Brands that stand out

Interbrand’s best global brands ranking for 2014 might be lacking the surprise element, but this year’s report has come up some new terminologies that beg some attention in this age of branding.
The first striking term introduced in 2014 report is GAFA –Google, Amazon, Facebook and Apple –an acronym for the brands that exemplify platform thinking at scale. Their design has allowed them to profitably extend across multiple sectors. Another common feature shared by these brands is a log-in that provides access to a personalised ecosystem of offerings within a single branded space.
The other terminology that catches attention is the Mecosystems – a combination of the word ‘tech ecosystem’ and ‘Me’. Linking people, place, passion and profits, a Mecosystem is defined as a model that reorganizes integrated experiences around a person. It considers real-life personal contexts and synergies across experiences to ensure more relevant services and products delivery.
The third is the “Age of You”, which is described as the fourth stage of branding’s evolution. It’s a successful brand’s life journey starting from the Age of identity, to the Age of value, then to the Age of experience and finally to the Age of You, where it eventually enters a new period of bespoke computing that connects individuals and businesses in a fully integrated mecosystem.
Aside from the new definitions, the top five most valuable brands remained the same as 2013 rankings. Like always, technology and automotive brands dominate the list, while Coca-Cola remains the only FMCG brand with the highest brand equity.
There have been a few newbies to the global best brands of 2014 by Interbrands, like Huawei, DHL, FedEx, Land Rover and Hugo Boss. Facebook with 86 percent growth was among those that rose highest in this year’s ranking, while brands that lost largest value in 2014 list were Nokia (44 percent), and Nintendo (33 percent).

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Best Global Brands 2014 - Top$(mn)

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1   Apple                  118,863

2   Google                 107,439

3   Coca Cola               81,563

4   IBM                     72,244

5   Microsoft               61,154

6   GE                      45,480

7   Samsung                 45,462

8   Toyota                  42,392

9   McDonalds              42,254

10  Mercedes-Benz           34,338

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Source: Interbrand - best global brands

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Best Global Brands 2014 - Top Risers

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Brands          Growth          Rank

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Facebook           86%            29

Audi               27%             4

Amazon             25%            15

Nissan             23%            56

Volkswagen         23%            31

Starbucks          22%            76

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Source: Interbrand - best global brands