The most valuable global brand is…
For the seventh consecutive year, a U.S. tech giant took the top spot in a ranking of the world’s top 100 brands based on their value.
Apple was ranked No. 1 in Interbrand’s “Best Global Brands 2019” report, with a total brand value of $234.24 billion. Rounding out the top five were Google ($168 billion), Amazon ($125 billion), Microsoft ($109 billion) and Coca-Cola ($63 billion). (For the complete Top 100 ranking, visit bestglobalbrands.com.)
This is the 20th edition of the Interbrand report, whose ranking is based on three pieces of analysis: financial performance of the branded products or services; role the brand plays in purchase decisions; and the brand’s competitive strength and its ability to create loyalty and, therefore, sustainable demand and profit into the future.
Mastercard (No. 62, $9.4 billion) demonstrated the fastest growth of any brand this year, showing a 25% increase in brand value, jumping eight places in the rankings. Its ascent has been fueled in part by its transition from purely a financial services provider to a technology-forward enterprise.
The top growing sector for 2019 was luxury and retail with 15 luxury and retail brands making the top 100 — the sector saw the highest average brand value growth rate year-over-year at 11%. The most successful brands in the luxury space are those that have adapted to rapid changes in the global marketplace, including catering to a younger consumer base whose stylistic tastes have shifted toward streetwear, who are tech-first in their purchasing habits, and who increasingly demand for shareable, memorable moments from any brick-and-mortar retail experiences, the report said.
"Twenty years on from our first report, customers today are more informed, more connected and more demanding than ever before through a combination of wealth of choice, erosion of loyalty and shifting frames of reference wanting immediacy, abundance and intimacy – all at the same time," said Charles Trevail, global CEO Interbrand. "The age of brand positioning is over. In a world where customer expectations will continue to move faster than businesses, static brand positions and incremental change will just about keep brands in the game – but it will take, brave, we would say 'iconic', moves, to make brands leap ahead of customer expectations and ultimately deliver extraordinary business results."
In some key take-aways from the report:
• Only 31 brands from the first report in 2000 remain on the list today, including Disney, Nike and Gucci.
• 137 brands, such as Nokia and MTV, have dropped off the list in the intervening years.
• New entrants include Uber (No. 87) and LinkedIn (No. 98);
• Coca-Cola and Microsoft are the only brands to have retained top 10 spots since the first report was released.
• In 2001, the first year in which the table included 100 brands, the cumulative brand value residing in the world's top 100 brands was $988 billion. Today, that value stands at $2.13 trillion, representing a 4.4% average compound annual growth rate (CAGR) and a more than doubling in total value.
For the complete Top 100 ranking and the report with comprehensive analysis of growth, sector, and industry trends, click here.