The 2006 Index of Economic Freedom measures 161 countries against a list of 50 independent variables divided into 10 broad factors of economic freedom. Low scores are more desirable. The higher the score on a factor, the greater the level of government interference in the economy and the less economic freedom a country enjoys.

Even though is still in a low position, Romania managed to improve both its score from 3.58 last year to 3.19 in 2006, and its rank climbing 33 positions from 125th place to 92nd place.

Here is a list of the first coutries in the top:

1. Hong Kong – 1.28
2. Singapore – 1.56
3. Ireland – 1.58
4. Luxembourg – 1.60
5. Iceland – 1.74
5. United Kingdom – 1.74
7. Estonia – 1.75
8. Denmark – 1.78
9. Australia – 1.84
9. New Zealand – 1.84
9. United States – 1.84

More on this:
2005 Index of Economic Freedom
Heritage Foundation

Technorati Tags: index of economic freedom

In the new special report, BusinessWeek and Interbrand rank the companies that best built their images — and made them stick in 2005. The names that gained the most in value focus ruthlessly on every detail of their brands, honing simple, cohesive identities that are consistent in every product, in every market around the world, and in every contact with consumers. (In the ranking, which is compiled in partnership with brand consultancy Interbrand Corp., a dollar value is calculated for each brand using publicly available data, projected profits, and variables such as market leadership.)

The brands that rose to the top of our ranking, says BW article, all had widely varied marketing arsenals and were able to unleash different campaigns for different consumers in varied media almost simultaneously. They wove messages over multiple media channels and blurred the lines between ads and entertainment. As a result, these brands can be found in a host of new venues: the Web, live events, cell phones, and handheld computers.

The era of building brands namely through mass media advertising is over. The predominant thinking of the world’s most successful brand builders these days is not so much the old game of reach (how many consumers see my ad) and frequency (how often do they see it), but rather finding ways to get consumers to invite brands into their lives. The mass media won’t disappear as a tool. But smart companies see the game today as making bold statements in design and wooing consumers by integrating messages so closely into entertainment that the two are all but indistinguishable.

Top 10 Global Brands by Value in 2005 ($m)

1. Coca Cola – 67,525
2. Microsoft – 59,941
3. IBM – 53,376
4. GE – 46,996
5. Intel – 35,588
6. Nokia – 26,452
7. Disney – 26,441
8. McDonald’s- 26,014
9. Toyota – 24,837
10. Marlboro – 21,189

Top 5 Gainers

1. eBay – +21%
2. HSBC – +20%
3. Samsung – +19%
4. Apple – +16%
5. UBS – +16%

Top 5 Loosers

1. Sony – -16%
2. Morgan Stanley – -15%
3. Volkswagen – -12%
4. Levi’s – -11%
5. Hewlett Packard – -10%

See full Top 100 Best Global Brands by Value for 2005 (PDF, 82KB)

Technorati tag: Global Brands

I mentioned here before some ad agencies are using various interactive ads, billboards and whatsoever.

Well, the counterattack is here. It’s (probably) not legal, not fair either, but I still wonder who’s gonna stop them. The Bubble Project by Ji Lee in New York City is a great example of co-creativity in public spaces.

Basically he printed 30.000 bubble stickers, placed them on top of ads all over New York City, waits for passerby to fill them in, then go back take a picture and put it on the web. As simple as that.

Ji Lee explains it:

Our communal spaces are being overrun with ads. Train stations, streets, squares, buses, and subways now scream one message after another at us. Once considered “public,” these spaces are increasingly being seized by corporations to propagate their messages solely in the interest of profit. Armed with heavy budgets, their marketing tactics are becoming more aggressive and manipulative. We the public, are both target and victim of this media attack. The Bubble Project is the counterattack.

Here are a couple of examples

You can see more on the Bubble Project Website.

Technorati Tags: interactive, ads, billboards, bubble project, advertising