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Superbrands Announces Top 500 Consumer Brands in the UK

Strategic Insights

— 2 min read

Superbrands, a leading branding organization, has unveiled its first-ever consumer election results, featuring the top 500 consumer brands in the UK. Microsoft takes the top spot, followed closely by the BBC, British Airways, Mercedes-Benz, and Porsche. Marks & Spencer has made a successful comeback, taking the sixth position, while Google, Heinz, and Duracell round out the top ten. Sony, known for its innovative advertising campaigns, has also made a notable return to the list.

The winners were announced at the exclusive Superbrands Awards, marking the official launch of Superbrands 2006/2007. The results reflect the changing landscape of consumer preferences and the importance of unique brand identities. Stephen Cheliotis, Superbrands Chairman for 2007, emphasizes the need for brands to effectively communicate their core values and mission to succeed in the market.

Key Takeaways:

  • Microsoft and the BBC have emerged as the top two brands in the UK, followed closely by British Airways, Mercedes-Benz, and Porsche.
  • Marks & Spencer has successfully returned to the list, thanks to its "Your M&S" campaign, and takes the sixth position.
  • Google, a word-of-mouth success story, sits seventh on the list, followed by Heinz and Duracell.
  • Sony has made a comeback, thanks to its award-winning advertising campaign featuring 250,000 multi-colored bouncy balls, and takes tenth place.
  • The Superbrands selection process has been overhauled, incorporating a consumer election for the first time, which has added an extra dimension to the expert council voting.
  • The official definition of a Superbrand emphasizes the importance of establishing a strong reputation, offering consumers emotional and tangible advantages, and being recognized as a leader in the industry.
  • The 5 steps to Superbrand status involve commissioning an initial list of UK consumer brands, acquiring scores from the independent and voluntary Superbrands Council, ranking the top brands based on consumer votes, awarding Superbrand status to the top 500 brands, and creating a consumer score for each brand indexed against the leading brand.

Statistics:

  • The top 10 brands in the UK, as per the Superbrands 2006/2007 list, are: Microsoft, BBC, British Airways, Mercedes-Benz, Porsche, Marks & Spencer, Google, Heinz, Duracell, and Sony.
  • Of the 1,200 brands considered by the Superbrands Council, 650 made it to the next round, which involved a consumer vote.
  • The total sample size for the consumer vote was 2,373, representing the UK population.
  • The Superbrands Council scored each brand between 1 and 10, with no close personal associations or direct competition allowed.
  • The top 500 brands were awarded Superbrand status, based on the results of the consumer vote.

Sources:

  • Superbrands (2006) Superbrands 2006/2007
  • CCNMatthews (2006) Release date: Under strict embargo until 20/07/06
  • Superbrands Organisation (2006) The Superbrands Organisation presents expert and consumer opinion on the UK's strongest brands
  • YouGov PLC (2006) YouGov is a full-service market research agency, pioneering the use of the Internet to collect higher-quality in-depth data for market research and public consultation
  • Superbrands Council 2006-07 Drayton Bird, Chairman, Drayton Bird Associates; Mark Cridge, CEO, glue London; Tim Duffy, CEO, M&C Saatchi; Vanessa Eke, Managing Director UK and Ireland, Nielsen Media Research; Stephen Factor, Managing Director, TNS's Global Consumer Practice; Winston Fletcher, Chairman, Advertising Standards Board of Finance; Cheryl Giovannoni, Managing Director, Landor Associates, London; David Haigh, Chief Executive, Brand Finance; Jacqui Hill, Market Development Director - Personal Care, Unilever; Graham Hiscott, Consumer Editor, Daily Express; Michael Peters OBE, Founder & Chairman, The Identica Partnership; Chris Powell, Co-Founder, BMP; Richard Reed, Co-Founder, innocent; Anna Ronay, Editor, the marketer; Tim Sutton, Chairman, Weber Shandwick, Europe; Nicola Watts, Global Portfolio Strategy & Research Director, Cadbury Schweppes plc; Mark Waugh, Deputy Managing Director, ZenithOptimedia; Donna Price, Chair Person, Superbrands Council

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