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Kantar: Economic Optimism Drives Brand Values to Record Levels

June 21, 2021 6:00 AM

LONDON--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- The world’s most valuable brands have experienced record growth according to the Kantar BrandZTM Most Valuable Global Brands 2021 ranking, with the total worth reaching $7.1 trillion – equivalent to the combined GDP of France and Germany. The 42% increase; more than four times the study’s annual average percentage increase over the past 15 years, has been driven by confidence derived from vaccine availability, economic stimulus packages and improving GDP outlooks. US brands account for 56 of the Top 100 brands, with Amazon and Apple leading the way – each now worth over US$½ trillion.

Key trends highlighted in this year’s Kantar BrandZ Most Valuable Global Brands study include:

Rank 2021

Brand

Brand Value 2021 ($Mil.)

% Change 2021
vs 2020

1​

Amazon

$ 683,852 ​

64%​

2​

Apple

$ 611,997 ​

74%​

3​

Google

$ 457,998 ​

42%​

4​

Microsoft

$ 410,271 ​

26%​

5​

Tencent

$ 240,931 ​

60%​

6​

Facebook

$ 226,744 ​

54%​

7​

Alibaba

$ 196,912 ​

29%​

8​

Visa

$ 191,285 ​

2%​

9​

McDonald's

$ 154,921 ​

20%​

10​

MasterCard

$ 112,876 ​

4%​

Kantar BrandZ Top 10 Most Valuable Global Brands 2021

“2020-1 has been a record year for brand growth, and despite many facing a difficult year, our research has again proven that strong brands deliver superior shareholder returns, are more resilient and recover more quickly,” comments Nathalie Burdet, CMO of Kantar. “With global ecommerce growing from 12% to 15% of all sales in 2020, it has been a positive year for brands involved in that value chain – from the retailers through to the couriers like FedEx and UPS. However, we have also seen growth in industries where many were predicting challenges early in the pandemic. Apparel brands for example have collectively grown even more than media and entertainment brands in the ranking, and luxury brands, despite reduced travel and lockdowns globally, have refocused their energies and seen growth as a result.”

Across industries brands have been rewarded for meeting consumers’ changing needs and behaviours:

Reputation, especially for sustainable and ethical purposes, is increasingly a driver for brand growth. The luxury category saw 34% brand growth with, predominantly, French and Italian luxury companies such as LVMH investing in their corporate reputation through pandemic-related initiatives, sustainable transformation, and support for social movements such as BLM. Similarly, L’Oréal Paris successfully bucked the trend across beauty brands in the pandemic, securing brand growth by flexing its assets and driving female empowerment.

“This year’s results show that brand building remains critical to securing growth,” explains Burdet. “We track the stock market performance of our strongest brands and have seen these recover twice as fast as other key indices. Our analytics have uncovered that 70% of what makes a brand successful is executing four fundamentals well: providing superior experience across consistently branded touchpoints, a range of well-designed and functional products and services, convenience, and exposure through great advertising. However, COVID-19 has emphasised consumer values such as trust and reliability. Those brands that are evolving their values, projecting leadership on these issues are demonstrating differentiation and standing out.”

Ends

The Kantar BrandZ Most Valuable Global Brands 2021 ranking, report and extensive analysis are available now via www.kantar.com/brandz

Sam Mohr

[email protected]

Source: Kantar

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