By analyzing the "searches" relating to 3 specific Dimensions for any given City. These Dimensions are:
1. Tourism
2. Talent
3. Investment

These Dimensions come from the Bloom Consulting Brand Wheel. They are the factors that define and influence City Branding the most either from a transactional point of view or from a non-transactional point of view according to Bloom Consulting’s research.

Nowadays, the primary way of searching for information is by way of a “search engine”. The “act of searching” can be triggered by any number of things including something one may have read in a newspaper, heard in a conversation or out of simple curiosity.
“Searches” represent the true level of interest in a City, and therefore demonstrate a City’s genuine appeal.
If measured, “searches” can also highlight the interests one may have with regard to any specific City.

Cities can benefit from the Index by understanding what motivates a person’s initial interest in their City and whether that interest is aligned with reality.
This information can help governments make informed strategic decisions regarding their past, current and future strategy. In other words, the Index aids organizational forecasting. This data can be measured and monitored constantly, which provides the opportunity to analyze changes over time.

Bloom Consulting uses a proprietary tool called the Digital Demand - D2© that gathers and measures all possible keyword combinations and searches performed for any City worldwide. This Big Data is filtered according to:
1 - Topics or keywords searched (Brandtags)
2 - Nationality (Country of origin)
3 - Time of year (Month)

10 different languages: English, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, French, Dutch, German, Chinese, Japanese and Russian

Yes; however, it is very difficult to access this information using tools from search engines, since the information available is either a simple overview or very fragmented. That is why the information needs to be filtered using qualitative interpretation.
Bloom Consulting has over a decade of experience in Nation and City Branding. It can therefore offer a unique insight into the Digital City Index. We have used our expertise to interpret the data provided by our Digital Demand software, as well as to create the most accurate Index for the Digital appeal of all Cities worldwide.

Bloom Consulting provides the qualitative input, while Digital Demand - D2© provides the quantitative input. Bloom Consulting is an international firm specialized in Nation Branding and Place Branding. Today, the firm’s headquarters are based in Madrid, Spain. Since 2003, Bloom Consulting has developed Nation Brand, City Brand and Place Brand strategies for clients across Africa, Europe, Latin America and the U.S.A.

Bloom Consulting annually publishes the Bloom Consulting Country Brand Ranking© for Trade and Tourism. The Ranking analyzes the brand performance of 180 Countries and territories worldwide and proudly collaborates with the World Economic Forum as a data partner.

More information on Bloom Consulting available HERE

Digital Demand - D2© is a Software that gathers and analyzes the total amount of "searches" performed by global citizens worldwide for any Country, Region or City. Specifically 1 - Business people, 2 - Foreign investors, 3 - Tourists, 4 - Workforce and 5 - General citizens. Therefore, this software measures the appeal of any given Country, Region or City for Export, Investment, Tourism, Talent or Prominence (general interest) purposes.

More information on Digital Demand - D2© available HERE

The Digital City Index 2017 edition was originally released only for European cities. The scope of the new Index release for 2018 includes the World top performers and a complete overview for Asia, Americas and Africa. The 2018 Index release includes a data refresh for 2018 as well as the addition of Chinese demand.

Yes, it is valid both at a country level and to benchmark against other European Cities in 2017.