Fast-Growing Brands in a Globalizing World

Strategic Insights -

In an era of consumer empowerment, the global brand rankings have offered insights into the shifts in market perception and consumer behavior. According to the annual brand surveys conducted by Omnicom's Interbrand and Young & Rubicam's Landor Associates, the top five global brands, led by Coke, Microsoft, IBM, GE, and Intel, have seen minimal movement in recent years. However, the fast-growing brands on both lists offer valuable insights into the evolving global marketplace.

Key Takeaways:

  • Interbrand's 2006 survey found that three of the top five global brands (Coke, Microsoft, and Intel) declined in value last year, while the most significant growth came from fast-growing brands such as Google, eBay, and iPod.
  • Landor Associates' 2004-2006 survey found that non-technology-driven companies dominated the top-ten list, including brands such as Viking, Converse, Robitussin, and Dove, which have successfully enhanced their dialogue with customers by embracing trends such as building trust, cultivating brand communities, and empowering customers with knowledge.
  • Brands that recall when a purchase is contemplated tend to come out on top in terms of growth, with brands such as iPod and Dove commanding strong emotional connections with customers.
  • Interbrand and Landor employ different methodologies to evaluate brand value, with Interbrand focusing on annual growth in brand equity and Landor taking a mid-term view to assess sustainable growth.

Statistics:

  • Interbrand's top-growing brands for 2006 included Google (#1), eBay (#3), Motorola (#4), Yahoo (#8), Apple (#9), and LG (#10), while Landor's top-growing brands for 2004-2006 included Viking (#1), Converse (#2), Robitussin (#3), Best Buy (#4), Kohl's (#5), French's (#6), GEICO (#7), Dove (#8), and Young & Rubicam's Landor itself (#10).
  • Landor found that each of its top-ten fast-growing brands enhanced their dialogue with customers by embracing at least one of three trends: building on a foundation of trust, cultivating brand communities, and empowering customers with knowledge.
  • Interbrand's survey results are available on both the BusinessWeek (www.businessweek.com) and Interbrand (www.interbrand.com) websites, while Landor provides a summary of results on its website (www.landor.com).

Sources:

  • "New Results: 2006 Interbrand Top 100 Global Brands" by Interbrand, in partnership with BusinessWeek
  • "What Is Happening to the Value of Brands?" by Young & Rubicam's Landor Associates
  • "Fortune" magazine, September 18 issue
  • "High Visibility: Transforming Your Personal and Professional Brand" by Michael Alan Hamlin