Interbrand Names 100 Best Global Brands

It’s probably no surprise that Coca-Cola is the number one brand in the world, but did you know that they are one of only three non-techie brands to make the top ten? For the 11th year in a row, Interbrand has published their list of the 100 Best Global Brands and it’s good news for Google and Shell and bad news for Toyota and BP.

Interbrand uses a variety of criteria when dolling out the ranks including the many ways a brand touches and benefits an organization, whether it attracts top talent and how well it delivers on customer expectation. Three key aspects that contribute to a brand’s value are the financial performance of the branded products or services, the role of brand in the purchase decision process and the strength of the brand to continue to secure earnings for the company.

Technology brands claim the majority of the top ten spots but not necessarily in the order you might think. IBM remains at number two for the second year in a row and I found that surprising. I also was surprised to see Apple at 17 up from 20 but still way under Microsoft (3), Intel (7) and even HP (10). Google jumped up to number four on the list, a 36% increase over last year. McDonalds (6) and Disney (9) claim the other two non-techie spots.

A number of popular brands dropped to lower spots on the list this year including Toyota who dropped from 8 to 11. Dell, Nintendo, Nokia and GE all took hits and for some odd reason (can anyone clue me in?) Harley-Davidson dropped from 73 to 98.

BP fell off the list completely thanks to their giant oops and that let Shell climb up a few notches.

The economy may be bad, but all of the luxury brands, Cartier (#77), Armani (#95), Louis Vuitton (#16), Gucci (#44), Tiffany & Co (#76) and Hermes (#69), climbed up the charts this year.

New additions to the list include Jack Daniels, Corona, Johnnie Walker and Heineken – all of which beat out Campbell’s, who apparently wasn’t “mm mm good” enough this year.

Says Jez Frampton, group chief executive at Interbrand:

“2010 was the beginning of a long road back towards economic recovery.  From real-time customer feedback through social media to increased transparency about corporate citizenship, brands were faced with a profound change in the way they relate to customers and demonstrate their relevance and value. Despite this new paradigm of brand management, the advantages of building a solid brand remain the same.”

Here’s a look at the full list. The top is pretty predictable, but take a long look at the brands that landed around 30 and down. Some are age old brands, and others have been around for less than a decade. What they all have in common though, is a clear image, a reputation for excellence in their field and either a timelessness or the ability to adapt with the changing market. Is your brand on this list?

Interbrand’s 2010 Best Global Brands is available in full, along with expanded content and methodology, on Interbrand.com at http://www.thebestglobalbrands.com/.

Source: Interbrand