What drives success
Technology tops brand rankings; mobile access is a key trend
oogle has regained its top spot in Millward Brown’s BrandZ top 100 most valuable global brands list, overtaking Apple. Google’s value grew 30% to US$229.2bn; Apple ($228.5bn) is down 8% from 2015. The research firm says Google has grown because of continual innovation and increased advertising revenue. For a second year in a row Facebook was the fastest growing tech brand, up 44% to $102.6bn, which gets it into the top 10 for the first time.
Another success indicative of new trends is streaming TV service Netflix listing in the technology top 20 for the first time.
Microsoft is the most valuable business-to-business brand and is ranked third in the overall top 100 list.
GMillward Brown says the performance of the top 20 business-to-business brands reflects the tough challenges facing the sector. “Issues such as the pace of digitalisation, the battle to attract talent and the changing audience (46% are now millennials) made it harder to retain customers, differentiate from competitors and engage decision-makers.”
Amazon is the most valuable retail brand, as it expanded into the logistics sector by shipping its own packages. It replaces Chinese e-tailer Alibaba.
Millward Brown says an ability to drive seamless multichannel strategies was a factor in the success of many retail brands. “This is a process that will have to continue as the sector adapts to a consumer audience that no longer distinguishes between shopping on- and offline and expects the same brand experience and quality of service in all channels.”
Successful retail brands will have to respond to these demands by reducing friction in the online world and improving delivery times.
Toyota remains the most valuable global car brand. It had a 2% rise in value to $29.5bn. BMW ($26.8bn), Mercedes-Benz ($22.7bn), Honda ($13.2bn) and Ford ($13.1bn) also retain their places as the top five car brands.
Says Millward Brown: “One sign of the coming disruption is the arrival of premium electric car brand Tesla in the top 10 car brand list, with a brand value of $4.4bn just a month after entering the mainstream car market.”
L’Oréal Paris remains the most valuable personal care brand, with a 1% rise in value to $23.5bn, ahead of Colgate.
Key challenges have emerged to disrupt the personal care status quo, including niche brands using e-commerce to drive distribution; mobile access giving millennials rapid access to new brands; and traditional femalefocused brands shifting into the male space.