It also shows that despite the concerns some people may have about America's role internationally, the world's love affair with American brands continues.
American-originated brands dominate the table. But it is also worth pointing out that though these brands originate from America, their global success is more to do with their ability to transcend cultural origins and appeal to universal needs and aspirations. And their understanding of how to interpret those values locally through communications, hiring of local management, appropriate distribution channels, etc.
But what about Asian brands? How are they faring? Well, we have reasons for optimism. Last year, there were seven Asian brands in the table, this year there are eight - not a dramatic increase, but an increase nonetheless.
And an increase during a year that has been particularly difficult for Asia. More importantly though is the performance of those eight brands.
With the exception of Sony, all the Asian brands increased their value, including Nissan which entered the league for the first time. And Sony's slight fall in value is mainly attributable to the increasingly aggressive and focused brand building activities of Samsung and Panasonic. Samsung's performance continues to astound brand watchers.
But there are still two obvious questions. One: why doesn't Asia produce more valuable brands? Two: what can Asian brands do to increase value significantly? The answer to the first is simple: Asia does not have a tradition of brand building. Its principal source of wealth in modern times has come from OEM or from trading. Its focus has been regional rather than global. Too many Asian companies think that you build brands by making a few TV commercials. As for the second question, well, the best answer is 'do a Samsung'. Samsung is quickly becoming a model for Asian companies which want to shift perceptions from being a cheap supplier to a global brand. The discipline of brand building involves putting a big idea at the heart of your business and then delivering it across everything you do. Samsung has changed its distribution channels in key markets, it has invested heavily in product design, communicating these with powerful messages that make this new technology not just relevant but desirable.
If we can learn anything, it is that Asian companies need to be as focused and committed to branding as Samsung, then we will see even more Asian brands on the rise.