You don’t have enough intel if you haven’t downloaded the 2009 BrandZ Top 100 Brands Report. It’s not just a statistic, it’s an in-depth coverage of movers and shakers, with witty analysis and commentary. For smaller brands, struggling to survive in these rather difficult financial times, the big dogs set the pace on trends, marketing and PR. And, as the report briefly states, expenditure on brand and marketing should be treated not as a cost but as an investment.
Here we are, after a year of financial mess, and Google still managed to keep its leading position, becoming the world’s first $100 billion brand. How did they win, you ask, when they don’t seem to do any active branding and PR campaigns. Well, everything Google does is marketing. Smart, subtle, user-centric. Google is probably the most engaging company in the world, and it’s definitely part of our daily life. We cannot imagine the Internet without Google – they are everywhere: search, email, chat, video, images, social media, news, IT innovation, smart phones, maps… The brand is powerful, omnipresent, ant the 100 billion brand is more than realistic.
But can a smaller company emulate this business model? We’ll be answering this question in a future editorial.
The search giant is followed by Microsoft, Coca Cola, IBM, McDonalds, Apple, China Mobile, General Electric, Vodafone and Marlboro in exactly this order. So here you have it, the top ten global brands, as ranked by Millward Brown Optimor.
The most interesting part of the report, as I already mentioned, is not necessarily the top, but the commentary. Take page 19 for example, where the BrandZ experts analyze the trends set up by the most valuable brands of the world. There are eight key trends identified, all key values the big players are focusing on. These values are the foundation of a success recipe for any business, anywhere in the world.
- Value – Consumers have not given up on quality. According to the report, consumers are ready to pay for quality, but they are more astute about the price they have to pay. This opened opportunities for brands like ALDI and Wal-Mart, that have increased their brand value considerably in 2009.
- At home People are retreating to home to enjoy small pleasures, often with family and friends. Naturally. Staying at home costs less, and it can prove to be as much fun as going out. This is where the gaming and entertainment companies win. The same goes for companies in gastronomy: if they are not going out, people prefer the quality of a restaurant product at home.
- Affordable indulgence – this is the small luxury category, that proves that consumers are still ready to pay for luxury brands. Sunglasses, cosmetics, even luxury drinks fall under this trend.
- Small vices – the value also increased for beer, cigarettes and fast food.
- Control – because consumers became more careful about how much they spend and what they are spending on, brands like Amazon increased their value. Online shopping is one of the key shakers of last year.
- Health – clearly, there was an increase interest in healthier foods, and even healthier alcohol (like Bud Light).
- Seriousness – Frugality is replacing conspicuous consumption across most categories.
- Technology – technology is still a winner, as people are still counting on it for daily entertainment, to communicate and to organize, simplify, and add new capabilities to their lives.
This is just a sample of business intelligence available in this report. We will be discussing, in future editorials, other trends, analyzing some of the most enduring brands and what makes customers stick to them. Why? The answer is in the same report:
Consumer perception of a brand is a key input in determining brand value because brands are a combination of business performance, product delivery, clarity of positioning, and leadership.
Are you ready to join the elites?
About Mihaela Lica Butler
