The report, which compares brands according to their dollar value worth, named Google as the number one brand in the world as it is the only brand to achieve a value of US$100 billion.
Following Google on the list is Microsoft, which is worth $76.2 billion; Coca-Cola, with $67.6 billion; IBM, worth $66.6 billion; and McDonald’s, with $66.5 billion.
Following Google on the list is Microsoft, which is worth $76.2 billion; Coca-Cola, with $67.6 billion; IBM, worth $66.6 billion; and McDonald’s, with $66.5 billion.
Among the top 10 brands by value in Asia, four are Chinese and six are Japanese.
Overall, six Chinese brands are included in the top 100 list, of which the highest-ranked is China Mobile, appearing number seven on the list with a value of $61.2 billion. Comparatively, China Mobile appeared fifth on the list in 2008 with a value of $57.2 billion.
China Merchant’s Bank, which lands 80th on the 2009 list, is considered the biggest riser of the group, increasing in value by 168 per cent. The survey further found that the top three financial brands are Chinese, with ICBC (12), China Construction Bank (24) and Bank of China (27) leading the list.
According to Adrian Gonzalez, Head of Millward Brown Greater China and COO of Millward Brown Africa and Asia-Pacific, the only regional brands appearing on the top 100 list are from China and Japan, and of these two markets, Chinese brands are best poised to move up in the coming years.
“It’s an interesting scenario, where it’s the Chinese brands that are all growers and Japanese brands are contracting,” Gonzalez said, pointing out that Japanese names such as Toyota suffered this year due to the economy. “There was an expectation that an Indian brand would break the top 100, and there are definitely Indian brands in the top 200. The next country to crack the list will be Indian.”
Gonzalez added that digital also played a key role in the 2009 list, evident through the top-ranked brands. To forecast, Gonzalez said that, while Baidu did not make the top 100 list in 2009, he expects it will appear next year.
According to Millward Brown Optimor, Baidu is currently the 19th ranked tech company in the world, valued at $5.7 billion.
“The rankings are a great testament to digital, and there are two factors the will drive strong brands in the future: growth of wireless and growth of mobile,” Gonzalez said. “Anything linked to wireless and mobile will see growth in the future.”
