Amazon, Apple top ranking of world’s most valuable brands

Economic optimism is driving brand values to record levels.

The world’s most valuable brands have experienced record growth, according to the Kantar BrandZ Most Valuable Global Brands 2021 ranking. Amazon maintained its position as the most valuable brand, growing its brand value 64% to $684 billion. (See the end of the article for a list of the 10 most valuable brands.)

Apple ranked second, with a brand value of $612 billion, up 74% over 2020. Tesla ranked as the fastest-growing brand (and the most valuable car brand) growing its value by 275% year-on-year to $42.6 billion. In all, U.S. brands accounted for 56 of the Top 100 brands in the report.

The total brand value of the 100 most valuable brands increased 42% to $7.1 trillion – equivalent to the combined GDP of France and Germany. The increase, more than four times the study’s annual average percentage increase during the past 15 years, was driven by confidence derived from vaccine availability, economic stimulus packages and improving GDP outlooks, according to Kantar. 

Other highlights from the study are below.
•    U.S. brands grew fastest in 2021 with their brand values growing an average 46% year-on-year, meaning the US now accounts for 74% of the Top 100’s total value, despite having just 24% of global GDP.

•    Technology dominates the top end of the Kantar BrandZ ranking, with seven of the top ten brands coming from the tech sector. Tech has also enabled non-tech brands to achieve significant growth, for example Gucci - harnessing the power of TikTok during the pandemic, and Domino’s – leveraging online and delivery services.

• China has consolidated its lead over Europe. Chinese brands have grown from 11% of the Top 100 value in 2011 to 14% today. European brands, in contrast, now represent 8% of the ranking’s value versus 20% in 2011.

“2020-1 has been a record year for brand growth, and despite many facing a difficult year, our research has again proven that strong brands deliver superior shareholder returns, are more resilient and recover more quickly,” said Nathalie Burdet, CMO of Kantar. “With global e-commerce growing from 12% to 15% of all sales in 2020, it has been a positive year for brands involved in that value chain – from the retailers through to the couriers like FedEx and UPS. However, we have also seen growth in industries where many were predicting challenges early in the pandemic. Apparel brands for example have collectively grown even more than media and entertainment brands in the ranking, and luxury brands, despite reduced travel and lockdowns globally, have refocused their energies and seen growth as a result.”

Here is the Kantar BrandZ Top 10 Most Valuable Global Brands 2021 ranking.

The Kantar BrandZ Most Valuable Global Brands 2021 ranking, report and extensive analysis are available at www.kantar.com/brandz.