New 2015 List of Top 100 most Valuable Brands [WPP Report Summary]

How much is a label worth?  Not the product, just the label.

If the label we’re talking about happens to be Apple, then that label – the most valuable label on planet Earth – is worth $247bn according to the new WPP 2015 global list and valuation of the 100 most valuable brands. If the label is Louis Vuitton, then it’s worth $27bn. Together the top 100 labels are worth $3.3 trillion.

The full list is below, and here’s the link to the full 187 page report 100 Most Valuable Global Brands.

$3.3 trillion is a lot of work for 100 logos.

Of course there’s more to a brand than a logo – psychologically, a brand is a set of mental associations that can influence propensity to choose and frequency of choice.  What comes to mind when I say Apple? Creativity, design, quality, simple to use, user-friendly, innovative…  These positive associations influence our willingness to pay a price premium, and choose Apple more frequently – especially when they are unique and meet a need. So WPP calculate brand value by combining financial value (current branded earnings and a multiple for future sales) with brand contribution (the price premium and extra volume that the brand name (and associations) generates (from consumer surveys)). It’s not the only way to calculate brand value, but it has the merit of integrating a psychological component to brand valuation.

The 2015 WPP 100 Most Valuable Global Brands list makes for interesting reading.

• Shift to the East? Check. (Alibaba brand is now worth more than Amazon, Tencent is worth more than Facebook).
• Continued Rise of Tech? Check. (Tech and Telecom brands account for 44% of total value in the list).
• Banks and Luxury in Trouble? Check. (Only sectors losing value, 2% and 6% respectively)
• Branding trumps Advertising? Check. (Strong identity and value proposition correlate better with value than strong advertising)
• Salience, Difference, and Meaningfulness drive brand value? Check.
  • Salient: Comes to mind spontaneously as key brand choice
  • Different: Unique and trendsetting
  • Meaningful: Fulfils a consumer need in relevant ways
• Apple the most valuable brand on planet Earth? Check, (the Apple brand is worth $247bn)

2015 WPP 100 Most Valuable Global Brands

1. Apple (Technology) $246,992,000,000
2. Google (Technology) $173,652,000,000
3. Microsoft (Technology) $115,500,000,000
4. IBM (Technology) $93,987,000,000
5. Visa (Payments) $91,962,000,000
6. AT&T (Telecom Providers) $89,492,000,000
7. Verizon (Telecom Providers) $86,009,000,000
8. Coca-Cola (Soft Drinks) $83,841,000,000
9. McDonald’s (Fast Food) $81,162,000,000
10. Marlboro (Tobacco) $80,352,000,000
11. Tencent (Technology) $76,572,000,000
12. Facebook (Technology) $71,121,000,000
13. Alibaba (Retail) $66,375,000,000
14. Amazon (Retail) $62,292,000,000
15. China Mobile (Telecom Providers) $59,895,000,000
16. Wells Fargo (Regional Banks) $59,310,000,000
17. GE (Conglomerate) $59,272,000,000
18. UPS (Logistics) $51,798,000,000
19. Disney (Entertainment) $42,962,000,000
20. Mastercard (Payments) $40,188,000,000
21. Baidu (Technology) $40,041,000,000
22. ICBC (Regional Banks) 38,808,000,000
23. Vodafone (Telecom Providers) $38,461,000,000
24. SAP (Technology) $38,225,000,000
25. American Express (Payments) $38,093,000,000
26. Walmart (Retail) $35,245,000,000
27. T-Mobile (Telecom Providers) $33,834,000,000
28. Nike (Apparel) $29,717,000,000
29. Starbucks (Fast Food) $29,313,000,000
30. Toyota (Cars) $28,913,000,000
31. The Home Depot (Retail) $27,705,000,000
32. Louis Vuitton (Luxury) $27,445,000,000
33. Budweiser (Beer) $26,657,000,000
34. BMW (Cars) $26,349,000,000
35. HSBC (Global Banks) $24,029,000,000
36. RBC (Regional Banks) $23,989,000,000
37. Pampers (Baby Care) $23,757,000,000
38. L’Oréal (Personal Care) $23,376,000,000
39. HP (Technology) $23,039,000,000
40. Subway (Fast Food) $22,561,000,000
41. China Construction Bank (Regional Banks) $22,065,000,000
42. Zara (Apparel) $22,036,000,000
43. Mercedes-Benz (Cars) $21,786,000,000
44. Oracle (Technology) $21,680,000,000
45. Samsung (Technology) $21,602,000,000
46. Movistar (Telecom Providers) $21,215,000,000
47. TD (Regional Banks) $20,638,000,000
48. Commonwealth Bank (Regional Banks) $20,599,000,000
49. ExxonMobil (Oil & Gas) $20,412,000,000
50. Agricultural Bank of China (Regional Banks) $20,189,000,000
51. Accenture (Technology) $20,183,000,000
52. Gillette (Personal Care) $19,737,000,000
53. FedEx (Logistics) $19,566,000,000
54. Shell (Oil & Gas) $18,943,000,000
55. Hermès (Luxury) $18,938,000,000
56. Intel (Technology) $18,385,000,000
57. Colgate (Personal Care) $17,977,000,000
58. BT (Telecom Providers) $17,953,000,000
59. ANZ (Regional Banks) $17,702,000,000
60. Citi (Global Banks) $17,486,000,000
61. Orange (Telecom Providers) $17,384,000,000
62. China Life (Insurance) $17,365,000,000
63. Sinodec (Oil & Gas) $17,267,000,000
64. Ikea (Retail) $17,025,000,000
65. Bank of China (Regional Banks) $16,438,000,000
66. DHL (Logistics) $16,301,000,000
67. Cisco (Technology) $16,060,000,000
68. Pingan (Insurance) $15,959,000,000
69. Siemens (Technology) $15,496,000,000
70. Huawei (Technology) $15,335,000,000
71. PetroChina (Oil & Gas) $15,022,000,000
72. US Bank (Regional Banks) $14,786,000,000
73. eBay (Retail) $14,171,000,000
74. HDFC Bank (Regional Banks) $14,027,000,000
75. H&M (Apparel) $13,827,000,000
76. Gucci (Luxury) $13,800,000,000
77. J.P. Morgan (Global Banks) $13,522,000,000
78. Honda (Cars) $13,332,000,000
79. Pepsi (Soft Drinks) $13,134,000,000
80. Ford (Cars) $13,106,000,000
81. BP (Oil & Gas) $12,938,000,000
82. Telstra (Telecom Providers) $12,701,000,000
83. KFC (Fast Food) $12,649,000,000
84. Westpac (Regional Banks) $12,420,000,000
85. LinkedIn (Technology) $12,200,000,000
86. Santander (Global Banks) $12,181,000,000
87. Woolworths (Retail) $11,818,000,000
88. Paypal (Payments) $11,806,000,000
89. Chase (Regional Banks) $11,661,000,000
90. Aldi (Retail) $11,660,000,000
91. ING (Global Banks) $11,560,000,000
92. Twitter (Technology) $11,447,000,000
93. Nissan (Cars) $11,411,000,000
94. Red Bull (Soft Drinks) $11,375,000,000
95. Bank of America (Regional Banks) $11,335,000,000
96. Docomo (Telecom Providers) $11,223,000,000
97. Costco (Retail) $11,214,000,000
98. SoftBank (Telecom Providers) $11,131,000,000
99. China Telecom (Telecom Providers) $11,075,000,000
100. Scotiabank (Regional Banks) $11,044,000,000