Measuring a Country's Image and Brand Value: The Case of Croatia

Svrha ovog rada je bila putem analize indeksa koji rangiraju brend države, prikazati snagu brenda Hrvatske. Analiza indeksa omogućila je da se korištenjem različitih izvora i metodologija, koji su specifični za svaki indeks dobije ideja koliko je brend Hrvatske jak i prepoznat u svijetu. Brendiranje je danas raširena pojava koji nije zaobišla ni lokacije i zemlje, zahvaljujući činjenici da prepoznatljiv brend ima mnogo prednosti za zemlju koju predstavlja. Jak brend ima ekonomske i političke prednosti, stoga predstavlja veliku priliku za zemlju koja razumije proces izgradnje svojeg imidža i predstavljanja sebe u svijetu, te koja kontinuirano radi na tome. Hrvatska ima još neostvareni potencijal u brendiranju sebe kao nešto više od turističke destinacije, što je analize indeksa i pokazala. Snaga hrvatskog brenda leži uglavnom u turizmu, što ju čini podložnu slabljenju brenda ukoliko ta grana gospodarstva iz nekog razloga oslabi. Najsnažnije svjetske zemlje kada je brend u pitanju su izgradile svoj imidž na više stabilnih i jakih temelja, i dominiraju u mnogim društvenim sferama. Iz tog razloga potrebno je raditi na brendiranju, i iskoristiti hrvatsku turističku moć za građenje brenda i na drugim poljima, kao što su to napravile najbolje rangirane zemlje.The main goal of this paper was to show the strength of Croatia's brand, by analyzing different indexes that rank a country’s brand. Analyzing those indexes allowed the use of different sources, all of which have different focus and methodology, and using the results of that analysis to try and get an idea how strong and recognizable Croatia’s brand is in the world. Branding is a widespread practice in this day and age, and it can be applied to both locations and whole countries, owing to the fact that a recognizable brand holds a lot of advantages for a country. A powerful brand ha both economic and political benefits, so it represents a big opportunity for a country that understands the process of creating an image and representing itself on the world’s stage and continues to work on perfecting it. Croatia still has an untapped potential in the field of branding itself as something more than just a recognizable tourist destination, which was show by the results of index analysis. The main strength of Croatia’s brand lies in its tourism sector, and should that sector for any reason experience certain difficulties, the whole brand is exposed to weakening. The strongest country brands have built their image on numerous strong foundations, and they dominate in a lot of various societal operations. For that reason, it is important to continue working on Croatia’s brand, and use that big tourist draw to expand and create new aspects of the brand, just as the best ranked countries have done