Published on: June 12, 2025 / update from: June 12, 2025 - Author: Konrad Wolfenstein
Germany continues to lead to the nation branding - USA losing influence - Image: Xpert.digital
Germany defends nation-branding tip during the USA losing globally attractiveness
Global attractiveness: Germany claims top position against weakening USA
Germany claims its top position in the international nation branding, while the United States has a significant decline in its global attractiveness. The historian Jessica Gienow-Hecht, a leading expert in nation branding at the Free University of Berlin, sees this development a fundamental change in global balance of power.
Germany's persistent success story
Tops in international rankings
Germany holds its dominant position in various nation-branding indices and regularly occupies top positions in international perception as a brand. In the Brand Finance Nation Brand Value Ranking 2025, Germany keeps its position as the third value volume in the world. Germany's success in the Anholt-issos Nation Brands Index is particularly remarkable, where it took first place from 2017 to 2022 for six years in a row.
Strengths of the Germany brand
The constant strength of Germany lies in the balanced assessment over several reputation categories. Are particularly positive internationally:
- The quality of German products and the good feeling when buying Germans were
- The attractiveness of investments in German companies
- The employment ability of German workers
- The federal government's commitment in the fight against poverty
- The outstanding achievements of German athletes in sport
In all five subcategories of the Nation Brand Index, Germany ranks in one of the first two places.
Jessica Gienow-Hecht: Expert for Nation Branding
Scientific background
Jessica Gienow-Hecht is a professor and head of the History Department at the John F. Kennedy Institute for North America Studies at the Free University of Berlin. Their research focus is on the role of culture in international relations, especially in the areas of cultural diplomacy, soft power and nation branding.
Current research on the nation branding
In 2025, Gienow-Hecht published her comprehensive work “From State to the brand. The history of the nation of branding”. In this book, she shows for the first time comprehensively how democracies and dictatorships have been using image campaigns since the 19th century to gain international appreciation, political alliances, investments, specialists and tourists.
The decline of the USA brand
Dramatic loss of trust
While Germany claims its top position, the United States has a dramatic decline in its global reputation. According to the Global Soft Power Index 2025 from Brand Finance, the overall score of the United States is stagnating at 79.5 out of 100 points, whereby the country loses four places, especially in the “Reputation” category, and only finished 15th.
Historical lows in the trustworthiness
The United States has historical lows in several areas:
- Rank 124 in the evaluation as “friendly”
- Agency with “political stability and good government”
- Worsening with “high ethical standards and low corruption”
- Losses of “generosity” and “trustworthiness”
Economic effects of the loss of image
The loss of reputation has concrete economic consequences for the United States. The country is expected to lose $ 12.5 billion in international tourism income in 2025 and is the only 184 -analyzed countries that have a decline in international visitors.
Global consumer withdrawal of US products
Systematic boycott of American brands
A new form of global consumer protest is evident in the systematic departure of American products. Starbucks renamed Italy to “Freedom Brew”, McDonald's Rebranded 47 franchises in the Middle East under local property structure to distance itself from the American origin.
Measurable declines in US exports
The rejection of American products is shown in concrete numbers:
- 16% decline in US consumption goods in Southeast Asia (2025)
- 11.4% decline in US exports to Canada (2024)
- 12.6% decline in US exports to the European Union
Nation branding as a strategic instrument
Historical development
Gienow-Hecht's research shows that nation branding is not a new invention, but at the latest since the 19th century and especially since the First World War, states have been used systematically. Countries use image campaigns to position their culture, history and population internationally.
Modern challenges
Today, nations are often marketed like consumer items, for example by campaigns such as “Die Welt as a guest with friends” or “Germany, land of ideas”. This development raises fundamental questions about the future of state self -expression.
Change in global perception
The current development in the nation of branding shows a fundamental change in global balance of power. While Germany claims its top position due to constant quality and reliability, the United States loses international attractiveness through political instability and aggressive foreign policy. This shift not only has symbolic, but also concrete economic and political effects on international order.
Jessica Gienow-Hecht's assessment that it is not Germany, but the USA is on the descending branch, is clearly confirmed by the current data and trends. Success in the nation branding thus proves to be a decisive factor for the global competitiveness of nations in the 21st century.
Suitable for:
Your global marketing and business development partner
☑️ Our business language is English or German
☑️ NEW: Correspondence in your national language!
Konrad Wolfenstein
I would be happy to serve you and my team as a personal advisor.
You can contact me by filling out the contact form or simply call me on +49 89 89 674 804 (Munich) . My email address is: wolfenstein ∂ xpert.digital
I'm looking forward to our joint project.