Peru. An emblem of ambition

The FutureBrand Country Index takes the World Bank ranking of the top 75 countries by GDP from around the world and reorders them by strength of perception across association dimensions in the same way we measure consumer or corporate brands. We were among the pioneers of this approach, exploring the hypothesis that countries can also be understood as the sum of their identity and reputation. And, just like brands, strength or weakness of perception of a country can influence peopleʼs decisions to choose them as places to visit, live or invest in. This was assumed to provide a competitive advantage in a global market for tourism, education and investment, and to build evidence for proactive country brand management.

The most future-proofed country brands are those that people have strong, balanced perceptions of across our six dimensions relating to ‘status’ and ‘experience’. In other words, they perceive it as equally strong in aspects relating to quality of life, values and business, as they do for its culture, history, tourism and ‘made in’ expertise.

We are proud to have worked on a number of very interesting and successful country brands including Costa Rica, Bhutan and most recently Haiti however our collaboration with Peru in 2011 set the bar so high that it will be difficult to outdo it in the future.

Although it is considered to be one of the cradles of civilization, Peru had long been perceived as unsafe and corrupt, as well as economically and politically unstable – factors which kept it in a chronic state of depression. We collaborated with PromPerú, the Peruvian Government's promotion agency to redefine Peru as a destination brand through its positioning “Marca Perú”. It was designed to be 'an emblem of ambition'. The strategy has focused on delivering a specialized tourism experience and capitalising on the gastronomic boom of recent years.

For a long time Peru was mainly associated with Machu Picchu, but it has much more to offer: Kuélap, the Amazon, Choquequirao or the Colca canyon, for example. The strengths of the country lie mainly in heritage and culture, which includes indicators such as natural beauty and historical points of interest; and in tourism, related to the beautiful scenery and formed by factors such as gastronomy, lodging options and a multitude of attractions. In recent years there has been an increase in the discovery and promotion of new destinations, supported by the improvement of infrastructure of the roads, hotels and services that had been sorely lacking in the past. This, coupled with new found internal stability and a reduction in poverty, has led to the economic growth of the country and consequently a new sense of national pride among Peruvians.

The results of the latest FutureBrand Country Index indicate that Peru has reaped the rewards of consistent investment in its country brand over the last decade, as it is one of the fastest risers in the last 5 years, going up an impressive 12 places to reach number 37. It is now the 4^th most visited South American country and was the second highest ranked South American country in our Index just behind Argentina.

With tourism flourishing and a solid growth trajectory, it seems Peru's ambition is finally being realised.

Download the full results of the FutureBrand Country Index and find our more about our work on Peru.