Anholt-GMI City Brands Index: Toronto Tops the Charts in Three of Six Major Areas

SEATTLE - December 6, 2005 - In the first-ever brand ranking of major international cities, the Anholt-GMI City Brands Index (CBI) found that Toronto ranks in the top five in three of six major categories, gaining high marks among global citizens. Developed by branding expert Simon Anholt and global market research solutions provider GMI (Global Market Insite, Inc.), the CBI measured the brand of 30 cities around the world, including Toronto, San Francisco, Washington, D.C., Sydney, Paris, London, Tokyo and Hong Kong. 17,502 respondents worldwide were asked their opinions on the 30 cities in six areas: Presence (contribution to culture/science), Place (physical aspects), Potential (job/education opportunities), Pulse (urban lifestyle), People (welcome/diversity), and Prerequisites (basic qualities).

Overall, Toronto ranks second only to Sydney in the “Prerequisites” category, third for “People,” and fifth in the area of “Potential.” In the Prerequisites category, when asked, “What do you think the general standard of public amenities – schools, hospitals, public transport, sports facilities - is like,” respondents placed Toronto fifth behind Geneva, London, Sydney, and Stockholm. In the same category, panelists find it easy to seek satisfactory, affordable accommodation, ranking it sixth overall.

Worldwide, people feel safe in Toronto, giving the city fifth-place honors in the People category. In the same area, Toronto receives high marks not only for having the warmest and friendliest people, but also for making people feel as though they would easily fit in with their language and culture (seventh overall for both).

In the Potential category, Toronto bests 26 other cities for being able to find a job easily, weighing in at fourth place. Many respondents also consider Toronto to be a superior city in which to do business as well as to go to school for a higher-education degree. In each area, Toronto ranks seventh and eighth, respectively.

“It is important that both political and business leaders of cities understand how potential visitors, investors, customers and future citizens view their city, so they can take proactive measures to improve or leverage opportunities,” said Simon Anholt, co-author of the City Brands Index. “The brand awareness of a city, either positive or negative, is important because it can have direct financial consequences for the city.”

As cities compete for talent, capital, business, respect, tourism dollars and consumers, Toronto’s overall high ranking for offering a safe, friendly environment in which to live, do business, or go to school is good news. However, as a “bright lights, big city” destination, Toronto ranks in the middle of the pack at 17 th, with worldwide panelists choosing Paris, London, Rome and New York as the cities most likely to offer interesting, exciting things to do. Similarly, in the Place category, Toronto comes in directly above Los Angeles and Rio De Janeiro at 18 th place when respondents were asked to gauge how physically attractive the city is. Interestingly, though, Toronto beats out 25 other cities for cleanliness, ranking fifth overall.

Toronto ranks the lowest in the “Presence” category at 22 nd overall, proving the theory that the less frequently you visit a city, the less you know about its culture and other offerings. Toronto rates only 16 th when panelists were asked if they had visited Toronto. Not surprisingly, the city ranks 19 th in response to the question, “Please tell us how much you know about it,” and 24 th under “How important has its contribution to the world been over the last 30 years.” As high as Toronto’s other global rankings are, the Presence category rankings point to a need to showcase the city’s strengths as being a clean, safe, and friendly tourist destination.

About the Anholt-GMI City Brands Index

The Anholt-GMI City Brands Index, an annual ranking of cities around the globe, was compiled from the results of a survey conducted online among 17,502 men and women aged 18-64 in 18 countries.  The 30 cities whose brand was measured include Amsterdam, Barcelona, Beijing, Berlin, Brussels, Cairo, Edinburgh, Geneva, Hong Kong, Johannesburg, Lagos, London, Los Angeles, Madrid, Mexico City, Milan, Moscow, Mumbai, New York, Paris, Prague, Rio de Janeiro, Rome, San Francisco, Singapore, Stockholm, Sydney, Tokyo, Toronto, and Washington.

The six components of the City Brand Hexagon include Presence (the city’s international status and standing); Place (people’s perceptions about the physical aspect of each city); Potential (the economic and educational opportunities that each city is believed to offer visitors, businesses and immigrants); Pulse (the appeal of a vibrant urban lifestyle); People (respondents’ impressions of the inhabitants, community, and safety); and Prerequisites (people’s perceptions of the basic qualities of the city.)  

For further information about the Anholt-GMI City Brands Index, please go to www.citybrandsindex.com or contact GMI directly at http://www.gmi-mr.com/contact/.

About Simon Anholt

Anholtdeveloped the concept of the Nation Brands Index in 2005 and the first Index was published in April 2005. He is recognized as one of the world’s leading authorities on the branding of countries, regions and cities. Anholt advises a number of national governments and UN agencies on brand strategy, public diplomacy, cultural relations, investment and export promotion, tourism and economic development. He is the editor of the quarterly journal, Place Branding and Public Diplomacy, and the author of Brand New Justice, Brand Americaand several other books.

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