Vibe Israel Discloses Top Four Perceptions of Israel

 Vibe Israel Discloses the Top Four Perceptions of Israel Amongst Millennials in 12 Countries.

The market research, analyses and action plan for the future were formally presented to the President of Israel in a ceremony at the President’s house today.

Jerusalem, Israel, February 20, 2019 --- Today, Vibe Israel presented the Top Four Major Findings of an international market research initiative to determine the global perceptions of Israel amongst Millennials. 

The results of the market research, conducted on behalf of Vibe Israel by Bloom Consulting, were presented today to His Excellency Reuven (Ruvi) Rivlin, the President of Israel in an official ceremony at the President’s residence in Jerusalem.

The event was attended by Joanna Landau, Founder & CEO of Vibe Israel, Julia Ben Shalom, the Executive Director of Vibe Israel USA, Adiv Baruch, Chairman of the Israel Export Institute, Ettie and Gad Propper, Noam Semel, former CEO of the Cameri Theater, Ghada Zoabi, Founder & CEO of Bokra.net, and many others.

Approximately 4,000 people, ages 14-52, were surveyed. Participants included residents of 12 countries, collectively, in North America, Western Europe, South America and Australia.

Here are the top four findings and corresponding analyses: 

The younger the respondent, the less interested they are in Israel. 

This finding is supported by the results of the Best Countries ranking which is published every year in U.S. News and ranks 80 countries around the world based on the perceptions of 22,000 people globally.

In 2018, Israel was ranked in the respectable 30th place, but when considering only the Millennials’ picks (ages 22-38), it dropped to 49th place.

There is no other country in the index with such a generational disparity. The conclusion is that the traditional messaging from Israel is not appealing to the next generation. 

The overwhelming majority of the respondents (84%) had not heard of the BDS movement and was unimpressed with its efforts to tarnish Israel’s name.

According to Bloom Consulting, it is not strategic to invest so much effort and resources in fighting a movement that most people don’t even know exists.

Although violence and warfare were the first associations most respondents had with Israel, the Arab-Israeli conflict itself did not even appear in the first five associations with Israel.

In other words, despite popular opinion that Israel’s image crisis is due to the Arab-Israeli Conflict, this seems not to be the case.

Despite the rich multicultural offering Israel has, as well as its business, lifestyle and social fabric, the world sees Israel almost exclusively as a religious country. 

Since there is a global trend amongst young people away from religion, the consultants concluded that Israel’s current messaging is losing relevance and attractiveness in the eyes of the next generation.

For several decades Israel has coped with a PR crisis which is deepening every year. Despite the situation, Israel does not have an all-encompassing strategy for how to manage its global reputation. The main way Israel manages its image is by explaining its policies (“Hasbara”), which is essentially a crisis management tool and not a marketing effort to promote Israel’s strengths.

Vibe Israel’s research, which focused on people under 50 in 12 countries, proves that despite the internal debate in Israel that places emphasis on Hasbara, the reality is that most young people around the world are completely disinterested in the topic. In addition, the findings show that the respondents know very little about what Israel does best, and therefore are becoming increasingly indifferent towards it.  

Proactive education amongst millennials through appropriate branding, much like other countries do, will help the global community to appreciate and love Israel for the many special things it has to offer. 

President Reuven (Ruvi) Rivlin said, “Your work at Vibe Israel, alongside other governmental and non-governmental organizations, showcases the beautiful aspects of Israel’s contributions, its diverse society and rich history. The secret of Israel’s charm is not just in it being a Start Up Nation, but first and foremost in it being a People’s Nation, a fascinating human mosaic that connects between innovation and traditions, East and West. Thank you for all you are doing to represent us and help make the Israeli experience accessible to people around the world. Continue your blessed work”. 

“We are looking back with pride in what we have achieved so far, but understand that in order to bring about real change in the way Israel is perceived and what it needs, requires an over-arching strategy that includes tools, concepts and methodologies from the field of country branding,” said Joanna Landau, Founder & CEO, Vibe Israel. 

Landau continued, “Turning this vision into reality cannot depend on one organization, one government office or one philanthropist alone. To succeed, we must join forces around a common vision and develop a consistent message about Israel in the world. This is the essence of the ‘Vibe Israel Initiative’ and we are honored that the President of Israel has recognized its importance. We invite partners to join us in this exciting new journey to dramatically transform global perceptions of Israel.”