Business Week’s Top 100 Brands

For the ninth consecutive year, BusinessWeek has teamed up with Interbrand, a leading brand consultancy firm, to publish the ranking of the top 100 global brands. “Leaders” are judged by their dollar value, and it’s no surprise which ones remain the crème-de-la-crème.

Despite the economic recession, brands like Amazon, Pepsi, Audi, and Panasonic have all prospered during a challenging marketing environment. Companies that produce inferior goods—goods whose consumption increases as consumer wealth declines—moved up the list in response to the economic recession. Campbell’s and other food companies were notable examples.

Nevertheless, for the first time in the survey’s history, the overall value of the top 100 brands declined by around 4.6%. Not surprisingly, big banks and auto brands fared the worst. Seven brands even fell right off the top 100 list. Among the biggest to do so were Merrill Lynch and AIG, no doubt a reflection of their “emergency” assistance from the US government during the last 12 months.

For regional marketers, the report marks yet another year in which not a single brand from the Middle East made it onto the list. True, the recession has presented brand stewards with the most severe test of their careers. Many executives are balancing the temptation to chase short-term gains with discounts and promotions against the risk of cheapening their brands over the long haul. Meanwhile, most companies were also introducing smaller marketing budgets, requiring executives to reach more using less. Not an easy task to do.

BusinessWeek's "Best Global Brands" special report, including expanded content and a full methodology, is available on BusinessWeek.com at www.businessweek.com/go/brand and on Interbrand.com at http://www.thebestglobalbrands.com.

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