Melbourne: Australia's reputation in India has been badly tarnished following attacks on Indian students, said a British branding expert, who also termed the island nation as a "dumb blonde" of the world which is attractive but "shallow and unintelligent".
After attacks, Oz reputation in India badly tarnished: Expert
Simon Anholt, advisor to over 40 countries on national identity and reputation, said that the result of an annual reputation survey -- which he oversees with the public affairs company GfK Roper -- showed Australia's reputation in India has been badly tarnished by the attacks.
"The damage to Australia's reputation in India is quite severe," he was quoted as saying by 'The Age' newspaper. Australia's one-dimensional image meant that events such as attacks on Indian students could do greater damage here than in countries with which people were more familiar.
After attacks, Oz reputation in India badly tarnished: Expert
"A well-rounded national reputation is an insurance policy against that kind of thing," said Anholt while addressing a conference on international education in Sydney organised by IDP Education, the international student recruitment company half-owned by 38 Australian universities.
According to survey, in 2008, the Indian panel of respondents ranked Australia seventh in the world for promoting equality within society but in 2010, its rank on this measure dropped to 34th. Overall, the survey of 39,000 people in 26 countries ranked Australia the ninth-most admired country in the world.
Australia was ranked best in the world for natural beauty and as a place to visit if money was no object, Anholt said. However, he said, the success of Australia's tourism promotion campaigns had produced an "unbalanced" view of the country.
After attacks, Oz reputation in India badly tarnished: Expert
"What you have is an image of a country that is considered to be very decorative, but not very useful," he said, adding Australia relied too much on "logos and slogans" in its efforts to change people's minds about the country.
Rather than waste time fiddling around with promotional campaigns, what Australia needs to do is to invest in the sectors which demonstrate its seriousness and its capability and education is one of them, he said, adding another such area was culture.
Australia was unusual among developed nations in not having an organisation devoted to the promotion of culture, such as Germany's Goethe Institute or France's Alliance Francaise, Anholt said.
After attacks, Oz reputation in India badly tarnished: Expert - International News ? News ? MSN India
After attacks, Oz reputation in India badly tarnished: Expert
Simon Anholt, advisor to over 40 countries on national identity and reputation, said that the result of an annual reputation survey -- which he oversees with the public affairs company GfK Roper -- showed Australia's reputation in India has been badly tarnished by the attacks.
"The damage to Australia's reputation in India is quite severe," he was quoted as saying by 'The Age' newspaper. Australia's one-dimensional image meant that events such as attacks on Indian students could do greater damage here than in countries with which people were more familiar.
After attacks, Oz reputation in India badly tarnished: Expert
"A well-rounded national reputation is an insurance policy against that kind of thing," said Anholt while addressing a conference on international education in Sydney organised by IDP Education, the international student recruitment company half-owned by 38 Australian universities.
According to survey, in 2008, the Indian panel of respondents ranked Australia seventh in the world for promoting equality within society but in 2010, its rank on this measure dropped to 34th. Overall, the survey of 39,000 people in 26 countries ranked Australia the ninth-most admired country in the world.
Australia was ranked best in the world for natural beauty and as a place to visit if money was no object, Anholt said. However, he said, the success of Australia's tourism promotion campaigns had produced an "unbalanced" view of the country.
After attacks, Oz reputation in India badly tarnished: Expert
"What you have is an image of a country that is considered to be very decorative, but not very useful," he said, adding Australia relied too much on "logos and slogans" in its efforts to change people's minds about the country.
Rather than waste time fiddling around with promotional campaigns, what Australia needs to do is to invest in the sectors which demonstrate its seriousness and its capability and education is one of them, he said, adding another such area was culture.
Australia was unusual among developed nations in not having an organisation devoted to the promotion of culture, such as Germany's Goethe Institute or France's Alliance Francaise, Anholt said.
After attacks, Oz reputation in India badly tarnished: Expert - International News ? News ? MSN India
