American best global brands

2009 Rank	2008 Rank	Brand	Country of Origin	Sector
1	1		United States	Beverages
		Coca-Cola is 123 years old and shows no sign of relenting. It is the number one producer of sparkling beverages by volume and dollars. It has launched more than 700 products in 2008 around the world, and its edgy campaigns continue to push boundaries, showing the rest of the marketing community what it really means to manage a brand. Worldwide relevance is what defines Coke and it has successfully maintained its diversified portfolio in more than 200 countries. This year, the company expanded its Coke Zero brand to 107 countries and launched a new message for its marketing campaign. The campaign, “Open Happiness,” was targeted to consumers longing for comfort and optimism in a tough time.
2	2		United States	Computer Services
		In this tough market, Big Blue’s revenue is at an all-time high. IBM received the most U.S. patents (more than 4,000) for the 16th year in a row, investing heavily in innovation as it continues its progression from a hardware provider to a software and services solutions brand. It is the market leader, with expanded presence in more than 170 countries and approximately 65 percent of revenue generated outside of the U.S. With an advertising channel on YouTube and announced plans for cloud computing, IBM effectively communicates its message to the masses.
3	3		United States	Computer Software
		2009 marks the first year-on-year decline in Microsoft’s public history, despite a game console division that continues to be profitable. As the market matures, the giant faces stiff competition from faster, quicker rivals. In terms of browsing, Microsoft’s Internet Explorer has dropped 10 percentage points in market share every two years, while Mozilla Firefox gains 10 percentage points in the same time period. Additionally, a US $300 million ad campaign featuring Jerry Seinfeld and Bill Gates could have fared better with audiences. However, Microsoft’s Bing, a new search engine that launched in June to great reviews, is poised to give Google a real run for its money.
4	4		United States	Diversified
		Despite GE slipping in its position of technology leadership, it is still better equipped to support future innovations and brand evolution than other traditional competitors, due to its ability to touch consumers on an emotional level. This year, its financial services offering has slipped, particularly the B2C business. Its media business is also threatening the brand. Additionally, GE faces competition from Siemens. The good news is that ecomagination is still the most concise initiative towards sustainability out there, and the brand has set itself up for growth in the long-term with green technology. After losing its leadership position in medical technology this year, GE plans to mimic ecomagination’s success with its major innovation initiative “healthymagination,” which entails an investment of US $6 billion until 2015.
		Nokia seems to be trailing behind more dynamic smartphone innovations like Apple’s iPhone and RIM’s BlackBerry. The N97, a flagship Nseries mobile computer that was first unveiled in December 2008, is designed to address competitive technologies but debuted in 2009 at a much higher price point than Apple’s or RIM’s new offerings. In fast developing markets, where Nokia leads in market share, the brand continues its strategy of targeting younger audiences with trendier design at a relatively lower cost. In the next year, Nokia plans to be more mindful of the U.S. market by increasing its investments and developing relationships with wireless carriers like AT&T.
5	8		United States	Restaurants
		McDonald’s has performed well this year. It now serves six million more customers each day than it did before the “I’m Lovin’ It” campaign. Due to its low prices and numerous locations McDonald’s has been able to continue to grow its sales–and even captured new market share–with its McCafé and healthier off erings. The brand does face one struggle: keeping food costs under control. Like other restaurants, McDonald’s has been hit with higher beef and cheese costs. To protect its profits, the company was forced to raise the price of its popular Double Cheeseburger in November and replaced the sandwich on the Dollar Menu with a new double burger that has one slice of cheese instead of two. With value being its biggest drawing factor, McDonald’s will need to proceed cautiously with additional price changes.
6	10		United States	Internet Services
		Continued diversification of Google’s business, from new advertising models to online publishing, drives growth. The common theme is low price and high functionality with added transparency. Google Chrome is two times faster than competitors and stole browser market share equal to third- and fourth-placed competitors within 24 hours. This year, Google has continued to innovate. It released the Android phone software on September 2008, which involved disclosing the source code for the Google phone to engineers around the world. As the brand grows it has to deal with the inevitable mistrust and ugliness ascribed to being a very large, diversified, and very profitable company.
		In 2008, Toyota saw its first loss in 70 years due to the diffcult economic situation. Net revenues decreased about 21 percent and vehicle sales dropped about 15 percent. Even sales of its bestselling hybrid Prius model slowed down when fuel prices moderated after the record highs of the summer. There is even talk that the company may create a separate brand for its Prius, adding larger and smaller models to the line up. The brand would be similar to Toyota’s low-priced Scion and would only be offered in the U.S., where the company did not create a brand around its “Hybrid Synergy Drive“ system. Toyota continues to develop its long-term value, however, building on its existing green credentials, announcing plans to create eco-friendly showrooms. By 2011 it expects to have 100 “green“ dealerships, where most parts of the buildings are made of renewable primary products.
7	7		United States	Computer Hardware
		In the fast-growing mobile computing market, Intel stands to find success. Determined to break into this category, the world’s number one chipmaker announced a partnership with the world’s number one handset maker in 2009. If it works, the Intel agreement with Nokia will put its latest chips into the hands of millions of customers. The line of chips, Atom, is meant to carry Intel into this higher growth market but has so far faced criticism for its cost and power consumption. However, Atom is finding success in the low-power, clutch size netbooks market. With an appeal toward more value conscious consumers in the midst of recession, netbooks have allowed Intel to stay both relevant and top of mind while it tries to crack the code on smaller mobile devices.
8	9		United States	Media
		Not even the magic of Disney is immune from recessionary pressures-but Disney’s clouds do have silver linings. Although tighter ad budgets have put pressure on Disney owned networks, magazines, and Disney.com, the company continues to successfully leverage its brand in innovative new formats online and offline. This includes video games, new resorts, and interactive websites such as its user-generated-content initiative “U Rock.” Disney’s ability to create appealing promotions has kept the flow of visitors steady from last year, despite tighter wallets threatening traffic at theme parks. Meanwhile, the Disney and Pixar brands continue to command audiences, (with some exceptions) as evidenced by the success of Up, and a strong content pipeline, including Toy Story 3, which speaks to a promising future.
9	12		United States	Computer Hardware
		HP has surpassed Dell as the leading seller of PCs in the U.S., even with falling sales for the category. Overall globally, HP’s market share is also on the rise. A 20.5 percent increase follows last year’s acquisition of service-provider EDS. This year, HP also began a global review of its media holdings in Asia Pacific, with the focus on consolidating down to one, key, effective agency. In an increasingly price driven sector, HP is finding more way to successfully use its brand to stand apart.
		Mercedes-Benz saw sales drop about five percent in 2009 as a result of the recession. But the brand has made strides in other areas. Using the slogan “Blue is the new green,” Mercedes sought to raise acceptance for its high-mileage BlueTEC diesel technology in the U.S., where diesel is still seen as loud, slow, and smelly. Like many other carmakers it pushed the development of eco-friendly hybrid technology. Its luxurious S-class is one of the most fuel-efficient cars of this segment. Following the general trend, Mercedes drove brand development away from print and TV marketing. It launched Mixed Tape Music Magazine, a monthly online music show featuring video clips by artists like Jennifer Lopez and Mark Ronson and also strengthened its engagement in New York’s Fashion Week as title sponsor to increase the brand’s attractiveness among young buyers.
10	14		United States	Personal Care
		Gillette experienced an increase of net sales this year, with Fusion and Venus as the largest contributors. Gillette holds strong as the “best for men” for personal care, owning 70 percent market share of manual blades and razors. The brand maintains high visibility by promoting classic and consistent innovation for the category, renewing celebrity contracts with Roger Federer, Tiger Woods, and Thierry Henry, and sponsoring the MLB in the U.S. In the digital space, Gillette expanded its customer dialogue with online shaving “how tos” and has also seen high growth in developing regions, driven primarily by the expansion of Fusion and the Prestobarba 3 launch in Brazil.
		Cisco is the leader in networking services but is still perceived as catching up in other parts of the computer services industry. It has a strong reputation for quality and reliability, boasting more than a quarter century in this relatively young industry. Its heavy investments in R&D, and its stated mission to innovate to customers’ needs, signal Cisco’s shift to become a broader provider of hardware and services, which should increase the role of its brand.
		BMW remains relatively healthy even though revenues decreased about five percent this year. Its dip in profit was mainly attributed to the high costs to cover risks on used car resale prices and the softening demand in the economically troubled U.S. market. The Bavarian carmaker still carried on with its strategy to build highly efficient cars that promise joyful driving, and to fill niches with innovative vehicles like the large X6 Sport Activity vehicle and the 5-series GT. Its EfficientDynamics initiative, which includes gadgets like Brake Energy Regeneration or High Precision Injection, turned out to be a sales boost with more than one million vehicles sold worldwide. With its ConnectedDrive concept, BMW pushed another forward-looking innovation, converting a car into a mobile communication platform to enhance safety, convenience, and service quality. The huge numbers of visitors to its recently opened brand temple, the BMW Welt in Munich, is evidence that BMW continues to fascinate consumers.
		Louis Vuitton actively continues to expand its retail network, which now totals 425 stores. Its direct channel through retail has been instrumental in maintaining a connection with consumers during the recession. The Louis Vuitton brand is also gathering strong momentum in China, which now accounts for 20 percent of its revenue. The “Core Values” campaign, which explores the idea of self-discovery through traveling and features a series of Annie Leibovitz portraits of celebrities such as Sean Connery, Catherine Deneuve, and Mikhail Gorbachev, has received much positive acclaim within the advertising industry. This has reinvigorated the brand’s status as a classic. This year, Louis Vuitton also developed the Damier Graphite range, which includes luggage, shoes, and other accessories that specifically target men.