Coca-Cola remains “Best Global Brand”: Interbrand

Coca-Cola, the $31-billion beverage giant retained its top spot as the world's number one brand for the eleventh year in a row in brand consultancy firm Interbrand's 11th annual ranking of the ''Best Global Brands''.

IBM, Microsoft, Google and GE followed Coca Cola in the top five anual ranking of the Best Global Brands with Google seeing a 36 per cent increase in value over last year, bringing the brand closer than ever to rival Microsoft at the number three spot.

HP at number 10 enters the top 10 for the first time, having increased brand value under a new business model and brand platform, said Interbrand.

Top ten brands in 2010

A number of prominent brands faced major crises in 2010 resulting in stalled growth, value loss and in the case of BP, failure to even make the ranking this year.

BP's environmental disaster and inability to make good on its brand promise of ''Beyond Petroleum'' led to it falling off of the list and helping competitor Shell emerge as an industry leader, now ranked number 81, up from number 92 in 2009.

Although the 11the ranked Toyota's multiple recalls caused the brand to lose 16 per cent of its brand value, its long-standing reputation for reliability, efficiency and innovation helped it weather the crisis better than expected, said Interbarand.

Goldman Sachs at number 37 was once the envy of Wall Street, but now faces the dichotomy of strong economic results and an angry public that will continue to lash out until the company begins to demonstrate that it is making sincere efforts to better align its ethics with its brand.

Tech brands in the lead
Interbrand said that technology brands continue to lead the pack, with IBM at number 2, Microsoft at 3, Google at 4, Intel at 7, and HP at number 10 earning top rankings.

Apple at 17, increased brand value by 37 per cent through carefully controlled messaging and an endless wave of buzz surrounding new product launches. Despite a challenging year, HP made smart additions to its product portfolio and swiftly expanded the HP brand to protect its ranking on the list.

With 32 per cent brand value growth, BlackBerry at 54 remains the most popular smartphone for business users, despite pressure from Apple as it edges into the corporate world.

''2010 was the beginning of a long road back towards economic recovery,'' said Jez Frampton, group chief executive at Interbrand. ''From real-time customer feedback through social media to increased transparency about corporate citizenship, brands were faced with a profound change in the way they relate to customers and demonstrate their relevance and value. Despite this new paradigm of brand management, the advantages of building a solid brand remain the same.''

During a difficult year for the auto industry, Mercedes Benz at 12 and BMW at15 were able to sustain and build their value through innovative design and a focus on delivering premium value vehicles with luxury features.

Using customer feedback, largely drawn from YouTube, Flickr, Twitter and Facebook to launch the 2009 Fiesta, Ford at 50 stands out as one of the best example of how to use social media. Award-winning products like the Q5 and rich heritage help Audi at 63 lead industry growth this year with a 9 per cent increase in its brand value.

Despite the economic downturn, luxury brands Cartier at 77, Armani at 95, Louis Vuitton at 16, Gucci at 44, Tiffany & Co at 76 and Hermes at 69 all saw the value of their brands increase in 2010 by continuing to invest in their heritage and legendary status.

Outstanding customer service and a focus on unique in-store and online experiences allowed them to stay strong, even while consumers cut back spending.

In the financial sector, legacy brands Citi at 40 and UBS at 86 lost double-digits in brand value, while Santander at 68, Barclays at 74 and Credit Suisse at 80 made their debut on the list for the first time.

Their ability to stay true to brand promises in unsure times, and avoidance of the subprime mortgage crisis, helped them stay the course.

There were no brands from Asia barring Japan among the top hundred.

Interbrand, the leading brand consultancy, publishes the ranking of the top 100 brands based on a unique methodology analyzing the many ways a brand touches and benefits an organization, from attracting top talent to delivering on customer expectation.