Interbrand’s Best Global Brands report highlights leadership role

Global – Brand management consultancy Interbrand has published its annual Best Global Brands report, offering insight into the meaning and direction of brands for the years ahead.

The report also offers a league table of brands ranked on their brand value (brand revenue and brand strength, the latter defined by factors including market leadership, stability, market characteristics, internationalisation ability, development trend, brand support and legal protection). Topping the league is Apple with a brand value of £419.638m($482.215m, €482.096m), an 18% year-on-year increase, closely followed by Microsoft, then Amazon. The top 15 risers in brand value blend a host of fashion brands – Chanel, Hermès, Dior, Gucci, Louis Vuitton and Prada – with Lego, Tesla, Siemens and Mastercard.

The most relevant brands, according to the report, are those that balance power and responsibility. ‘With trust in traditional institutions dwindling, it is to great brands that many of us look for true leadership in and beyond crisis,’ writes Manfredi Ricca, global chief strategy officer at Interbrand. ‘We see them as beacons of change… Many of the brands in this league do more than offer exceptional products, services and experiences. They take sides on the most critical debates of our times.’