Google, Apple and Amazon are the top three most valuable global brands in a ranking of 100 companies compiled by WPP, the world's largest advertising company, and its data management division Kantar Millward Brown.
“We’ve seen the biggest ever rise in brand value this year, driven by growth across all categories,” said David Roth, chief executive, EMEA and Asia, at WPP. “Both new and established players have seen the payoff in being bold and adopting a long-term outlook towards brand-building.”
Of the top 10 in this year’s Brandz Top100 ranking, eight companies were technology or technology related, demonstrating the importance of the sector in today’s data-driven world, WPP said. The total brand value of the BrandZ Top 100 grew by a record 21 per cent, WPP said, adding almost $750bn to the ranking now valued at $4.4 trillion.
Google was ranked the most valuable brand for the second year running, growing its brand value 23 per cent year-on-year to $302.1 billion. Apple followed, growing 28 per cent to $300.6bn, then Amazon, which overtook Microsoft to occupy third place this year growing 49 per cent to $207.6bn. In fourth place, Microsoft’s brand value rose 40 per cent to $200.9, and China’s Tencent rose 65 per cent to fifth position with a brand value of $179bn, ahead of Facebook in sixth position, which grew 25 per cent to $162bn.
Other companies in the top 10 include Visa, McDonald’s, Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba and telecoms provider AT&T. IBM and Verizon came in as the 10th and 11th most notable brands, while tobacco company Marlboro came in at 13 followed by Coca Cola.
The Brandz Top100 conducted surveys and analysis to measure a company’s brand impact and value. The report did not include a specific section on the Middle East and featured no homegrown Middle East and North Africa (Mena) companies –unlike a similar ranking by consultancy Brand Finance earlier this year, which included Dubai-based carrier Emirates, UAE telco Etisalat, and Saudi Telecoms Company, among other brands from the region.
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Read more:
[ Etisalat, Emaar, Saudi Telecom among Middle East’s best brands ]
[ Etisalat brand is the most valuable in the Middle East ]
[ Telecoms year in review: UAE operators test new brands and ICT strategy in search for growth ]
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China accounts for three fastest rising brands, which grew at double the pace of US-based brands, according to WPP’s report. These were e-commerce retailer JD.com, or Jingdong, in 59th place with a 94 per cent year-on-year rise in brand value bolstered by its entry into new categories such as finance; Alibaba, which entered the top 10 for the first time this year with 92 per cent growth, and beverage producer Moutai in 34th position, which grew by 89 per cent.
2018 was also the first year that non-US brands grew faster than US brands, WPP noted. Other parts of the world, such as India and Indonesia, are also showing strong regional growth.
The increasing use of data-driven, intelligence-led technologies such as artificial intelligence and augmented reality, alongside creative marketing approaches, has allowed many brands to build a more in-depth understanding of their customers and deliver personalised content and improved brand experiences, the report said.
“Those companies that invest in intelligence-led marketing and back their brands with the power of creativity and ideas will be the winners in today’s world of innovation, disruption and change,” Mr Roth added.
Hili 2: Unesco World Heritage site
The site is part of the Hili archaeological park in Al Ain. Excavations there have proved the existence of the earliest known agricultural communities in modern-day UAE. Some date to the Bronze Age but Hili 2 is an Iron Age site. The Iron Age witnessed the development of the falaj, a network of channels that funnelled water from natural springs in the area. Wells allowed settlements to be established, but falaj meant they could grow and thrive. Unesco, the UN's cultural body, awarded Al Ain's sites - including Hili 2 - world heritage status in 2011. Now the most recent dig at the site has revealed even more about the skilled people that lived and worked there.
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: SmartCrowd
Started: 2018
Founder: Siddiq Farid and Musfique Ahmed
Based: Dubai
Sector: FinTech / PropTech
Initial investment: $650,000
Current number of staff: 35
Investment stage: Series A
Investors: Various institutional investors and notable angel investors (500 MENA, Shurooq, Mada, Seedstar, Tricap)
What are NFTs?
Are non-fungible tokens a currency, asset, or a licensing instrument? Arnab Das, global market strategist EMEA at Invesco, says they are mix of all of three.
You can buy, hold and use NFTs just like US dollars and Bitcoins. “They can appreciate in value and even produce cash flows.”
However, while money is fungible, NFTs are not. “One Bitcoin, dollar, euro or dirham is largely indistinguishable from the next. Nothing ties a dollar bill to a particular owner, for example. Nor does it tie you to to any goods, services or assets you bought with that currency. In contrast, NFTs confer specific ownership,” Mr Das says.
This makes NFTs closer to a piece of intellectual property such as a work of art or licence, as you can claim royalties or profit by exchanging it at a higher value later, Mr Das says. “They could provide a sustainable income stream.”
This income will depend on future demand and use, which makes NFTs difficult to value. “However, there is a credible use case for many forms of intellectual property, notably art, songs, videos,” Mr Das says.
The specs
Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V8 with 48V mild hybrid system
Power: 544hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 750Nm at 1,800-5,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Price: from Dh700,000 (estimate)
On sale: late November
Director: Nag Ashwin
Starring: Prabhas, Saswata Chatterjee, Deepika Padukone, Amitabh Bachchan, Shobhana
Rating: ★★★★
How the UAE gratuity payment is calculated now
Employees leaving an organisation are entitled to an end-of-service gratuity after completing at least one year of service.
The tenure is calculated on the number of days worked and does not include lengthy leave periods, such as a sabbatical. If you have worked for a company between one and five years, you are paid 21 days of pay based on your final basic salary. After five years, however, you are entitled to 30 days of pay. The total lump sum you receive is based on the duration of your employment.
1. For those who have worked between one and five years, on a basic salary of Dh10,000 (calculation based on 30 days):
a. Dh10,000 ÷ 30 = Dh333.33. Your daily wage is Dh333.33
b. Dh333.33 x 21 = Dh7,000. So 21 days salary equates to Dh7,000 in gratuity entitlement for each year of service. Multiply this figure for every year of service up to five years.
2. For those who have worked more than five years
c. 333.33 x 30 = Dh10,000. So 30 days’ salary is Dh10,000 in gratuity entitlement for each year of service.
Note: The maximum figure cannot exceed two years total salary figure.
TWISTERS
Director:+Lee+Isaac+Chung
Starring:+Glen+Powell,+Daisy+Edgar-Jones,+Anthony+Ramos
Rating:+2.5/5
Confirmed bouts (more to be added)
Cory Sandhagen v Umar Nurmagomedov
Nick Diaz v Vicente Luque
Michael Chiesa v Tony Ferguson
Deiveson Figueiredo v Marlon Vera
Mackenzie Dern v Loopy Godinez
Tickets for the August 3 Fight Night, held in partnership with the Department of Culture and Tourism Abu Dhabi, went on sale earlier this month, through www.etihadarena.ae and www.ticketmaster.ae.
Company Profile
Name: HyveGeo
Started: 2023
Founders: Abdulaziz bin Redha, Dr Samsurin Welch, Eva Morales and Dr Harjit Singh
Based: Cambridge and Dubai
Number of employees: 8
Industry: Sustainability & Environment
Funding: $200,000 plus undisclosed grant
Investors: Venture capital and government
