By Nancy Villanueva, Interbrand CEO, Iberia & Middle East

Nancy Villanueva, Interbrand CEO, Iberia & Middle East

The latest edition of Interbrand’s Best Global Brands report is historic for two major reasons: firstly, because the Top 100 brands’ aggregate value grows more than ever (15%), proving, once again, that the strongest brands not only enable businesses to better withstand crises, but also accelerate their recovery; secondly, because never before has a brand achieved triple-digit growth, as Tesla achieved this year (+184%).

But, in parallel to these two records, the analysis allows us to evaluate the aftermath of the global confinement during the worst months of the pandemic. The research concludes that brand value growth is influenced, above all, by three key dimensions:

– Direction. The brand has a clear purpose and ambition, and a roadmap to deliver them over time under the guidance of well-defined culture and values.

– Agility. The speed at which a brand is able to respond to an opportunity or challenge to stay ahead of competitor and consumer expectations.

– Participation. A brand’s ability to connect with consumers and partners, as well as to foster dialogue and collaboration.

In a nutshell: the brands that are the most valuable today (Apple, Amazon, Microsoft, Google, Samsung…), as well as the fastest risers (Tesla, Salesforce, Adobe, PayPal…) have a defined ambition and a trajectory, are quick to adapt to change and have a strong base of loyal customers. In order to better understand how brands achieve this, let’s take a look at three specific brands that exemplify each of these factors:

Direction = Coca-Cola

Despite the rise of tech brands, Coca-Cola remains strong in the top 10 thanks to a solid and consistent philosophy that the company has nurtured and communicated over the years through deeds, not just words. It has also worked internally on its corporate values so that there is an alignment between its internal culture and the brand it projects to the outside world; to this end, it trains its employees not only in the famous principles of happiness or the value of sharing, but also in inclusion, equality or sustainability, aspects to which Coca-Cola gives more importance every year and which are reflected in its latest campaigns – such as “Open”, that reminded us of the things that are truly worthwhile and the importance of accepting each other in order to stay together. 

Agility = Netflix

As an experience-centric brand, Netflix is a perfect model for understanding a company’s responsiveness to changing markets and consumers. Obsessed with efficiency, with offering the best content without the need for advertising and with the best creators, Netflix has always differentiated itself by putting the wants and needs of its (potential) users first. And they are able to do so thanks to cutting-edge data analysis that not only enables them to analyze viewer feedback, but also to predict useful and relevant solutions that users haven’t necessarily or specifically asked for. 

Participation = Lego

Lego is a brand that many may have imagined, with the advent of digitalization, might have lost relevance or interest amongst consumers. However, this has not been the case; in fact, this year it is growing by 21%, boosted by excellent levels of engagement. Its ability to develop co-creation practices with its customers is well known, and every year Lego continues to promote new initiatives that foster that relationship and, consequently, that sense of belonging among fans of the iconic brand. Best Global Brands highlights, for example, its digital ecosystem, which inspires new possibilities to play – LEGO Super Mario – or apps such as LEGO Building Instructions, which was downloaded more than 5.3 million times in 2020, or LEGO Life (6 million). Likewise, with the opening of a new flagship store in Hangzhou (China), the brand is launching a project aimed at celebrating local cultures through immersive experiences. Not to mention LEGO Ideas, which empowers people to share their ideas with the company and, if they become a reality, to receive a share of the profits. 

In conclusion, the most important lesson we can draw from Best Global Brands 2021 is that although we may speak of the brand as an intangible asset, its value and strength is built on very tangible actions that are deployed throughout a company and that define its reason for being. This proves yet again that any brand that wants to be coherent and authentic must be built from the inside out.