World’s Top 100 Brands

Given below is an indicative list of world’s top 100 brands, segregated on the basis of their brand positioning. This list is not a ranking of brands, but merely an indicator of how the world’s top brands have successfully positioned themselves. This list is based on the book Brand Royalty: How the World’s Top Hundred Brands Thrive and Survive (Matt Heig, Kogan Page, 2006).

INNOVATION BRANDS

1. Adidas: The Performance Brand
2. Sony: The Pioneer Brand
3. Xerox: The Research Brand
4. American Express: The Integrity Brand
5. L’Oreal: The Individuality Brand
6. Durex: The Safe Brand
7. Mersedes-Benz: The Prestige Brand
8. Nescafe: The Instant Brand
9. Toyota: The Big Picture Brand

PIONEER BRANDS

1. Heinz: The Trust Brand
2. Kellogg’s: The Familiarity Brand
3. Colgate: The Total Brand
4. Ford: The volume Brand
5. Goodyear: The Leadership Brand
6. Gillette: The Shaving Brand
7. Kleenex: The Disposable Brand
8. Wrigly: The new Thinking Brand

DISTRACTION BRANDS

1. MTV: The Youth Brand
2. Harry Potter: The Story Brand
3. Barbie: The Escapist Brand
4. Disney: The Nostalgic Brand

STREAMLINES BRANDS

1. Cosmopolitan: The Revolutionary Brand
2. Nokia: The Streamlined Brand
3. Toys ‘R’ Us: The Contraction Brand
4. Subway: The Focus Brand

MUSCLE BRANDS

1. IBM: The Solution Brand
2. Wal-Mart: The Scale Brand
3. McDonald’s: The Service Brand
4. Nike: The Sports Brand
5. Starbucks: The Postmodern Brand
6. Microsoft: The Dominance Brand

DISTINCTION BRANDS

1. Pepsi: The Differentiation Brand
2. Hush Puppies: The Casual Brand
3. Timex: The Durability Brand
4. Evian: The Purity Brand
5. Duracell: The Longer-Lasting Brand
6. Danone: The Health Brand
7. Heineken: The Export Brand

STATUS BRANDS

1. Rolex: The Superior Brand
2. Courvoisier: The Mystery Brand
3. Louis Vuitton: The Desirable Brand
4. Moet & Chandon: The Vintage Brand
5. Burberry: The Heritage Brand
6. BMW: The Defining Brand
7. Gucci: The Exclusive Brand
8. Tiffany & Co.: The Sparkling Brand

PEOPLE BRANDS

1. Oprah Winfrey: The Savior Brand
2. Jennifer Lopez: The Superstar Brand
3. David Beckham: The Icon Brand

RESPONSIBILITY BRANDS

1.  Johnson & Johnson: The Crisis Management Brand
2. Ben & Jerry’s: The Caring Brand
3. Seeds of Change: The Goodness Brand
4. HP: The Employees Brand

BROAD BRANDS

1. Yamaha: The Ignored Brand
2. Caterpillar: The Rugged Brand
3. Virgin: The Elastic Brand

EMOTION BRANDS

1. Apple: The Cult Brand
2. Harley Davidson: The Masculine Brand
3. Zippo: The Longevity Brand
4. Jack Daniel’s: The Personality Brand
5. Chrysler: The Romance Brand
6. Guiness: The Timeless Brand

DESIGN BRANDS

1. IKea: The Democratic Brand
2. Audi: The Advancement Brand
3. Bang & Olufsen: The Improvement Brand
4. Muji: The Minimal Brand
5. Vespa: The Beautiful Brand
6. Converse: The Heritage Brand
7. Volkswagen: The Longevity Brand

CONSISTENT BRANDS

1. Coca-Cola: The Ultimate Brand
2. Nivea: The Continuity Brand
3. Hard Rock Café: The Memorabilia Brand
4. Clarins: The Expertise Brand
5. Campbell’s Soup: The Uniformity Brand
6. Budweiser: The Targeted Brand

ADVERTISER BRANDS

1. Kraft: The Household Brand
2. Absolut Vodka: The Advertising Brand
3. Benetton: The Color Brand
4. Calvin Klein: The Sex Brand
5. The Gap: The Easy Brand
6. Diesel: The Ironic Brand

DISTRIBUTION BRANDS

1. Avon: The Resilient Brand
2. Hertz: The Credibility Brand
3. Domino’s Pizza: The Home Delivery Brand
4. Dell: The Direct Sales Brand
5. Amazon: The E-shopping Brand

SPEED BRANDS

1. Reuters: The Objective Brand
2. FedEx: The “First” Brand
3. Zara: The Speed-to-Market Brand
4. Hello Kitty: The Cute Brand
5. CNN: The Information Brand
6. Google: The Search Brand
7. Hotmail: The Viral Brand

EVOLUTION BRANDS

1. Bacardi: The Caribbean Brand
2. HSBC: The Acquisition Brand
3. Intel: The Educating Brand
4. Samsung: The Rising Brand

DIGITAL AGE BRANDS (MY ADDITION)

1. Facebook: The Social Networking Brand
2. Twitter: The “Follow” Brand
3. WordPress: The Blogging Brand