We look at three reports: the Nation Brands 121 2023 Ranking, the Europe 500 2023 Ranking, and the Global 500 2023 Ranking.
European Champion – German again, but with a strong Swiss pursuer
Of the three editions, the most up-to-date is the Europe 500 2023 Ranking, which puts Germany’s Deutsche Telekom, whose brand is valued at more than €60 billion, in first place in Europe for 2023.
At the same time, international giant Nestle, headquartered in Switzerland – with a value of more than €20 billion – stands for the first time among the ten strongest corporate brands, taking the honorary tenth position. The other leaders in the ranking are Mercedes-Benz, Allianz Group, Shell, BMW, Porsche, Volkswagen, Louis Vuitton and EY.
“Deutsche Telecom has had a remarkable year, surpassing Mercedes-Benz to become the champion of European brands. Thanks to its rebranding efforts, the German telecoms giant has successfully enhanced its brand visibility and strength across diverse international markets and consumer segments, aligning with its ambition to become a market leader, not just in Europe, but globally”, commented David Haigh, Chairman and CEO of Brand Finance.
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Switzerland – the country that is a brand in its own right
Despite one German company replacing another German company at the top of the rankings, Switzerland makes another big breakthrough besides a local company entering the top 10 for the first time – Swisscom becomes the strongest European brand, with a Brand Strength Index (BSI) score of 91.7/100.
“In addition to calculating brand value, Brand Finance also determines the relative strength of brands through a balanced scorecard of metrics evaluating marketing investment, stakeholder equity, and business performance. Compliant with ISO 20671, Brand Finance’s assessment of stakeholder equity incorporates original market research data from over 100,000 respondents in 38 countries and across 31 sectors,” says the report. By the way, according to the company’s official data, it is the world’s most sustainable telecommunications provider.
A Swiss company also scores another annual record – Nespresso is the European brand with the biggest change in brand value. Nespresso, whose brand value went up by 245% to EUR2.8 billion, is a newcomer to the list as the European brand whose brand value changed the most. Nespresso is known for its high quality and luxury, and it has kept customers loyal by always coming up with new and better coffee capsules and machines.
Otherwise, in the entire Europe 500 2023 Ranking, Switzerland is present with 41 companies, which in total value outperforms those of Italy, Sweden, Spain, and the Netherlands. These include UBS, Roche, Zurich, Glencore, and others.
In the other ranking for national brands, the US is the leader with a mind-boggling value of $30 trillion, followed by China with $23 trillion. In this ranking, Europe lags behind, with Germany, third in the ranking, valued at USD 5 trillion. Switzerland is in 15th place, but ahead of countries such as the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Saudi Arabia and Austria.
The world dominators – American and Asian
Globally, the leader is the American Amazon with a brand valued at nearly $300 billion. As many as 7 American companies are present in the top 10 – Apple, Google, Microsoft, Walmart, Verizon and Tesla. The remaining 3 spots are for Chinese – ICBC and TikTok, as well as South Korea’s Samsung.
The strongest European brand, Deutsche Telekom, is only in 11th place, while Switzerland’s Nestle is 85th. The world’s top 500 also includes Rolex, which stands at 191st place.
