First Lady of Ukraine Olena Zelenska took part in the presentation of the study "The Influence of First Ladies and Gentlemen on Soft Power" for the global platform of the First Ladies and Gentlemen Summit. It was conducted by Brand Finance, a leading global brand valuation consulting company. The new research is based on the Global Soft Power Index.
The online event was attended by: First Lady of Ukraine Olena Zelenska, First Lady of Albania Armanda Begaj, Spouse of the Prime Minister of Belize Rossana Briceňo, Spouse of the Prime Minister of Denmark Bo Tengberg, First Lady of Iceland Eliza Jean Reid, First Lady of the Republic of Lithuania Diana Nausėdienė, First Lady of the Republic of North Macedonia Elizabeta Gjorgievska, Partner of the President of the Slovak Republic Juraj Rizman, First Gentleman of the Republic of Slovenia Dr Aleš Musar, CEO and Chairman of Brand Finance David Haigh and Brand Finance Branding Director Konrad Jagodzinski.
According to the study, first ladies and gentlemen can influence factors that account for 35% of a country's total soft power, which indicates their considerable power and ability to shape the way their countries are perceived in the world.
Brand Finance has set out a comprehensive and all-encompassing approach to measuring soft power, covering and analyzing every dimension of a country's external positioning and branding. In addition to assessing the image attributes of countries, the Global Soft Power Ranking is unparalleled because it also takes into account the global reputation and influence of all 193 member states of the United Nations.
The study collects and analyzes data on three key performance indicators - awareness, reputation, and influence - as well as 35 national brand attributes encompassing the eight pillars of soft power: business and trade, governance, international relations, culture and heritage, media and communications, education and science, people and values, and sustainable future.
In its research, Brand Finance studied the activities of former and current first ladies and gentlemen in 15 of 35 national brand attributes where they play a particularly important role in shaping perceptions to understand their impact on soft power.
In addition to influencing perceptions, soft power is a key tool in advancing the economic interests of countries and improving the well-being of their societies. Based on its analysis, Brand Finance has prepared additional information on the financial impact of the activities of first ladies and gentlemen.
First Lady of Ukraine Olena Zelenska thanked for the presentation and emphasized: "This study confirms not only the importance of soft power. It also demonstrates the significant responsibility with which we must approach our initiatives. That is why we have transformed the First Ladies and Gentlemen Summit from an event format into a permanent platform - so that our work with colleagues could be systematic and strategic. And thus, it would only lead to the growth of the welfare of our countries."
Reference. Brand Finance is a global leader in brand valuation and strategic consulting, with offices in over 25 countries.
Every year, Brand Finance publishes the Global Soft Power Index – the most comprehensive study in the field of brand perception, surveying the opinions of over 170,000 respondents in more than 100 countries worldwide.
The First Ladies and Gentlemen Summit is a global platform initiated by Ukraine's First Lady, Olena Zelenska, that brings together the world's first ladies and gentlemen to facilitate dialogue and effective response to global humanitarian challenges.