INTERNATIONAL. Several brands popular in the travel retail channel feature in a major new report from MillwardBrown which ranks the world’s most valuable 100 brands.
The latest edition of the annual study puts a collective US$3.4 trillion value on those brands.
Not surprisingly, the upper echelons of the ranking are dominated by technology and digital media companies. Google ranks number one, ahead of Apple, with Facebook coming in at five and Amazon at seven.
Marlboro, travel retail’s leading tobacco brand, ranks an impressive 12th; Louis Vuitton (30) is the luxury leader; Zara is a strong 35th; and L’Oréal Paris 36th.
Other brands well-known in the airport and/or wider travel retail sectors include Coca-Cola (13), Budweiser (31), Subway (41), Hermès (44), Samsung (48), Gucci (80), KFC (82), Pepsi (86), Red Bull (90) and Heineken (97).
In luxury the top ten brands are Louis Vuitton, Hermès, Gucci, Chanel, Rolex, Cartier, Burberry, Prada, Tiffany & Co and Christian Dior.
In personal care L’Oréal Paris leads the way, with Gillette in third, Lancôme in fourth, Nivea in fifth, Clinique in seventh and Estée Lauder at nine.
In his foreword to the latest edition, David Roth, CEO of The Store WPP, EMEA & Asia, highlights two key aspects of sustaining strong and valuable brands – what he describes as “Brand Purpose and Brand Experience”.
The former trait is highlighted in the BrandZ™ Top 20 Risers. This ranking of brands that grew the most in value includes names as diverse as Amazon, Starbucks, JD.com, The Home Depot, Domino’s Pizza and Chanel.
“These are very different brands that share in common clarity of purpose,” Roth writes. “Brands do not need a higher purpose, but they do need to be seen as doing more than just making money; they need to be seen as improving the life of the consumer in some way. This is especially relevant when appealing to millennials and when competing in fast-growing markets where consumers expect brands to act as partners in their quest to achieve the good life.
“Purpose needs to be clearly expressed in the brand experience, which remains one of the most powerful differentiators. On a recent trip to New York, I visited the new flagship store of one of the BrandZ™ Top 100 Global brands. It was disappointing. Unfortunately, the brand experience of the store did not match the quality and excitement of the brand’s products. The store lacked buzz. The brand lost an opportunity.”
We’ll bring you a more detail analysis of this seminal study soon.
