Kantar BrandZ: Apple is most valuable global brand

U.S. tech brands dominate the upper tier of an annual ranking of the 100 most valuable brands in the world.

Apple took the top spot for the second consecutive year in Kantar BrandZ’s “Most Valuable Global Brands Report 2023,” with a brand valuation of $880.45 billion. The annual ranking combines analyzed financial data with extensive brand equity research. (List of top 10 brands is at end of article.) 

Amazon was followed by Google ($577.68 billion) and Microsoft ($501.85). Rounding out the top five: Microsoft ($501.85), Amazon ($468.73 billion) and McDonald’s ($191.10 billion). Amazon took the top spot in the retail category.  

Technology brands were once again the most represented brands in the Top 100 and commanded the largest share of brand value.

The ranking shows that the total brand value of the world’s top 100 brands now stands at $6.9 trillion for 2023. Despite a 20% drop in the overall index versus 2022, the Kantar BrandZ Top 100 retains its long-term growth trajectory, posting 47% growth compared to the pre-COVID (2019) level.

The report noted that Apple has proven resilient in the face of testing market conditions, justifying premium prices with positive perceptions and proving that meaningful, different and salient brands are best placed to weather global economic disruption.

Several other U.S. retailers made the Top 100, including The Home Depot (No.20), Starbucks (No. 27), Walmart (No.28), Costco (No. 33) and Lowe’s (No. 83)

“This year’s results – despite the fall in aggregate value – are, in fact, a continuation of the long-term growth trend for brands, which began following the global financial crisis of 2008 and continued up until the start of the pandemic in 2020,” said Martin Guerrieria, head of Kantar BrandZ. “While the market has proved volatile and been greatly impacted by global macroeconomics, consumers’ view of brands has proved far more stable – the most valuable brands in the world remain as highly regarded as ever.”

Kantar BrandZ data also shows that strong brands continue to outperform stock market indices over the long term. Since February 2020, in absolute terms, the Kantar BrandZ Strong Brands Portfolio has seen 93% growth vs 69% for the S&P 500.

Key highlights from the Kantar BrandZ report are below.

• In addition to the overall Top 100 ranking, the report also identified the most valuable brands by category. In retail, Amazon took the top spot, followed by The Home Depot, Walmart, Costco and Tmall.  The top 20 also included Lowe’s, Target, Dollar General. eBay, Sam’s Club and TJ Maxx also were listed.

• In the apparel category, Nike took the top spot, followed by Shein, Zara, Lululemon and Uniqlo.

• The luxury, fast food and food & beverages categories proved to be the most resilient to market fluctuations.

• Fast food was the second-highest performing category. Brands that outperformed in this space include Burger King, Chick-Fil-A and Starbucks.

• Luxury brands retained their allure even with steady, incremental price increases. Louis Vuitton, which took the top spot in the luxury category, is the only luxury brand in the global Top 10, rising two places to No.8, with a brand value of $124.8 billion.

The category’s strong overall performance highlights the excellent job luxury brands are doing at leveraging their distinctive assets to drive higher demand and pricing power, despite economic challenges.

• Two new Chinese brands joined the Top 100 ranking for the first time – Shein at No.70 and Nongfu Spring at No.81.

• Sustainability remains an untapped opportunity for brands – only 2% of the most valuable global brands are perceived as ‘leading’ in this area.

• TikTok (No.41) is still perceived as the second most disruptive brand in the Top 100, behind Tesla (No.25).

• Tesla continues to be considered a true game-changer, ranking No.1 in the automotive category, with a 2023 valuation of $67.7 billion.

“This year’s results clearly show that, even in the current macroeconomic environment, it remains possible to find growth in any category and territory with the right strategy focused on establishing and maintaining strong connections with consumers,” said Guerrieria. “BrandZ analysis proves that perceived difference is a key predictor of share growth; promoting any sense of difference and making it more known and more relevant to consumers will boost brand value in the long-term”.

Methodology

Kantar’s annual global and local brand valuation rankings combine rigorously analysed financial data, with extensive brand equity research.

The ability of any brand to power business growth relies on how it is perceived by customers. Grounded in consumer opinion, Kantar BrandZ analysis enables businesses to identify their brand’s strengths in the market and provides clear strategic guidance on how to boost value for the long-term.

The brands ranked must meet these eligibility criteria:

• The brand is owned by a company listed on a stock exchange, or by a private company with its financials available in the public domain.
• Unicorn brands have their most recent valuation publicly available.

Kantar BrandZ’s top 10 most valuable global brands of 2023 are: