Campaign Asia-Pacific has revealed an authoritative list of leading brands in Asia Pacific in terms of consumer mindshare. The list was unveiled at Campaign360 in Singapore in May 2026, following an extensive survey and research from YouGov in partnership with Campaign.
After more than 2.2 million interviews over the year (daily sample size for each region is around 6,090 respondents daily interviews), and the tracking of 3,300 unique brands across eight sectors, e-commerce platform Shopee emerged on top, followed by leading video sharing platform YouTube (2), tech giant Google (3) and messaging app WhatsApp (4).
But ecommerce and social platforms were not the only standouts. Toyota (5) and Samsung (6) also ranked highly thanks to their perceived high quality and recommendation scores across markets, as well as their value and satisfaction among customers.
Brands in the top 50 had to be present in at least five markets
out of the 11 markets analysed in total. The markets are Australia, Hong Kong,
India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea,
Thailand, Vietnam. In addition, recognised brands were ranked on Index scores.
Index score is a derived metric based on an average of metrics including
Impression, Reputation, Quality, Value, Satisfaction and Recommend. These six individual metrics are scores (Net of % positive and % negative). The scores
range from -100 to 100.
Respondents were asked about their general impression of the brands, how they perceive their quality and value, how they rate their customer satisfaction as a customer of the brand, whether they would be proud or embarrassed to work for the brand to determine corporate reputation, and lastly whether or not they would recommend the brand to a friend.
For example, Shopee achieved the highest index average score of 59, which is an average based on scores across the six metrics of Impression: 64.5, Quality: 54.2, Value: 62.3, Satisfaction: 48.5, Reputation: 61.3, and Recommend: 63.4.
Online, tech and telco brands dominate the APAC Top 50
Brands list in 2026, with Shopee, YouTube, Google and WhatsApp taking the top
four spots. Toyota is the leading non-digital brand in fifth place, while
electronics, FMCG and personal care names remain well represented across the
ranking. Noteworthy new entrants in 2026 include Instagram (21), Facebook (24),
Oreo (30), Jollibee (31), and Spotify (36) among others.
Among major changes compared to 2025, Shopee rose from No. 2
to No. 1, while Samsung fell from No. 1 in 2025 to No. 6 in 2026, but it is
still in the ranking. The 2026 list is more dominated by digital platforms,
everyday FMCG, and utility brands, with less luxury and travel than 2025.
Among the key findings outlined by YouGov CEO, APAC & MENAT Laura Robbie at the event:
1. Winning brands are plugged into everyday ecosystems: Not every brand is used daily, but the strongest brands remain consistently visible and relevant by connecting to behaviours consumers already engage in every day — whether that’s shopping, searching, streaming, or social interaction.
2. Successful brands show up across the entire consumer journey: Consumers no longer think in linear channels — they move seamlessly between discovery, consideration, and purchase across multiple platforms. The brands that win are those that stay present throughout that journey, rather than relying on a single touchpoint.
3. The strongest brands scale globally while still winning locally: Brands like Uniqlo and Shopee show that regional scale only works when brands adapt to local consumer behaviours, preferences, and cultural context — while remaining consistent in what they stand for.
Ultimately, the APAC Top 50 reflects the power of brands that are not only large or well-known, but deeply embedded in everyday consumer life.
Across all brands, Shopee achieved the highest impression score 64.5, particularly in markets like Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines and Singapore, along with top scores for recommendation, value, and reputation.
The top three brands, Shopee, YouTube, and Google, performed well across all metrics measured, but what really set them apart were their leading scores in impression, recommendation and reputation.
As Robbie pointed out, strong brands don’t get there by accident.
"What we’ve seen across the rankings whether it’s Spotify, Uniqlo, Shopee, or the brands in the final Top 10 is that brand strength is something that builds over time. And the brands that consistently perform well tend to have a very clear understanding of where they stand, how consumers are responding, and how those perceptions are shifting."
The Top 50 Brands in APAC 2026 demonstrate that brand health
is not just a reporting metric, but is one of the earliest signals of
relevance, momentum, and future growth. Continuous tracking of the index becomes valuable not just to look at where you are today, but to understand
where things are moving, and how to respond with confidence.
Campaign Asia Knowledge Tier subscribers can access the full Top 50 Brand rankings within each of the 11 APAC markets along with regional sector-specific rankings and analysis here, along with deep-dive content on emergent brand trends from the rankings.
