compared to the other cities listed.

[alleystreetindustry]

I wonder how much Atlanta's standing has to do with having hosted the Olympics. If so, that's pretty impressive. If Chicago can pull off the 2016 Olympics I wouldn't be surprised to see their brand go up a ways on the list (nor would i be surprised if Beijing goes up a bunch of spots after 2008).

the olympics made atlanta what it is today. the city already had cnn, turner broadcasting, etc. before. but i think it is likely atlanta was placed on and international map because of the olympics. in my recent trip to italy (http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?t=134428), everybody asked me where i was from. i told them atlanta and they (most)replied "atlanta.. oh yeah.. the 96' olympics!". chicago is much more popular in foreign countries than atlanta is. and beijing is def. already known also (because of history, chinese capital, etc.).

toronto and l.a. are also large international cities, but toronto is the most major rep. of canada, and in a way more international than l.a. as far as diversity goes.

im surprised miami and orlando aren't ranked. miami is way more known internationally than atlanta. they have the nightclubs, the beaches, the skyline, the "paradise location".

[jeicow]

To be honest, none of these citie's rankings are all that surprising. If anything, I think the fact Dallas shows up is pretty surprising because I always thought it had a weak brand outside of North America. Geneva also surprised me somewhat. While I realize it is an important city for being home to so many highly regarded international organizations and banks, I honestly could never tell you what was there, but at the same time, everything I know about it is through word of mouth and by what I've read/heard on TV so I guess the fact I reconize it without any appearent marketing for it shows that it does have a strong brand.

None of the rankings of the Canadian cities really surprised me, especially considering which nations were surveyed.

[Quixote]

and in a way more international than l.a. as far as diversity goes.

Not true at all.

[alleystreetindustry]

Not true at all.

im not saying l.a. isn't diverse. im have known toronto as being diverse. everywhere i read, everybody i talk to, the topic that always comes up with toronto is her diversity. l.a. being diverse is a fact, but the city isn't known for being it. toronto is.

[Quixote]

im not saying l.a. isn't diverse. im have known toronto as being diverse. everywhere i read, everybody i talk to, the topic that always comes up with toronto is her diversity. l.a. being diverse is a fact, but the city isn't known for being it. toronto is.

Los Angeles is known for being a diverse city. Everyone I've talked to knows that.

[ginsan2]

You're joking about the Australian cities right?

As for Dubrovnik, it's in Croatia on the Dalmation Coast. Personally I was quite surprised to see it on the list and I've been there. It is a beautiful little city with quite a large tourist draw but outside of Europe I don't think it is really on most people's radar screens.

To place Australia at all, much less Sydney, on par with NYC or London is nothing short of ridiculous. So, no, I am not kidding.

[Shawn]

Not true at all.

Doesn't have to be true; alleystreetindustry's view of Toronto's diversity vis-a-vi Los Angeles is a perfect example of a conscious and concerted branding effort undertaken by Toronto's civic leadership. Looks to me like it has been pretty effective at that.

I mean, is Virginia really that much a better place for lovers than Maryland? The Virginia Chamber of Commerce would certainly have you believe so!

[LordMandeep]

La still has the LA riots stigma outside of the States when it comes to diversity.

We all know things have changed but many people do not.

[Quixote]

Doesn't have to be true; alleystreetindustry's view of Toronto's diversity vis-a-vi Los Angeles is a perfect example of a conscious and concerted branding effort undertaken by Toronto's civic leadership. Looks to me like it has been pretty effective at that.

Can you go into further detail about Toronto's "branding effort"?

[Shawn]

Can you go into further detail about Toronto's "branding effort"?

Sure. From what I have read on this forum, from what I have seen in press and in other media (in the US and Japan), and from casual conversation with friends/coworkers from around the world, there is a general perception that Toronto is among the most multicultural cities in the world, if not THE most multicultural. This perception has to have originated from somewhere, and if the heavily-rotated "Toronto Yokoso!" TV spots showing smiling children of all races and ethnicities playing in a park (a commercial I see daily on Discovery Channel Japan, funded by the Toronto Chamber of Commerce) is any indication of said perception's origins, I think you have your answer.

http://www.torontotourism.com/Visitor/Toronto101

Look at Toronto's official Board of Tourism's homepage; specifically, look at how the city's brand is positioned: "Simply, it’s like nowhere on earth. More than 100 cultures come together to create cool things – that means cuisine, shopping and art you won’t see anywhere else." This message is consistently underlined throughout the website and throughout other promotional material and media I have seen.

Viral branding can be more effective than big-budget media blitzes too. I mean, Google "world's most multicultural city" and notice that the top results are about Toronto. Civic leaders in Toronto don't need to be overly aggressive in their branding strategy now that "the word" is out there; when you have Japanese 20-somethings who have never been outside of Greater Tokyo thinking "Toronto is the most multicultural city in the world, it looks like a real nice place to visit," you know your branding effort has successfully established a consistent, actionable message.

[Quixote]

La still has the LA riots stigma outside of the States when it comes to diversity.

We all know things have changed but many people do not.

What do the LA Riots have anything to do with the amount of ethnic diversity here and how well we are perceived by the world as a cosmopolitan destination? The LA Riots only speak to the fact that there is (or was) racial tension in Los Angeles. Civil unrest by way of a race riot doesn't say anything about a city's diversity and Los Angeles is the perfect example. And proof of that is the "branding effort in disguise" movie known as Crash. I'd say an Academy Award winning movie that sends a message out to its audience is a branding effort in itself.

[Shawn]

What do the LA Riots have anything to do with the amount of ethnic diversity here and how well we are perceived by the world as a cosmopolitan destination? The LA Riots only speak to the fact that there is (or was) racial tension in Los Angeles. Civil unrest by way of a race riot doesn't say anything about a city's diversity and Los Angeles is the perfect example. And proof of that is the "branding effort in disguise" movie known as Crash. I'd say an Academy Award winning movie that sends a message out to its audience is a branding effort in itself.

Yeah, but "effort" doesn't necessarily equate "success." An informal poll of my team at work right now (30 y/o American male from Florida, 28 y/o Japanese female from Tokyo, 36 y/o Japanese female from Sydney, 32 y/o Japanese female from Ecuador, 28 y/o Polish male from Warsaw, 32 y/o Australian male from Alice Springs, 26 y/o Chinese female from Shanghai, 25 y/o Indian female from Mumbai, 29 y/o Japanese male from Kanagawa) asking "List the first three words that come to mind when you think of Los Angeles" included the following responses: "Hollywood" (9 times, from everyone), "cars" (7 times), "movies" (5 times), "rap music" (5 times), "gangs" (4 times), "Dodgers" (4 times) and yes, "riots" (4 times). Others terms include "palm trees", "sunshine", "(movie)stars", "smog", "fake people", "good sushi" and "highways."

Of course this is a very small sampling, but it is made up of a very international group of well-traveled people. The 25 y/o Indian girl and the 26 y/o Chinese girl, both of whom have never been to America, said "riots" without any prompting from me.

As LordMandeep pointed out, it would seem that there is a strong possibility that the memory of the riots - seen worldwide on TV - is still quite strong among people who have never even been to the US.

[Quixote]

^But what do the LA Riots have anything to do with this?

[atl2phx]

Yeah, but "effort" doesn't necessarily equate "success." An informal poll of my team at work right now (30 y/o American male from Florida, 28 y/o Japanese female from Tokyo, 36 y/o Japanese female from Sydney, 32 y/o Japanese female from Ecuador, 28 y/o Polish male from Warsaw, 32 y/o Australian male from Alice Springs, 26 y/o Chinese female from Shanghai, 25 y/o Indian female from Mumbai, 29 y/o Japanese male from Kanagawa) asking "List the first three words that come to mind when you think of Los Angeles" included the following responses: "Hollywood" (9 times, from everyone), "cars" (7 times), "movies" (5 times), "rap music" (5 times), "gangs" (4 times), "Dodgers" (4 times) and yes, "riots" (4 times). Others terms include "palm trees", "sunshine", "(movie)stars", "smog", "fake people", "good sushi" and "highways."

Of course this is a very small sampling, but it is made up of a very international group of well-traveled people. The 25 y/o Indian girl and the 26 y/o Chinese girl, both of whom have never been to America, said "riots" without any prompting from me.

As LordMandeep pointed out, it would seem that there is a strong possibility that the memory of the riots - seen worldwide on TV - is still quite strong among people who have never even been to the US.

interesting informal poll; given that atlanta ranked so high (relative to other us cities) i'd be interested in what they think of when they hear atlanta. :D

[Shawn]

Does it really matter whether the riots are in any way representative of race relations in LA? If a bunch of people associate "riots" with "LA" in a negative way, then civic leaders in LA should probably address this. I cannot definitively say "yes, because of the LA riots, many people inside and outside the US think LA has diversity issues." I didn't follow up my informal poll with "do you think LA is a culturally-diverse city?" or "do you have a positive image of LA's race relations?" The point here is that lots of people associate LA negatively with riots (especially in Pacific Asia, where images of blacks beating up Koreans is still very fresh in people's minds).

I think that most people would have positive impressions of the terms "multicultural" and "diverse." "Multicultural" does not conjure up images of racial tensions boiling over into wide-scale violence.

[kevin22]

[/QUOTE]im surprised miami and orlando aren't ranked. miami is way more known internationally than atlanta. they have the nightclubs, the beaches, the skyline, the "paradise location".[/QUOTE]

yea this is absolutely true, miami has some of the best nightclubs in north america, and hosts the world's largest music festival, and has the largest deco architecture in the world:


http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w74/juliano_milan/Miami_Night_1600.jpg

http://i180.photobucket.com/albums/x308/kr1z3o5/miamiSkyline1.jpg

http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r112/cghollisterbabi/miamiisthebestt.jpg

http://i184.photobucket.com/albums/x294/lynovak211/Miami%20Beach/6874re2.jpg

[jpIllInoIs]

As a life long Chicagoan....Miami got hosed. Miami Beach is absolutely choked with European (Britain, France Germany Spain) and Canadian and South American tourists.:koko:

Alas I am not surprised that Chicago is a mystery to the rest of the world

[BigBird9]

Miami, Orlando are just classified as Florida by many people.


LA and SF are classified as California by people.


thats why i think they rank low.

eh.... You might be on to something here.

[skylife]

Yeah, but "effort" doesn't necessarily equate "success." An informal poll of my team at work right now (30 y/o American male from Florida, 28 y/o Japanese female from Tokyo, 36 y/o Japanese female from Sydney, 32 y/o Japanese female from Ecuador, 28 y/o Polish male from Warsaw, 32 y/o Australian male from Alice Springs, 26 y/o Chinese female from Shanghai, 25 y/o Indian female from Mumbai, 29 y/o Japanese male from Kanagawa) asking "List the first three words that come to mind when you think of Los Angeles" included the following responses: "Hollywood" (9 times, from everyone), "cars" (7 times), "movies" (5 times), "rap music" (5 times), "gangs" (4 times), "Dodgers" (4 times) and yes, "riots" (4 times). Others terms include "palm trees", "sunshine", "(movie)stars", "smog", "fake people", "good sushi" and "highways."

Of course this is a very small sampling, but it is made up of a very international group of well-traveled people. The 25 y/o Indian girl and the 26 y/o Chinese girl, both of whom have never been to America, said "riots" without any prompting from me.

As LordMandeep pointed out, it would seem that there is a strong possibility that the memory of the riots - seen worldwide on TV - is still quite strong among people who have never even been to the US.

And what was their response when you asked about Toronto? Crickets chirping? I have a hard time believing Toronto is more of a "brand" than L.A.

[kevin22]

heres a list of the 50 most popular cities in the world:

http://www.phonebookoftheworld.com/world/city/city-top.asp

1 Paris
2 London
3 New York
4 Mexico City
5 Rome
6 Brussels
7 Cancun
8 Nice
9 Buenos Aires
10 Madrid
11 San Francisco
12 Sydney
13 Lyon
14 Barcelona
15 Melbourne
16 Monterrey
17 Milan
18 Cannes
19 Los Angeles
20 Amsterdam
21 Vienna
22 Marseille
23 Montreal
24 Berlin
25 Acapulco
26 Rio de Janeiro
27 Florence
28 Toronto
29 Frankfurt
30 Athens
31 Munich
32 Strasbourg
33 Miami
34 Sao Paulo
35 Lille
36 Bordeaux
37 Antalya
38 Guadalajara
39 Geneva
40 Venice
41 Toulouse
42 Dublin
43 Perth
44 Chicago
45 Vancouver
46 Istanbul
47 Palma de Mallorca
48 Tijuana
49 Zurich

[LordMandeep]

thats a better list...I question some of the European cities like Nice,Brussels and Lyon and Monterrey.



LA should be higher but Miami isn't because Its too associated with Florida.

[MolsonExport]

Where the hell is Kapuskasing? Thunder Bay??

[MolsonExport]

And what was their response when you asked about Toronto? Crickets chirpin?


:jester:

I am sure that some Canadian forumers will get a kick outta this!

[MolsonExport]

If anything, I think the fact Dallas shows up is pretty surprising because I always thought it had a weak brand outside of North America.


Outside USA view of Dallas:

http://www.worstpreviews.com/images/dallas.gif

[SHiRO]

I'd dispute this. How many people even know where Sydney is? Much less Melbourne? Is that even a city?

And where the hell is Dubrovnik?
Like so many of your posts:

Totally :koko:

Dubrovnik is a rather well known city in Croatia. I´d say more people have heard of it then of the Croatian capital and the next 5 largest Croatian cities. At least so in Europe this is the case. The world doesn´t revolve around the US you know...
That said, the list is a bit western centric, but if you see where people who participated in this test come from it´s explained.

And as Shawn said..., Sydney definately is the gold standard of city brands, no question about that whatsoever.

Melbourn btw is a city of 3.5 million people...yeah it´s a city.:rolleyes:

[LordMandeep]

outside NA opinion of LA
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/c/c4/GTASABOX.jpg


:haha: :haha:

[skylife]

Dubrovnik is a rather well known city in Croatia. I´d say more people have heard of it then of the Croatian capital and the next 5 largest Croatian cities. At least so in Europe this is the case.

I think it's easily the least known city on that list, though.

The world doesn´t revolve around the US you know...

Well, maybe just a little bit. ;)

[Modern Design]

1 Paris
2 London
3 New York
4 Mexico City
5 Rome
6 Brussels
7 Cancun
8 Nice
9 Buenos Aires
10 Madrid
11 San Francisco
12 Sydney
13 Lyon
14 Barcelona
15 Melbourne
16 Monterrey
17 Milan
18 Cannes
19 Los Angeles
20 Amsterdam
21 Vienna
22 Marseille
23 Montreal
24 Berlin
25 Acapulco
26 Rio de Janeiro
27 Florence
28 Toronto
29 Frankfurt
30 Athens
31 Munich
32 Strasbourg
33 Miami
34 Sao Paulo
35 Lille
36 Bordeaux
37 Antalya
38 Guadalajara
39 Geneva
40 Venice
41 Toulouse
42 Dublin
43 Perth
44 Chicago
45 Vancouver
46 Istanbul
47 Palma de Mallorca
48 Tijuana
49 Zurich"
Now this is just too much bullshit for one thread!!!! Guadalajara over
Geneva...I can count on my fingers who knowns Guadalajara...
8 Nice???WTF??This is totaly european biased

[alleystreetindustry]

Los Angeles is known for being a diverse city. Everyone I've talked to knows that.

just as Shawn described and what i have said, EVERYBODY knows l.a. is diverse. l.a. isn't known as being diverse. toronto is. if l.a. being diverse comes into international views, it will most likely deal with racism and riots. i don't think all of l.a. is full of racism and riots, but it does exists. and it just so happens that kind of stuff is spread among the world through media (look at the movie 'crash'.. that has also played a role). it is something every city deals with no matter where you are (hell, atlanta has racism. as does new york, philly, houston, etc.).

[LordMandeep]

hes right.


We all know LA isn't like that but things like that have an influence.

[Eagle rock]

Los Angeles probably has one of the worst reputations in the Us if not the world. I would say LA is where NY was in the 1970's, in terms of people thinking its an urban wasteland. I think Hollywood has actually had a negative effect on the perception of LA, a really good film on the subject is Los Angeles Plays Itself by Thom Anderson.

By the way. I lived in LA for 4 years and recently had to move for job reasons but i desperatly want to move back because I think its the most dynamic, exciting city in the US.

[dimondpark]

just as Shawn described and what i have said, EVERYBODY knows l.a. is diverse. l.a. isn't known as being diverse. toronto is.
I dont really see much news about any city's diversity-let alone LA.

if l.a. being diverse comes into international views, it will most likely deal with racism and riots. i don't think all of l.a. is full of racism and riots, but it does exists.
I dont think most people outside of North America see LA this way at all. Having lived in Europe, Asia, Africa and South America, I cant recall ever hearing anyone badmouth LA the way we do in our own continent. I do, however recall mention of the glamorous aspects of Hollywood and movie stars and what not. LA may not be officially heralding its charms but its biggest industry and that's industry's auxiliary components have really done a good job(even if unknowingly) of painting LA in a far more positive light then I think most people in North America know.

[LordMandeep]

I think some American cities have a crime stigma attached to them.

[sprtsluvr8]

I think some American cities have a crime stigma attached to them.


Is that "American" as in North American?

[LordMandeep]

I meant American cities...

I know i am generalizing but Canadian cities are seen as being safer place then American ones and statistically is true as well.

[Gordo]

I meant American cities...

I know i am generalizing but Canadian cities are seen as being safer place then American ones and statistically is true as well.

You're absolutely correct. I've spent quite a bit of time traveling outside the US, and there is a general perception that American cities are much more dangerous. I remember an Australian girl telling me about how nervous her parents were about her visiting LA and Miami, even though she was going to those cities after spending time in Thailand and before spending time in South Africa. The perception of "American gun culture" is rampant around the world and the stats back that up - we all know that much crime is generally isolated in specific areas, but just looking at crime rates - American cities are MUCH more violent than cities in every other first world country, and most developing countries as well.

[Shawn]

You're absolutely correct. I've spent quite a bit of time traveling outside the US, and there is a general perception that American cities are much more dangerous. I remember an Australian girl telling me about how nervous her parents were about her visiting LA and Miami, even though she was going to those cities after spending time in Thailand and before spending time in South Africa. The perception of "American gun culture" is rampant around the world and the stats back that up - we all know that much crime is generally isolated in specific areas, but just looking at crime rates - American cities are MUCH more violent than cities in every other first world country, and most developing countries as well.

No joke - I've been earnestly asked on at least five or six occasions, "How many times have you been shot at?" and "how many guns do you own?" I usually respond with "I haven't been shot yet, but I have been stabbed five times" and then proceed to show the shocked questioner the fundoplication (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fundoplication) scars on my stomach, which tends to really freak people out. I can usually get a good bit of mileage out of this. ;)

[bobdreamz]

^ shawn they really ask you that?

[skylife]

No joke - I've been earnestly asked on at least five or six occasions, "How many times have you been shot at?" and "how many guns do you own?"

Well it's always kinda nice to be reminded that Americans don't have a monopoly on cultural ignorance, but that hurts. :(

[Shawn]

^ shawn they really ask you that?

Oh yes. This is something that sounds made up, but I bet Aaron or any of the other gaijin forumers here have similar stories. Of course, my internationally-minded coworkers and my former university buddies who have wide-ranging, first-hand exposure to Western culture know better. But get some alcohol in your typical 30-something salaryman or OL whose only exposure to American culture is MTV, Hollywood and news clips of school shootings and high-speed highway chases, and they will summon up the courage to talk with me at bars, asking me questions about America that range from funny to downright bizarre.

Mind you, I've lived here since 2002 and I've been asked about my gun collection/battle scars "only" 5 or 6 times, so that's "only" once per year or so;)

[edluva]

wonderlandpark, before you get your panties bunched up again, this is a survey of subjective opinions of some 15 thousand people around the world, not an empricial study of either metro's diversity.

and shawn is correct in his point about TO's relative "success" in branding it's diversity in light of LA's. TO consciously branded itself and you'll see it in all sorts of official civic boosting paraphrenelia. TO took the UN's "multicultural" anointment and ran with it, and voila, you now have not only tons of people in Toronto, but also people all over the world reciting it somnambulously (of course that won't change my opinion of LA offering far more diversity as a fact, but I'll save it for another dick-measure fest)

[Chase Unperson]

wonderlandpark, before you get your panties bunched up again, this is a survey of subjective opinions of some 15 thousand people around the world, not an empricial study of either metro's diversity.

and shawn is correct in his point about TO's relative "success" in branding it's diversity in light of LA's. TO consciously branded itself and you'll see it in all sorts of official civic boosting paraphrenelia. TO took the UN's "multicultural" anointment and ran with it, and voila, you now have not only tons of people in Toronto, but also people all over the world reciting it somnambulously (of course that won't change my opinion of LA offering far more diversity as a fact, but I'll save it for another dick-measure fest)


But I bet that if you were from Toronto you would belive Toronto offered far more diversity.

You live where you live and it is what it is. Nothing else matters.

[edluva]

very philosophical agonist. and in your existential spirit i'll look at it from the standpoint of diversity being almost impossible to measure empirically, being a holistic concept that can only be arrived at via consensus. oh but guess what, consensus dictates that my opinion still counts.

but yeah for the sake of farting around youre right. it's not unlike the sort of vaguary which surrounds the always contested notion "density" or "metro". who cares about that either?

[KevinFromTexas]

Outside USA view of Dallas:

http://www.worstpreviews.com/images/dallas.gif

Haha, even I had a certain theme song in my head upon my first visit to Dallas.

[the Misanthropist]

thats a better list...I question some of the European cities like Nice,Brussels and Lyon and Monterrey.

Ouch!

Guadalajara over Geneva...I can count on my fingers who knowns Guadalajara...

Nice???WTF??This is totaly european biased

Make up your mind, will you?

[alleystreetindustry]

I dont really see much news about any city's diversity-let alone LA.

what? there is no news about diversity. there is media for racism and violence though.

I dont think most people outside of North America see LA this way at all. Having lived in Europe, Asia, Africa and South America, I cant recall ever hearing anyone badmouth LA the way we do in our own continent. I do, however recall mention of the glamorous aspects of Hollywood and movie stars and what not. LA may not be officially heralding its charms but its biggest industry and that's industry's auxiliary components have really done a good job(even if unknowingly) of painting LA in a far more positive light then I think most people in North America know.

im not saying everybody on an international level thinks of l.a. as being this naturally. im saying if l.a.'s diversity or race were to come up, riots will most likely be the output.

[Symi81]

These rankings are sort of fun to look at, but honestly they really dont mean much.

New Orleans and Washington DC? Probably around half the people in both cities live under the poverty line. In recent years, both cities have held or nearly held the prestigious distinction of being the murder capitol of the USA. I know crime in DC is way down over the last 10 years, but thats primarily due to gentrification (just push the poor out of the Capitol of the richest nation in world history...)

[Coyett]

I think it's interesting that only four cities outside of the countries polled made it into the top thirty - all European. I also wonder about the methodology. Shawn, is the survey weighted to reflect the differences in population between the countries that participated in the poll? :shrug:

Countries that particiapated in the poll by region:

Oceania: Australia, New Zealand
South America: Brazil,
North America: Canada, United States, Mexico
Europe: Denmark, France, Germany, Italy,
Netherlands, Poland, Russia, Spain, the United Kingdom
Asia: India, China, Japan, Korea, Malaysia

2006 City Brands Index
1 Sydney
2 London
3 Paris
4 Rome
5 New York
6 Washington DC
7 San Francisco
8 Melbourne
9 Barcelona
10 Geneva
11 Amsterdam
12 Madrid
13 Montreal
14 Toronto
15 Los Angeles
16 Vancouver
17 Berlin
18 Brussels
19 Milan
20 Copenhagen
21 Munich
22 Tokyo
23 Boston
24 Las Vegas
25 Seattle
26 Stockholm
27 Chicago
28 Atlanta
29 Dublin
30 Ediburgh

[the Misanthropist]

These rankings are sort of fun to look at, but honestly they really dont mean much.

New Orleans and Washington DC? Probably around half the people in both cities live under the poverty line. In recent years, both cities have held or nearly held the prestigious distinction of being the murder capitol of the USA. I know crime in DC is way down over the last 10 years, but thats primarily due to gentrification (just push the poor out of the Capitol of the richest nation in world history...)

I hate to be pedantic -who am I fooling, I actually love it- but Washington is the "capital of the richest country in the world". The Capitol is that funny building with a cupola. Be thankful I'm not your teacher at uni.