Index measures relative brand strength of 100 largest global companies by surveying a global sample of business professionals

Aramco (#16) enters Top 20 brands in the world for first time, making it the highest-ranking brand in the MENA region

Green energy and technology companies dominate the Top Five, with NextEra Energy taking top spot, followed by Reliance Industries (#2) and CATL (#3)

Findings demonstrate that companies with strong focus on decreasing emissions outperform peers in overall brand perception 

28th September 2022: The results of the 2022 FutureBrand Index, the annual perception study of PwC’s Top 100 companies based on market capitalization, reveal extensive changes in the perception of global companies almost three years after the pandemic. B2B companies – particularly those in Asia that focused on innovation around green energy and sustainable business models – saw their rankings move up. This reflects the fact that ‘climate change and finite resources’ is now seen as the fastest growing issue for the world’s largest businesses. 

The Top Five is dominated by those focusing on addressing climate change, with clean energy giant NextEra Energy claiming top spot, followed by Reliance Industries (#2) and the electric battery innovator CATL (#3). Meta Platforms, Inc. (#5) experienced a significant boost in perception, following its rebrand in late 2021. Of the Top Five, only NextEra Energy remains from last year, with the remaining four demonstrating strong rises to the top of the FutureBrand Index. 

The report also reveals significant jumps by Walmart (#39) and McDonald’s (#40), which bounced back up the ranking, as predicted in the 2021 report. 

Other top insights: 

ESG now part of public consciousness: This year’s FutureBrand Index reveals how savvy the public is becoming around corporate commitments to ESG and that companies must prioritise these commitments. 

Consumer-facing isn’t king: Following in the overarching trend of last year’s FutureBrand Index, this year’s Top Five is dominated largely by ‘behind-the-scenes’ infrastructure companies.

 Purpose in practice: Now, more than ever, our professional respondents are saying that it’s not enough for a company to say it has a meaningful purpose and will take action – it must be seen to fulfil its promises, to be fair and honest, to support the community, and to actively contribute to society.

Ahmad Badr, Senior Vice President, Strategy (EMEA) at FutureBrand, commented:  “With all that is happening across the world – from supply chain disruption to climate change – it’s unsurprising that companies which provide fundamental infrastructure and resources are at the top of the FutureBrand Index.

“Aramco in particular, which is perceived as a flagship brand for Saudi Arabia and the region, has gone from strength to strength to reach the Top 20, having only entered the ranking for the first time in 2020. Its prominence indicates a growing footprint for the region on the global map. Future success will depend on whether it can truly address the prevailing takeaway from this year’s report: only those businesses which are pivoting to meet the challenge of reducing global emissions will thrive.

“For other businesses in the region, the FutureBrand Index brings a wealth of learnings around what makes a brand a global success – from disrupting the status quo around sustainability, to putting a true purpose into action. Mirroring the successes of other local economies around the world, there is ample opportunity for homegrown Middle Eastern brands to achieve scale and gravitas, making a mark on the world without losing their authenticity and sense of place.”

Now in its eighth year, the FutureBrand Index is a global perception study that reorders PwC’s Global Top 100 Companies by Market Cap on perception strength, rather than financial strength, drawing on rigorous research with a global sample of over 3,000 informed professionals who were aware of and familiar with at least seven of the Top 100 companies of that year. 

For the first time, this year’s report also features insight from Kinesso, whose Applied Behavioural Science team analysed all FutureBrand Index data from 2014 – present to give us a fresh perspective rooted in organisational behaviour trends.

Key sector snapshot:

Energies & Utilities / Basic Materials 

  • Energy & Utilities has seven businesses in this year’s Top 100 with no decrease in attribute scores since last year. Sustainability and resource management are key here as companies seek new and innovative energy solutions.
  • NextEra Energy is the standout business this year, having gone up four places to number one. With a rise of seven places, Reliance Industries is in second place. 
  • Aramco and PetroChina also made gains in the rankings. 

 

Technology 

  • Technology is the dominant sector this year. A total of eight tech companies are in the Top 20, with 20 tech firms in the Top 100. Across the board, the majority of attribute scores have risen this year.
  • Tata Consultancy Services has risen 16 places to number four, while Nvidia Corporation is up 16 places coming in at sixth. Broadcom Inc. has climbed 23 places, settling at 61, and Qualcomm has soared 38 places to number 36.

Healthcare 

  • Healthcare continues to do well in an era of mounting health issues and wellbeing needs. 
  • Danish Pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk leads the sector, taking 34th spot, a rise of 34 places year-on-year.
  • US firms Thermo Fisher Scientific and Abbott Laboratories have also climbed ranks, moving up 21 places to 14 and 22 to 18 respectively.  

Financials 

  • Trust in the sector is returning as 18 companies appear in the 2022 Top 100. Financials also has four new entries, all of which are American: S&P Global, Blackstone Inc, Charles Schwab, and Morgan Stanley.
  • Canadian financials have a good showing too with Royal Bank of Canada (65) up 17 places year-on-year and Toronto Dominion Bank (72) up 19 places since it last appeared in 2014.

Consumer Discretionary Goods

  • The consumer discretionary sector has 16 brands in the Top 100.
  • Most companies in this sector provide “wants and needs” on an everyday basis. The headline this year is CATL. The Chinese battery manufacturer and tech business has entered the Top 100 at third place.
  • Netflix is at 12 having risen 22 places, with both Walmart and McDonald’s recording an increase of 36 places to land at 39 and 40 respectively. 

Consumer Staples

  • “Pleasure” and “consistency” are the strongest attributes in this sector, with six businesses in the Top 100, however only Nestlé and PepsiCo have gone up.
  • Despite doing well in previous years, Kweichow Moutai has dropped down 14 places in 2022 and is now just outside of the Top 20 at number 21. 

Telecoms

  • While the telecommunications sector has six businesses in the Top 100, none are ranked higher than 42, with only AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon rising up the ranks this year. 

Industrials

  • There are nine industrial businesses in the 2022 FutureBrand Index, with sector average scores all higher than 2021.
  • Raytheon Technologies is a new entry at number 17. Meanwhile, PayPal is up 22 places, making its way into the Top 20.