Dominated by tech companies including Apple, Google and Microsoft, Coca-Cola and McDonald’s were the only two food and beverage companies to break into the top 10 of the annual Millward Brown BrandZ Top™ 100 Most Valuable Global Brands study. Coca-Cola came in at the No. 8 spot with a brand value of nearly $84 billion while fast-food giant McDonald’s landed in the No. 9 spot with a brand value of $81 billion.
The annual study, commissioned by WPP and conducted by Millward Brown Optimor, identifies and ranks the world’s most valuable brands by their dollar value, an analysis based on financial data, market intelligence and consumer measures of brand equity. The total brand value of the BrandZ top 100 now stands at $3.3 trillion, a 14-percent increase on 2014 and a 126-precent growth over the 10 years since the ranking was first launched.
Categories included Consumer and Retail (apparel, cars, luxury, personal care and retail); Food and Drink (beer, fast food and soft drinks); Financial (banks/global, banks/regional and insurance); Commodities (oil & gas); Technology/Consumer & B2B; and Telecom Providers Telecom Providers.
In terms of food and beverage, consumer health concerns impacted sales in the soft drinks and fast-food categories. Fast-food led the categories in brand value growth over the past decade, with an increase of 252 percent. Consumer concerns also impacted new product introductions Brands responded to rising consumer concern about what they put in their bodies. In fact, consumption of diet cola declined as consumers rejected artificial sweeteners. Coke and Pepsi bet the combination of cane sugar and stevia would produce a more “natural" solution with the right blend of sweetness to appeal to consumers seeking cola flavor but a mid-calorie impact. McDonald’s announced U.S. plans to phase out menu items made from chickens treated with antibiotics, as well as offer the option of milk from cows not treated with growth hormones.
Top 10 Fast-Food Brands:
McDonald's $81.1 billion
Starbucks $29.3 billion
Subway $22.5 billion
KFC $12.6 billion
Chipolte $10.6 billion
Pizza Hut $8.5 billion
Tim Hortons $4.5 billion
Domino's Pizza $3.7 billion
Burger King $3.1 billion
Panera $2.9 billion
Top 15 Fast-Food Brands:
Coca-Cola $70 billion
Diet Coke $13.7 billion
Red Bull $11.3 billion
Pepsi $10.8 billion
Nescafè $6.3 billion
Tropicana $6 billion
Fanta $6 billion
Sprite $5.2 billion
Nespresso $5.2 billion
Gatorade $4.6 billion
Lipton $3.7 billion
Minute Maid $2.7 billion
Dr. Pepper $2.6 billion
Mountain Dew $2.4 billion
Diet Pepsi $2.2 billion
Top 10 Beer Brands:
Budweiser $13.7 billion
Bud Light $12.9 billion
Heineken $9.6 billion
Stella Artois $8.6 billion
Skol $8.5 billion
Corona $8.4 billion
Guinness $4.9 billion
Brahma $4.1 billion
Coors Light $3.9 billion
Modelo $3.6 billion
