Singapore trumps Hong Kong as Asia's most valued brand

By Romesh Navaratnarajah: Singapore has emerged as having the most positive brand value among 16 Asian cities, according to a location branding survey by PublicAffairsAsia and Ogilvy Public Relations.

With a score of 9.7 out of 10, Singapore beat out rivals Tokyo, Hong Kong, Bangkok, Shanghai and Seoul.

According to the survey criteria, a city's positive brand is mainly attributed to infrastructure, transport, economic growth, culture, environment, political stability, low crime, healthcare and sanitation.

Singapore was recognised for its low-tax, political stability, clean and safe environment, as well as its growing arts, leisure and gaming scene.

However the city was poorly rated in terms of press freedom and small-c conservatism.

Meanwhile, Hong Kong and Sydney are tied in second place with a score of 9.5.

"We can see from the analysis that the strongest city brands in Asia Pacific - Singapore, Hong Kong and Sydney - are the cities whose reputations are comparatively long-standing," said Steve Dahllof, Chief Executive Officer of Ogilvy Public Relations, Asia Pacific.

"With 11 of the 16 rated cities receiving a very good rating from less than a third of respondents, many cities across the region still have their work cut out for them when it comes to defining their brand image." Related Stories: Singapore 2nd in competitiveness

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