For the fourth consecutive year, Business Week has teamed up with Interbrand, a leading brand consultancy, to publish a ranking of the top 100 global brands by dollar value. This ranking released last month is based on Interbrand’s methodology of brand valuation based on set criteria which may not be unanimously approved by all marketing professionals but however provides interesting indications on the evolution of brands at a global level.

Coca Cola remains the supreme number one for the fourth consecutive year followed closely by Microsoft. Both have, during recent years, started to move on a relationship branding strategy with emphasis on nurturing the relationship with the consumer. Experiential Marketing techniques with the aim at inviting the consumer to live unique experiences with the brand are being extensively used. In the US for instance, Coca Cola has opened hip “Red Coke Lounges” for teenagers in suburban malls. In Mauritius, the launch of Vanilla Coke under the “being zen” theme included an invitation to a selected target audience (prescriptors & trendsetters that would create the buzz around) to experience the brand with all the senses of the human body through a “zen trip” which included relax massages, music and aroma chill-out experiences.

Technology based brands such as Microsoft, Intel, HP, Apple and Samsung are witnessing an increase in brand value explained by their commitment towards constant innovation. Samsung (No. 21) gained the largest brand value from last year (16% increase) and is set for a bright evolution in the next coming years. Eric Kim, the Executive Vice-President of Samsung Global Marketing Operations recently explained that Samsung’s new brand essence is based on three main concepts: “Wow”, “Simple” and “Inclusive”. The “Wow” is an intangible way to explain how the brand should always pleasantly surprise the consumer: Including such an attribute in the brand platform itself forces everyone in the organization to focus on the “Wow” aspect from top management to product development specialists down to customer service staff. Another aspect of Samsung’s strength is the democratization of technology making the brand accessible to everyone hence the tag-line: “Samsung, everyone’s invited”. Apple (No.43) is the biggest mover in brand value (24%) and is another good example of brand evolution through technology democratisation. The strong sales of the Ipod (MP3 portable player) worldwide has contributed in popularizing the Apple brand which was previously adorned only by design and graphic art professionals.

The Automobile sector has witnessed significant movements with the presence of 5 brands in the top 25 (Toyota, Mercedes, BMW, Honda, Ford). Luxury brands Mercedes & BMW have remained more or less static whilst Toyota has entered the top 10 with a 9% increase in brand value. American weakness in global automotive brands became even more apparent. Ford lost 15% in brand value due to increased competition in the US and continued weakness in European markets. Audi has entertained the top 100 list with increasing market share in Asian countries.

This Interbrand’s report values the 100 most valuable global brands to a value greater that $2.1 billion with 58 US brands, 34 European brands, 7 Japanese brands and 1 South Korean brand. Can a brand from a developing country, Mauritius for instance, aspire to become among the top 100 brands ? Impossible ? Ten years ago, who would believe that a Mauritian sprinter (Stephan Buckland) would one day be ranked No. 1 in the 200m category by the IAAF and win in the Golden League ? Mauritius has the brainpower to create and promote world-class brands. A creative drive needs to be triggered and nurtured by the top executive of each organization and, above all else, start re-imagining everything…

<B>Tauheed Ramjaun

Head of Advertising Services Blast Communications</B>