It is digital that decides which are the strongest brands in the world

Apple remains at the top of the chart, but Amazon has posted the fastest growth. And Samsung is also in the top 5

(Photo: Brian Lawless / PA Images via Getty Images) An even stronger dominance at the time of the pandemic: the universe of big tech and technological brands monopolizes the world top 5 with Apple , Amazon, Microsoft, Google and Samsung. And if Cupertino consolidates its position at the top with the highest valuation increase in terms of absolute value, 88.7 billion dollars which brings it to 322.9 billion total, Jeff Bezos' creature achieves the fastest relative growth , + 60% on 2019 and is now worth 200.6 billion. These are just some of the key points of the report "A decade of possibility", ranking of the first hundred brands Best global brands, 21st edition compiled by Interbrand.

Palo Alto slips off the podium for the first time since 2012, losing two positions and immediately behind Samsung undermined Coca-Cola. The Covid effect and the new global habits bring the "plus" sign to the logistics, electronic payments, social media and communication sectors. Instagram is for example the highest new entry in 19th place, according to the American consulting firm. The "minus" sign prevalent in clothing, luxury, catering and automotive retail, albeit with the exception of Tesla which falls in 40th place after an absence of three years (12.7 billion). Among the media, Spotify, valued at 8.3 billion (70th) is the third brand with the strongest relative growth (+ 52%) after Microsoft (+ 53%), valued at 166 billion.

The success of the subscription business model is one of the key indications of the report: “62% of the brands that are growing in double digits rely on it significantly”. Not for nothing, Netflix had a 41% increase to $ 12.6 billion, climbing to 41st place. The same growth rate for Adobe, which with its creative suites distributed by subscription is 27th, with 18.2 billion in value.

The logos of the brands of the top 50 worldwide, according to Interbrand

Surprises and excluded

Apple, Amazon and Microsoft alone account for 30% of the value added up by the first hundred, equal to 2.3 trillion billion (the top three brands in the world, in 2010 accounted for 16% ). Of this figure, technological platforms make up 48% (it was 17% in 2010), for a sector that is growing by 20%, much faster than the average (9%), in the research period (July 2019 - June 2020).

Financial performance of products or services, the weight played in purchasing decisions, the strength in creating consumer loyalty are the three main factors that influence the ranking of Interbrand brands. Precisely a "momentum of stalemate in the dynamics of revenue growth" determines the fourth position of Google "although it remains a strong and distinctive brand whose value has remained stable" (165 billion). It was not enough in the face of the growth of Amazon and Microsoft, but the Alphabet group can be consoled with Youtube, a new entry in 30th place (26 billion).

On the other hand, Facebook is still out of the top 10. "Despite a rather good financial performance, not determined by the brand, however, it is losing relevance in young audiences and facing a series of problems of trust and regulation," explains the consulting agency from New York, which positions the giant of Mark Zuckerberg at 13th place (35.1 billion).

"A brand must be global, visible, profitable in the long term and relatively transparent in financial results": this explains the exclusion of TikTok from the ranking, despite the disruptive effect between social media. The only Chinese brand present is Huawei, which is probably affected by the trade wars with the United States and China: 80th place (6.3 billion).

The first non-American company in the ranking is Samsung, which debuts in the top five (62 billion dollars) taking advantage of -10% of Coca-Cola (56.8 billion dollars), the first non-tech brand, followed by Toyota (51.5 billion) and Mercedes-Benz, first European in eighth place (49.2 billion), closely followed by McDonald's (42.8 billion) and Disney (40.7 billion).

And the Italians? The first brand is Ferrari which we find by scrolling the ranking in 79th place, with a -1% value of the brand, estimated at 6.3 billion dollars. Prada is valued instead 4.4 billion and gains a position despite a -6%: 99th ahead of the new entry Zoom. There would also be glory with Gucci, a brand of Made in Italy but in French hands, which rises from 33rd to 32nd place despite losing 2% of the value (15.6 billion), according to analysts.

The world ranking of brands, from 51st to 100th place, according to Interbrand

A changing world

The global lockdown caused a decline of 13% and 14% for Zara (35th) and H&M (37th). Setback for luxury brands after two years at the top of growth, with all brands falling between 1 and 9% (except Hermes, stable). Restaurants are down: McDonald's -6%, Starbucks -5% and Kfc -7%. While on the one hand retail and out-of-home activities have been penalized, on the contrary logistics has become increasingly central in everyone's lives, with an average growth of 5% (UPS 24th, FedEx 75th and DHL 81st). An evident change in daily habits is also represented by the increase in electronic payments, with the rise of Paypal, Visa and Mastercard which have earned 12, 10 and 5 places respectively. Gaming platforms perform better among electronics brands: the only ones in growth are Sony and Nintendo (14% and 31%), Philips remains stable while Panasonic (-6%), Hp (-11%) lose value , and Canon (-15%).

Leadership, engagement and relevance are the three values ​​identified by Interbrand for success and identified in brands such as Tesla, Salesforce and Paypal. “These are the three coherent themes that can be observed among brands seeking to traverse a rapidly changing economic landscape - commented Charles Trevail, Interbrand's global CEO -. These are the keys to unlocking results in the current crisis, building consumer confidence and a resilient business. By establishing strong ambitions and pursuing them with courage and conscience, brands can help lift us up, find order in the chaos and look beyond, becoming the champions of a new decade of possibility ”.