MAM
Apple is world’s top value brand, says WPP’s BrandZ
MUMBAI: Apple has emerged as the most valuable brand in the world, ending the four-year reign of Google at the top of the table, says the sixth edition of BrandZ Top 100 Most Valuable Global Brands study.
With an 84 per cent increase in value over the past year and 859 per cent since 2006, Apple now stands at $153.3 billion, according to estimates by WPP‘s brand research company, Millward Brown Optimor.
Also, emerging markets account for 19 of the top 100 brands.
During last year‘s economic recovery, the combined value of all the brands in the top 100 has risen by 17 per cent and is now worth $2.4 trillion.
In terms of geography, according to BrandZ study 2011, 19 of the Top 100 brands now originate in “BRICs” markets, versus only two in 2006.
The study claims that the growing presence of brands from BRICs in this global ranking highlights the expanding purchasing power of people in these countries. While many of these brands are buoyed by the size of their local customer base, many more now have international ambition including Petrobras in Brazil (No. 61 in the ranking with a brand value of $13.4 billion); ICICI Bank in India (No. 53 and worth $14.9 billion) and China‘s largest search engine Baidu (No. 29, up 46 places, and valued at $22.5 billion).
Despite these successes, however, consumers in the BRIC regions continue to favor Western brands. Louis Vuitton, for example, (for which Brazil is its second-largest market) benefited from the new energy and confidence in the BRICs region. Its 23 per cent growth in brand value to $24.3 billion has helped this luxury retailer achieve 26th place in the ranking, a three-spot increase from 2010.
Said David Roth at WPP, “In the last year, the global economy shifted from recovery to real growth, the combined value of all brands in the Top 100 ranking has risen by 64 percent since 2006 and is now worth $2.4 trillion. Strong brands, while not immune to the vicissitudes of the market, are more protected, prepared, resourceful and resilient.”
The BrandZ Top 100 Most Valuable Global Brands study, commissioned by WPP and conducted by Millward Brown Optimor, identifies and ranks the world‘s most valuable 100 brands by their dollar value, an analysis based on financial data combined with consumer measures of brand equity.
The Most Valuable Global Brands 2011 :
| Rank | Brand | Value in $ million | Brand value change from 2010 |
|
1
|
Apple | 153,285 | + 84 per cent |
|
2
|
111,498 | – 2 per cent | |
|
3
|
IBM | 100,849 | + 17 per cent |
|
4
|
McDonald‘s* | 81,016 | + 23 per cent |
|
5
|
Microsoft | 78,243 | +2 per cent |
|
6
|
Coca-Cola | 73,752 | +8 per cent |
|
7
|
at&t | 69,916 | – |
|
8
|
Marlboro | 67,522 | +18 per cent |
|
9
|
China Mobile | 57,326 | +9 per cent |
|
10
|
GE | 50,318 | +12 per cent |
The Brand Value of Coca-Cola includes Lites, Diets and Zero
Adds Millward Brown CEO Eileen Campbell, “Business leaders can embrace brand management as a critical competency for building long-term financial value. Compared with an overall improvement of 13 per cent in the world‘s equity markets during 2010, the best brands grew their value 30 per cent faster.”
The study also says that heritage brands stayed relevant in a technology age.
Brands such as Coca-Cola (No. 6), GE (No. 10), IBM (No. 3) and McDonald‘s (No. 4), stand out in this study of global brand strength as brands that have survived for more than 50 years. Leadership, strategy and tactics aside, what all of these companies have in common is their use of brand to remain relevant to consumers and drive global business success.
Technology and telecom brands have dominated the ranking:
Technology brands, which make up one-third of the Top 100 brands, continue to demonstrate their relevance in our daily lives.
While Apple leads the ranking, it is followed in second place by Google, with a brand value of $111.5 billion, and IBM in third place with a brand value of $100.9 billion.
Facebook makes its debut in the Top 100 ranking this year at No. 35 with the highest increase in brand value, 246 per cent, making the brand worth $19.1 billion. Online retailer Amazon also edged past Walmart to become the No. 1 retail brand and 14th overall, with a 37 per cent rise in brand value to $37.6 billion.
Fast food, luxury and technology brands led brand value appreciation: Each of the 13 market sectors covered in this study grew in value over the last year. Fast food led the sector growth (22 per cent) followed by luxury (19 per cent) and technology (18 per cent). The oil and gas sector experienced the slowest rate of growth (1 per cent).
BrandZ Top 100 also says that brands are ever more dependent on their use of technology to win consumers‘ hearts and minds.
The brand values of Burberry, Chanel, Louis Vuitton and Coca-Cola all benefited from their use of technology, for example, by harnessing social media and apps. At the same time, the dependencies demonstrated in the physical world between applications, devices and operating platforms are creating similar branded interdependencies.
Brands that are aware of the risks can leverage these associations to drive value and growth, the study advises.
Also, Toyota has reclaimed the position as most valuable car brand demonstrating the power of strong brands to recover from the most fundamental challenges to product efficacy and reputation. Toyota‘s brand, which is rated by consumers as “great value,” rose 11 per cent to $24.1 billion.
AD Agencies
WPP and Ogilvy top the global charts as India joins the creative elite: Warc rankings
A record five-year streak for Ogilvy while India secures a top five global spot
MUMBAI: The global advertising world has a familiar king, but a new powerhouse is gatecrashing the palace. In the latest Warc Creative 100 rankings, the industry’s definitive audit of excellence, WPP has once again been crowned the top holding company. Not to be outdone, its crown jewel, Ogilvy, has secured the top network spot for a staggering fifth consecutive year.
It is a “five-peat” that proves Ogilvy’s creative engine is not just running but purring. While many networks rely on one or two superstar offices to carry the load, Ogilvy’s dominance is a team effort across the globe. Hot on their heels is sister agency VML, which took the silver medal for networks, ensuring a WPP clean sweep at the very top of the podium.
The biggest noise, however, is coming from the East. India has officially vaulted into the top five most creative nations on Earth. Once viewed primarily as a back-office for production, the country is now a front-row leader in imagination. Driven by the brilliance of agencies like Ogilvy Mumbai and Leo Burnett India, the nation is proving that its work does more than just look good on a trophy shelf. In a market where every rupee must work twice as hard, Indian campaigns are blending high-concept artistry with ruthless commercial effectiveness.
The individual accolades saw Heineken toast to success as the top brand, finally knocking Apple off its perch. Unilever remains the world’s most awarded advertiser, proving that big business can still have a big heart through its work for Dove and Vaseline.
The title of the world’s most creative campaign went to Publicis Conseil Paris for their AXA “Three Words” initiative. By subtly adding “and domestic violence” to insurance policies to provide immediate relocation cover, the agency proved that the best advertising doesn’t just sell a service, it provides one.
The 2026 rankings also signal a shift in the industry’s DNA. The era of boring business-to-business marketing is dead, with B2B campaigns cracking the top ten for the first time. Meanwhile, artificial intelligence has moved past the gimmick stage. The winners this year used tech not for the sake of a trend, but to drive genuine human emotion.
Whether it is Paris providing a safety net for the vulnerable or India redefining the global creative order, the message from this year’s Warc rankings is clear. The best work in the world is no longer just about catching the eye, it is about changing the world.
