‘Made In Denmark’ Brands Take A Hit In Moslem World

After the cartoon crisis rocked the world, the “Made in Denmark” brand has, not surprisingly, taken the greatest hit in Muslim countries according to the results of a survey conducted by Anholt Nation Brand Index covering 35 countries, including four Muslim countries: Malaysia, Indonesia, Turkey and Egypt.
In Malaysia and Indonesia, Denmark as a brand suffered a huge drop in popularity compared to surveys made before the cartoon row.
But more surprisingly perhaps, Denmark is not the only nation whose national brand has been weakened since the controversy erupted.
The survey shows that Denmark’s neighbour Norway has also taken a brand hit since the crisis.
“Norway was closely associated with Denmark in the cartoon controversy. Norwegian newspapers republished the cartoons and  publicly defended Denmark. It has thus suffered more than any country apart from Denmark,” the survey concludes.
The survey also includes Turkey and Egypt where since the crisis, Denmark has dropped 20 places on the 35 country ladder and is now rated as the weakest brand in Egypt, with similar results in Turkey, although there Denmark still manages to stay away from the bottom of the list.

Effects likely to linger for years

The survey also suggests that the negative effect caused to the national ‘brand’ could stick to Denmark for many years to come.
“National brands either change very slowly over decades and centuries as the nation itself changes, or quite suddenly in the minds of certain individuals who personally feel the impact of negative – or positive events,” the survey says, but was not able to predict how long the recent events are likely to affect the appeal of the Danish identity.