Interbrand has released its 15th annual ranking of the best global brands, and the 2014 list reflects a lot of brand value growth in all industries.
The ranking is developed based on Interbrand’s analysis of three things: the financial performance of the branded product and service, the role the brand plays in influencing consumer choice, and the strength the brand has to command premium prices or to secure earnings for the company.
Overall, the best global brands according to Interbrand’s ranking haven’t changed much since 2013. In fact, the top 6 brands are identical to the 2013 ranking.
The top 10 global brands of 2014 according to Interbrand are:
- Apple = $118.9 billion brand value
- Google = $107.4 billion brand value
- Coca-Cola = $81.6 billion brand value
- IBM = $72.2 billion brand value
- Microsoft = $61.2 billion brand value
- GE = $45.5 billion brand value
- Samsung = $45.5 billion brand value (2013 rank: 8)
- Toyota = $42.4 billion brand value (2013 rank: 10)
- McDonald’s = $42.3 billion brand value (2013 rank: 7)
- Mercedes-Benz = $34.4 billion brand value (2013 rank: 11)
It’s interesting to compare the Interbrand ranking to the 2014 ranking of the most valuable brands by BrandZ that was released in May. That analysis ranked Google first ($158 billion brand value) and Apple second ($148 billion). IBM came in 3rd ($108 billion) in that ranking while Microsoft ranked fourth ($90 billion) and IBM ranked fifth ($108 billion).
Back to the Interbrand ranking, here are some of the most interesting findings within the data:
- 40% of the top 10 brands (and 40% of the top 20 brands) are in the technology industry.
- Only 17% of the top 100 brands lost brand value between the 2013 and 2014 rankings.
- The biggest loser in terms of lost brand value between the 2013 and 2014 rankings was Nintendo, which decreased its brand value by 33%.
- The biggest winner in terms of gained brand value between the 2013 and 2014 rankings was Facebook, which increased its brand value by 86%.
- There were five new brand entrants on the 2014 ranking: DHL (#81), Land Rover (#91), FedEx (#92), Huawei (#94), and Hugo Boss (#97).
- The gap between the top ranked brand and the brand ranked 100 is enormous: #1 Apple’s brand value in 2014 is $118.9 billion while #100 Nintendo’s brand value in 2014 is $4.1 billion.
- This was the first year that Interbrand tracked two global brands with values over $100 billion (Apple and Google).
- 54% of the top 100 brands are from the United States.
Five brands on the 2014 list of the best global brands are from the United Kingdom. All five increased brand value between 2013 and 2014, and one is a new entrant to the 2014 ranking. The best global brand from the U.K. is HSBC (#33) with a brand value of $13.1 billion (up 8% over 2013). Burberry ranks at #73 with a brand value of $5.6 billion (up 8% over 2013), and Johnnie Walker ranks at #86 with a brand value of $4.8 billion (up 2% from 2013). Smirnoff ranks at #90 with a brand value of $4.6 billion (up 8% over 2013). Land Rover is the new U.K. entrant to the ranking at #91. Its 2014 brand value according to the Interbrand ranking is $4.5 billion.
You can follow the link at the beginning of this article to get all of the data from Interbrand’s 2014 ranking of the best global brands. What do you think? Any surprises on this year’s list? Leave a comment and share your thoughts.
Image: Barun Patro
Lucy is Editor at Corporate Eye
