Americans’ Perception of Greece Plummets and Travel Plans Negatively Affected After Financial Crisis

National survey reveals perception of Greece as a brand has been negatively impacted with 52% of respondents currently describing the country as “irresponsible” and “stressful”

NEWBURYPORT, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--In a national study measuring the current perception of Greece as a brand conducted by Aloft Group, Inc., a brand consulting and communication firm, results show that Americans’ perception of the country has decidedly diminished since the country’s financial crisis.

“We often don’t think of them in these terms but, just like traditional products and services, countries are actually brands and our perceptions of them – whether positive or negative –can have very big implications”

Prior to the crisis, Greece enjoyed a positive image from Americans, with 63% stating their opinion was somewhat to extremely positive. Post-financial crisis, this dramatically declined to only 17% with 49% stating they currently have a somewhat to extremely negative perception of Greece. Overall, 75% believe the financial crisis has had a somewhat to extremely negative impact on Greece’s image.

Additionally, American’s desire to travel to Greece has changed significantly. Prior to the crisis, 77% expressed interest in visiting Greece. That number has now dropped to 51%, with only 9% revealing that they would be very interested in traveling to Greece in the next 24 months.

Other significant findings:

• Pre-crisis, the perception of Greece was: “Pleasant,” “Intriguing,” “Relaxing,” “Alluring” and “Carefree.” Since the crisis began, the perception has shifted considerably to “Irresponsible,” “Stressful,” “Expensive,” “Scary” and “Unpleasant.”
• Overall, since the financial crisis, the allure of Greece has dropped by 23% and the image of Greece as a pleasant place dropped 41%. Interestingly, the image of Greece being “scary” increased by 29%.
• 43% of Americans believe that it was a mistake for Greece to join the Eurozone in the first place.
• The majority, or 57%, feel the crisis in Greece will have a direct impact on their lives.

The perception and image of countries is proving to be a higher stakes game as countries vie for limited travel and economic resources. The USA is not different, and in November 2011 launched what is being dubbed “Brand USA” to help shape the country’s image around the globe.

“We often don’t think of them in these terms but, just like traditional products and services, countries are actually brands and our perceptions of them – whether positive or negative –can have very big implications,” explains Matt Bowen, president and CEO of Aloft Group. “The ‘brand’ of Greece has been severely impacted in terms of consumer perception, and they have a lot of work to do to gain back the consumer’s trust. As though the financial crisis is not enough on its own, the financial repercussions of a damaged brand can only make matters worse if consumers and business people have lost confidence and choose to spend their time and resources elsewhere.”

The brand perception study was conducted via an online survey to consumers nationwide November 11 - 12, 2011 with a 5% margin of error. To view the full survey results, please go to this http://www.aloftgroup.com/Aloft_Group_2011_Greece_Survey.pdf.

About Aloft Group, Inc.

Aloft Group is an internationally focused brand consulting, marketing innovation and communications firm committed to helping companies achieve business and sales objectives and attain leadership positions across countries, markets and channels. Aloft is a part of the E3 Global Agency Network, a hands-on team of brand-growth firms connecting 24 global markets. Aloft has offices in Newburyport, MA, and Westlake Village, CA and London, England. For more information and video case studies, please visit http://www.aloftgroup.com. Follow Aloft at http://www.twitter.com/aloftgroup.