Interbrand has released the 11th annual 100 Best Global Brands rankings and, out of the corporate turbulence seen over the past 12 months, it’s the high profile technology brands that have performed best.
Interbrand, a leading global brand consultancy, publishes the ranking of the top 100 brands based on a methodology that analyses the many ways a brand touches and benefits an organisation, from attracting top talent to delivering on customer expectation. And for the 11th year in a row, Coca-Cola has retained the top spot as the number one ranked brand on the list. Google (#4) saw a 36 percent increase in value over last year, bringing the company closer than ever to rival Microsoft (#3), while HP (#10) entered the top 10 for the first time.
Interbrand New Zealand managing director James Bickford says “simple, honest and genuine communication runs in the blood of the top brands and sets them apart from others —they are easy to relate to, and strike a chord globally”.
“2010 has seen verbal identity — the way a brand speaks — become a critical tool for brands whether in crisis or interacting with customers. More importantly consumers can see straight through a brand’s verbal uncertainty.”
A number of prominent brands faced extraordinary crisis in 2010 resulting in stalled growth, value loss and, in the case of BP, failure to make the ranking this year. BP’s environmental disaster and inability to make good on its brand promise of ‘Beyond Petroleum’ led to it falling off of the list and helped competitor Shell emerge as an industry leader, now ranked number 81, up from number 92 in 2009.
Although the Toyota (#11) recall caused the brand to lose 16 percent of its brand value, its long-standing reputation for reliability, efficiency and innovation helped it weather the crisis better than expected. In contrast, Goldman Sachs (#37), once the envy of Wall Street, now faces the dichotomy of strong economic results and an angry public that will continue to lash out until the company begins to demonstrate that it is making sincere efforts to better align its ethics with its brand, Bickford says.
“Verbal identity is not cracked overnight. It is a part of the brand’s overall make up and is generated, nurtured and delivered from the inside out. If employees are not brand engaged, living and communicating the brand’s personality, values and story consistently in a simple and genuine tone of voice, consumers will react negatively,” Bickford says.
Technology brands are well represented in the top 10, with IBM (#2), Microsoft (#3), Google (#4), Intel (#7), and HP (#10) earning top rankings. Apple (#17) increased brand value 37 percent through carefully controlled messaging and an endless wave of buzz surrounding new product launches.
Despite a challenging year, HP made smart additions to its product portfolio and swiftly expanded the HP brand to protect its ranking on the list. With 32 percent brand value growth, BlackBerry (#54) remains the most popular smartphone for business users, despite pressure from Apple as it edges into the corporate world.
During a difficult year for the auto industry, Mercedes Benz (#12) and BMW (#15) were able to sustain and build their value through innovative design and a focus on delivering premium value vehicles with luxury features. Using customer feedback, largely drawn from YouTube, Flickr, Twitter and Facebook to launch the 2009 Fiesta, Ford (#50) stands out as one of the best examples of how to use social media. Award-winning products like the Q5 and rich heritage help Audi (#63) lead auto industry growth this year with a nine percent increase in its brand value.
Despite the economic downturn, luxury brands Cartier (#77), Armani (#95), Louis Vuitton (#16), Gucci (#44), Tiffany & Co (#76) and Hermes (#69) all saw the value of their brands increase in 2010 by continuing to invest in their heritage and legendary status. Outstanding customer service and a focus on unique in-store and online experiences allowed them to stay strong, even while consumers cut back spending.
In the financial sector, legacy brands Citi (#40) and UBS (#86) lost double-digits in brand value, while Santander (#68), Barclays (#74) and Credit Suisse (#80) made their debut on the list for the first time. Their ability to stay true to brand promises in unsure times, and avoidance of the subprime mortgage crisis, helped them stay the course.
Interbrand’s 2010 Best Global Brands is available in full, along with expanded content and methodology, on Interbrand.com.
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| 2010
RANK |
2009
RANK |
BRAND | SECTOR | 2010
BRAND VALUE $m |
2009
BRAND VALUE $m |
% CHANGE (BRAND VALUE) |
| 1 | 1 | COCA-COLA | BEVERAGES | 70,452 | 68,734 | 2% |
| 2 | 2 | IBM | BUSINESS SERVICES | 64,727 | 60,211 | 7% |
| 3 | 3 | MICROSOFT | COMPUTER SOFTWARE | 60,895 | 56,647 | 7% |
| 4 | 7 | INTERNET SERVICES | 43, 557 | 31,980 | 36% | |
| 5 | 4 | GE | DIVERSIFIED | 42,808 | 47,777 | -10% |
| 6 | 6 | MCDONALD’S | RESTAURANTS | 33,578 | 32,275 | 4% |
| 7 | 9 | INTEL | ELECTRONICS | 32,015 | 30,636 | 4% |
| 8 | 5 | NOKIA | ELECTRONICS | 29,495 | 34, 864 | -15% |
| 9 | 10 | DISNEY | MEDIA | 28,731 | 28,447 | 1% |
| 10 | 11 | HP | ELECTRONICS | 26,867 | 24,096 | 12% |
| 11 | 8 | TOYOTA | AUTOMOTIVE | 26,192 | 31,330 | -16% |
| 12 | 12 | MERCEDES-BENZ | AUTOMOTIVE | 25,179 | 23,867 | 6% |
| 13 | 13 | GILLETTE | FMCG | 23,298 | 22,841 | 2% |
| 14 | 14 | CISCO | BUSINESS SERVICES | 23,219 | 22,030 | 5% |
| 15 | 15 | BMW | AUTOMOTIVE | 22,322 | 21,671 | 3% |
| 16 | 16 | LOUIS VUITTON | LUXURY | 21,860 | 21,120 | 4% |
| 17 | 20 | APPLE | ELECTRONICS | 21,143 | 15,433 | 37% |
| 18 | 17 | MARLBORO | TOBACCO | 19,961 | 19,010 | 5% |
| 19 | 19 | SAMSUNG | ELECTRONICS | 19,491 | 17,518 | 11% |
| 20 | 18 | HONDA | AUTOMOTIVE | 18,506 | 17,803 | 4% |
| 21 | 21 | H&M | APPAREL | 16,136 | 15,375 | 5% |
| 22 | ORACLE | BUSINESS SERVICES | 14,881 | 13,699 | 9% | |
| 23 | 23 | PEPSI | BEVERAGES | 14,061 | 13,706 | 3% |
| 24 | 22 | AMERICAN EXPRESS | FINANCIAL SERVICES | 13,944 | 14,971 | -7% |
| 25 | 26 | NIKE | SPORTING GOODS | 13,706 | 13,179 | 4% |
| 26 | 27 | SAP | BUSINESS SERVICES | 12,756 | 12,106 | 5% |
| 27 | 25 | NESCAFE | BEVERAGES | 12,753 | 13,317 | -4% |
| 28 | 28 | IKEA | HOME FURNISHINGS | 12,487 | 12,004 | 4% |
| 29 | 37 | JP MORGAN | FINANCIAL SERVICES | 12,314 | 9,550 | 29% |
| 30 | 30 | BUDWEISER | ALCOHOL | 12,252 | 11,833 | 4% |
| 31 | 31 | UPS | TRANSPORTATION | 11,826 | 11,594 | 2% |
| 32 | 32 | HSBC | FINANCIAL SERVICES | 11,561 | 10,510 | 10% |
| 33 | 33 | CANON | ELECTRONICS | 11,485 | 10,441 | 10% |
| 34 | 29 | SONY | ELECTRONICS | 11,356 | 11,953 | -5% |
| 35 | 34 | KELLOGG’S | FMCG | 11,041 | 10,428 | 6% |
| 36 | 43 | AMAZON.COM | INTERNET SERVICES | 9,665 | 7,858 | 23% |
| 37 | 38 | GOLDMAN SACHS | FINANCIAL SERVICES | 9,372 | 9,248 | 1% |
| 38 | 39 | NINTENDO | ELECTRONICS | 8,990 | 9,210 | -2% |
| 39 | 40 | THOMSON REUTERS | MEDIA | 8,976 | 8,434 | 6% |
| 40 | 36 | CITI | FINANCIAL SERVICES | 8,887 | 10,254 | -13% |
| 41 | 35 | DELL | ELECTRONICS | 8,880 | 10,291 | -14% |
| 42 | 42 | PHILIPS | ELECTRONICS | 8,696 | 8,121 | 7% |
| 43 | 46 | EBAY | INTERNET SERVICES | 8,453 | 7,350 | 15% |
| 44 | 41 | GUCCI | LUXURY | 8,346 | 8,182 | 2% |
| 45 | 44 | L’OREAL | FMCG | 7,981 | 7,748 | 3% |
| 46 | 48 | HEINZ | FMCG | 7,534 | 7,244 | 4% |
| 47 | 45 | ACCENTURE | BUSINESS SERVICES | 7,481 | 7,710 | -3% |
| 48 | 50 | ZARA | APPAREL | 7,468 | 6,789 | 10% |
| 49 | 47 | SIEMENS | DIVERSIFIED | 7,315 | 7,308 | 0% |
| 50 | 49 | FORD | AUTOMOTIVE | 7,195 | 7,005 | 3% |
| 51 | 52 | COLGATE | FMCG | 6,919 | 6,550 | 6% |
| 52 | 57 | MORGAN STANLEY | FINANCIAL SERVICES | 6,911 | 6,399 | 8% |
| 53 | 55 | VOLKSWAGEN | AUTOMOTIVE | 6,892 | 6,484 | 6% |
| 54 | 63 | BLACKBERRY | ELECTRONICS | 6,762 | 5,138 | 32% |
| 55 | 54 | MTV | MEDIA | 6,719 | 6,523 | 3% |
| 56 | 53 | AXA | FINANCIAL SERVICES | 6,694 | 6,525 | 3% |
| 57 | 58 | NESTLE | FMCG | 6,548 | 6,319 | 4% |
| 58 | 60 | DANONE | FMCG | 6,363 | 5,960 | 7% |
| 59 | 56 | XEROX | ELECTRONICS | 6,109 | 6,431 | -5% |
| 60 | 61 | KFC | RESTAURANTS | 5,844 | 5,772 | 2% |
| 61 | NEW | SPRITE | BEVERAGES | 5,777 | N/A | N/A |
| 62 | 62 | ADIDAS | SPORTING GOODS | 5,495 | 5,397 | 2% |
| 63 | 65 | AUDI | AUTOMOTIVE | 5,461 | 5,010 | 9% |
| 64 | 67 | AVON | FMCG | 5,072 | 4,917 | 3% |
| 65 | 69 | HYUNDAI | AUTOMOTIVE | 5,033 | 4,604 | 9% |
| 66 | 64 | YAHOO! | INTERNET SERVICES | 4,958 | 5,111 | -3% |
| 67 | 81 | ALLIANZ | FINANCIAL SERVICES | 4,904 | 3,831 | 28% |
| 68 | NEW | SANTANDER | FINANICIAL SERVICES | 4,846 | N/A | N/A |
| 69 | 70 | HERMES | LUXURY | 4,782 | 4,598 | 4% |
| 70 | 66 | CATERPILLAR | DIVERSIFIED | 4,704 | 5,004 | -6% |
| 71 | 71 | KLEENX | FMCG | 4,536 | 4,404 | 3% |
| 72 | 74 | PORSCHE | AUTOMOTIVE | 4,404 | 4,234 | 4% |
| 73 | 75 | PANASONIC | ELECTRONICS | 4,351 | 4,225 | 3% |
| 74 | NEW | BARCLAYS | FINANCIAL SERVICES | 4,218 | N/A | N/A |
| 75 | 80 | JOHNSON & JOHNSON | FMCG | 4,155 | 3,847 | 8% |
| 76 | 76 | TIFFANY & CO | LUXURY | 4,127 | 4,000 | 3% |
| 77 | 77 | CARTIER | LUXURY | 4,052 | 3,968 | 2% |
| 78 | NEW | JACK DANIEL’S | ALCOHOL | 4,036 | N/A | N/A |
| 79 | 82 | MOET & CHANDON | ALCHOHOL | 4,021 | 3,754 | 7% |
| 80 | NEW | CREDIT SUISSE | FINANCIAL SERVICES | 4,010 | N/A | N/A |
| 81 | 92 | SHELL | ENERGY | 4,003 | 3,228 | 24% |
| 82 | 94 | VISA | FINANCIAL SERVICES | 3,998 | 3,170 | 26% |
| 83 | 79 | PIZZA HUT | RESTAURANTS | 3,973 | 3,876 | 2% |
| 84 | 78 | GAP | APPAREL | 3,961 | 3,922 | 1% |
| 85 | NEW | CORONA | ALCOHOL | 3,847 | N/A | N/A |
| 86 | 72 | UBS | FINANCIAL SERVICES | 3,812 | 4,370 | -13% |
| 87 | 86 | NIVEA | FMCG | 3,734 | 3,557 | 5% |
| 88 | 95 | ADOBE | COMPUTER SOFTWARE | 3,626 | 3,161 | 15% |
| 89 | 84 | SMIRNOFF | ALCOHOL | 3,624 | 3,698 | -2% |
| 90 | NEW | 3M | DIVERSIFED | 3,586 | N/A | N/A |
| 91 | 88 | FERRARI | AUTOMOTIVE | 3,562 | 3,527 | 1% |
| 92 | NEW | JOHNNIE WALKER | ALCOHOL | 3,557 | N/A | N/A |
| 93 | NEW | HEINKEKEN | ALCOHOL | 3,516 | N/A | N/A |
| 94 | NEW | ZURICH | FINANCIAL | 3,496 | N/A | N/A |
| 95 | 89 | ARMANI | LUXURY | 3,443 | 3,303 | 45 |
| 96 | 91 | LANCOME | FMCG | 3,403 | 3,235 | 5% |
| 97 | 90 | STARBUCKS | RESTAURANTS | 3,339 | 3,263 | 2% |
| 98 | 73 | HARLEY-DAVIDSON | AUTOMOTIVE | 3,281 | 4,337 | -24% |
| 99 | 100 | CAMPELL’S | FMCG | 3,241 | 3,081 | 5% |
| 100 | 98 | BURBERRY | LUXURY | 3,110 | 3,095 | 0% |
