BOSTON–Tata Sons, the holding company of the Tata group of companies, is the only Indian company that made to the List of 100 Most Valuable Brands, according to Brand Finance, which complied the list. While Apple remained the brand #1, forty-four US companies accounted for nearly half of the brands.

Tata Sons ranked number 54 in the list, down from 46 in 2015. Tata Sons has 36 major brands attached to its name.

Ratan Tata
Ratan Tata

Every year, leading branded business valuation and strategy consultancy Brand Finance puts thousands of the world’s top brands to the test. They are evaluated to determine which are the most powerful and the most valuable by country, by industry and against all other brands worldwide. The companies with the highest total value of brands under management can be found in the Brand Finance Portfolio 100.

The total value of the table is US$3.2 trillion, half of which is from the 44 US companies which total US$1.68 trillion, according to brand finance.

14 Chinese companies feature in the table, rendering it the country with the second highest number of portfolios. They make up US$347 billion of the total sum. Nine European Union countries make the table and are home to 29 brands, nine of which are UK-based – more than any other European country.

The portfolio table lists the companies with the most brand value under their management. Some companies, like Apple, only include one highly valuable brand, while other companies, like Nestlé S.A., operate hundreds. Apple does operate more brands, however, due to their reporting, it is not possible to identify and value these sub-brands from their financial statements.

The fastest growing portfolio this year is Agricultural Bank of China, with a value of US$32.3 billion after enjoying 42% growth. China Construction Bank and ICBC make the top five, with values of US$35.4 billion and US$36.3 billion after rising 34% and 32%, respectively.

China Construction Bank is in fact the world’s most powerful banking brand. Chinese banks are performing well on brand equity measures such as familiarity, consideration, recommendation and preference as a result of investing in their brands. It must be noted that none of the Chinese portfolios in the table dropped in value.

Unilever’s impactful innovations have boosted its performance. The launch of the new Axe range and the ‘Find Your Magic’ brand campaign appealed to a wider audience as it encouraged men to break free from assumptions about how they should behave and express themselves. Unilever grew 18% to a value of US$42.7 billion this year.

Vodafone Group is the only other UK company to enjoy an increase in value this year, rising 2% to US$27.8 billion. It is no secret that smartphones are becoming increasingly prominent, and the growing proliferation of smartphones in both developed and emerging markets is the main driver behind a surge in data demand and revenue. Vodafone Group’s global presence positions it well to cater to the rising demand. Moreover, the oligopolistic nature of the industry coupled with Vodafone’s immense size gives the company a competitive edge amongst its peers.

With over 500 brands in its portfolio, Nestlé S.A. owns the largest number of brands in the table. It climbs up the ranks to seventh place after 14% growth to a value of US$66.6 billion. Accelerated growth in North America was largely due to the turnaround in frozen meals, whilst in Latin America, Nestlé cited instant coffee as the core reason for growth. Nestlé’s category dynamics and innovation, which can be seen in its range of bottled water, are also factors that contributed to its strong growth.

Furthermore, an increase in health awareness in relation to carbonated drinks gave Nestlé the opportunity to promote its bottled water segment which other companies may have failed to embrace. Nestlé’s success is largely due to the range of product segments it provides, allowing it to more effectively overcome challenging global trends than its competitors.

Volkswagen Ag was the biggest faller in the table this year. Its portfolio value dropped 36% to US$42.2 billion. The latest emissions scandal negatively impacted Volkswagen. However, on a broader spectrum, the light vehicle industry – albeit growing at its slowest rate in the last decade, is forecasted to grow nonetheless. This is somewhat due to the upward surges in China, India and across continental Western Europe which compensate for reductions in Brazil, the US and the UK. Toyota Motor Corp, ranked 10th this year, conforms to the forecasted industry trend, enjoying a 30% increase in portfolio value to US$55.3 billion this year.

100 Most Valuable Brand Portfolios (USDm)

Rank 2016 Rank 2015 Number of Brands* Parent Company Domicile Portfolio Value 2016 (USDm) Portfolio rating 2016 Portfolio Value change (%) Portfolio Value 2015 (USDm)
1 1 1 Apple Inc United States 145,918 AAA 14% 128,303
2 3 17 Alphabet Inc United States 99,046 AAA 25% 79,430
3 2 1 Samsung Group South Korea 83,185 AAA 2% 81,716
4 5 13 Wal-Mart Stores Inc United States 77,523 AA 7% 72,599
5 4 7 Microsoft Corp United States 74,121 AAA -1% 74,912
6 11 6 Amazon.Com Inc United States 69,642 AA+ 24% 56,142
7 9 539 Nestlé S.A. Switzerland 66,604 AA+ 14% 58,300
8 7 1 Verizon Communications Inc United States 63,116 AAA- 5% 59,843
9 8 1 At&T Inc United States 59,904 AA+ 2% 58,819
10 16 4 Toyota Motor Corp Japan 55,285 AAA- 30% 42,546
11 10 43 Procter & Gamble Co/The United States 54,668 AAA- -5% 57,468
12 12 182 Pepsico Inc United States 53,169 AAA- -4% 55,209
13 N/A 82 Philip Morris International United States 52,734 AA+ N/A N/A
14 17 27 Johnson & Johnson United States 50,651 AAA 24% 40,734
15 15 2 China Mobile Ltd China 49,864 AAA- 4% 47,964
16 13 72 Coca-Cola Co/The United States 48,301 AA+ -8% 52,339
17 25 1 Wells Fargo & Co United States 44,170 AAA- 26% 34,925
18 21 3 J.P. Morgan Chase & Co United States 43,549 AA 18% 36,777
19 18 3 Walt Disney Co/The United States 43,458 AAA 10% 39,609
20 N/A 1 Mcdonald’s Corp United States 42,937 AAA N/A N/A
21 N/A 4 Daimler Ag Germany 42,863 AAA- N/A N/A
22 22 103 Unilever Plc United Kingdom 42,666 AA+ 18% 36,179
23 6 8 Volkswagen Ag Germany 42,239 AAA+ -36% 65,540
24 19 3 Bayerische Motoren Werke Ag Germany 41,532 AAA 8% 38,527
25 14 1 General Electric Co United States 37,216 AA+ -22% 48,019
26 23 114 Anheuser-Busch Inbev Nv Belgium 37,073 AA+ 3% 36,016
27 34 1 Ind & Comm Bk Of China China 36,334 AA+ 32% 27,459
28 38 1 China Construction Bank China 35,394 AAA 34% 26,417
29 30 3 Comcast Corp United States 34,431 AAA+ 14% 30,193
30 45 1 Facebook Inc United States 34,002 AAA- 41% 24,180
31 28 3 Deutsche Telekom Ag-Reg Germany 33,194 AA+ 7% 31,108
32 27 4 Exxon Mobil Corp United States 33,040 AA 5% 31,404
33 49 1 Agricultural Bank Of China China 32,264 AAA 42% 22,714
34 24 1 Intl Business Machines Corp United States 31,786 AA -10% 35,428
35 N/A 1 Nippon Telegraph & Telephone Japan 31,678 AA N/A N/A
36 29 1 Royal Dutch Shell Plc Netherlands 31,665 AA+ 3% 30,716
37 32 20 L’Oreal France 31,620 AAA 10% 28,866
38 31 2 Bank Of America Corp United States 30,940 AA 6% 29,319
39 26 38 Lvmh Moet Hennessy Louis Vui France 30,759 AA -10% 34,195
40 39 5 Nike Inc United States 29,151 AAA 16% 25,103
41 41 1 Home Depot Inc United States 28,798 AAA- 18% 24,471
42 N/A 10 General Motors Co United States 28,011 AAA+ N/A N/A
43 36 2 Vodafone Group Plc United Kingdom 27,821 AA+ 2% 27,287
44 N/A 76 Japan Tobacco Inc Japan 27,797 AA N/A N/A
45 N/A 1 Bank Of China Ltd China 27,735 AAA N/A N/A
46 35 2 Citigroup Inc United States 27,713 AA+ 1% 27,372
47 N/A 3 Softbank Corp Japan 27,676 AA N/A N/A
48 N/A 103 British American Tobacco Plc United Kingdom 27,070 AA N/A N/A
49 50 1 Mitsubishi Corp Japan 24,461 AA 8% 22,679
50 N/A 3 Cvs Caremark Corp United States 24,176 AA+ N/A N/A
51 37 2 Hsbc Holdings Plc United Kingdom 24,174 AAA- -11% 27,280
52 N/A 4 Barclays Plc United Kingdom 23,751 AAA+ N/A N/A
53 N/A 1 Hyundai South Korea 23,691 AA+ N/A N/A
54 46 36 Tata Sons India 23,498 AA -1% 23,768
55 N/A 2 Starbucks Corp United States 23,455 AAA- N/A N/A
56 N/A 5 Telefonica Sa Spain 23,243 AA+ N/A N/A
57 40 1 Intel Corp United States 22,845 AA+ -9% 25,011
58 48 1 Oracle Corp United States 22,136 AA -3% 22,888
59 43 2 Honda Motor Co Ltd Japan 21,576 AAA- -11% 24,347
60 N/A 2 Ford Motor Co United States 21,506 AAA- N/A N/A
61 N/A 2 Twenty-First Century United States 21,165 AA+ N/A N/A
62 N/A 2 Petrochina Co Ltd China 20,986 AA N/A N/A
63 47 12 Fiat Chrysler Automobiles Nv Italy 20,405 AA -11% 22,977
64 N/A 1 Allianz Se Germany 20,264 AA N/A N/A
65 N/A 1 China State Construction China 20,214 AA- N/A N/A
66 N/A 1 China Petroleum & Chemical China 20,144 AA N/A N/A
67 N/A 1 Huawei China 19,743 AA N/A N/A
68 N/A 1 United Parcel Service United States 19,565 AA+ N/A N/A
69 N/A 2 Siemens Ag Germany 19,415 AA+ N/A N/A
70 N/A 2 Nissan Motor Co Ltd Japan 19,312 AA+ N/A N/A
71 N/A 4 United Health Group Inc United States 19,173 AA N/A N/A
72 44 1 Cisco Systems Inc United States 19,162 AAA- -21% 24,324
73 N/A 1 Orange France 19,096 AA+ N/A N/A
74 N/A 196 Danone France 19,026 AA+ N/A N/A
75 N/A 1 PwC United States 18,569 AAA+ N/A N/A
76 N/A 1 American Express Co United States 18,483 AA+ N/A N/A
77 N/A 1 Bt Group Plc United Kingdom 18,442 AAA- N/A N/A
78 N/A 181 Heineken Nv Netherlands 18,376 AA- N/A N/A
79 N/A 62 Diageo Plc United Kingdom 18,303 AA+ N/A N/A
80 N/A 2 Axa Sa France 18,280 AA N/A N/A
81 N/A 37 Kraft Foods Group Inc United States 18,175 AA N/A N/A
82 N/A 1 Alibaba Group Holding China 17,968 AA+ N/A N/A
83 N/A 1 China Life Insurance Co China 17,870 AAA N/A N/A
84 N/A 3 Chevron Corp United States 17,822 AA+ N/A N/A
85 N/A 4 Lloyds Banking Group Plc United Kingdom 17,522 AAA+ N/A N/A
86 N/A 4 Bnp Paribas France 17,362 AA N/A N/A
87 N/A 1 Bp Plc United Kingdom 16,962 AA N/A N/A
88 N/A 3 Kddi Corp Japan 16,917 AA N/A N/A
89 N/A 7 Walgreens Boots Alliance United States 16,645 AA- N/A N/A
90 N/A 2 Sony Corp Japan 16,557 AA+ N/A N/A
91 N/A 5 Tencent Holdings Ltd China 16,448 AA+ N/A N/A
92 N/A 1 Baidu Inc China 16,418 AAA- N/A N/A
93 33 9 Time Warner Inc United States 16,210 AAA+ -33% 24,091
94 N/A 1 Mitsui & Co Ltd Japan 16,183 AAA+ N/A N/A
95 N/A 1 Deloitte United States 16,160 AAA N/A N/A
96 N/A 1 Banco Santander Sa Spain 15,689 AA+ N/A N/A
97 N/A 1 Ping An Insurance Group Co China 15,569 AAA+ N/A N/A
98 N/A 1 Hennes & Mauritz Ab Sweden 15,510 AA+ N/A N/A
99 N/A 1 Target Corp United States 15,331 AA N/A N/A
100 N/A 5 Yum! Brands Inc United States 15,252 AA+ N/A N/A