Which global brand edged Apple as the most powerful of 2012? Read on to find out.

25. SAP // +8% // $15,641 $m

SAP, the market and technology leader in business management software, solutions, and services, continues to perform well due to its embrace of cloud computing and mobile business apps. The German multinational software corporation has an unusual challenge in advertising — marketing complex business products most often bought by IT managers and corporate executives.

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24. American Express // +8% // $15,702 $m

American Express has spent the past year launching a host of enhanced online services designed to improve customer experience, simplify account management and provide members with personalized offers from its favorite merchants via social media platforms. Customers could not be more satisfied, which is why American Express has ranked as the top US credit card company in customer service by J.D. Power and Associates since 2007.

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23. H&M // +1% // $16,571 $m

With an ever-increasing number of competitors gaining traction globally and more big retailers stepping into low-cost fast fashion, H&M, the Swedish multinational retail clothing company, has set its sights on finding new ways to maintain industry leadership. H&M has weathered the economic downturn well. In June, it reported forecast-beating quarterly profit growth. It has also increased market share in its main markets and expects to open 275 stores over the course of the year — including H&M’s first in South America in the first half of 2013.

The secret recipe for H&M continues to be partnering with big-name designers, celebrities, and high-profile supermodels, and this strategy clearly resonates with the aspirations of its fashion savvy, pop-culture-following target customers.

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22. Pepsi // +14% // $16,594 $m

Holding strong at #22, Pepsi has really upped its game in the past year. The brand developed its first global positioning, “Capture the excitement of now,” which casts Pepsi as a youthful, fun alternative to Coca-Cola and inspires Pepsi lovers to live each moment to the fullest.

Its first global campaign, “Live for Now,” meshes well with ongoing consumer promotions relating to music and its US partnership with the NFL. Alongside this, Pepsi has revamped its entire digital experience, PepsiPulse, to focus on user-generated content and direct connections with consumers. Furthermore, the brand is addressing key consumer concerns, such as sugar content, via the launch of Pepsi Next, as well as its environmental impact — Pepsi was awarded the 2012 Stockholm Industry Water Award for reducing its water consumption.

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21. Honda // -11% // $17,280 $m

For Honda, 2011 was a year to forget. A strong yen and severe disruptions to its supply chain hampered supplies, sales, and profits. Segments that Honda has dominated continue to intensify with a growing field of competitors, while the sluggish performance in Europe and highly critical reviews of the Civic took a toll on the brand.

Honda took the feedback seriously and is retooling the Civic. Although Honda lost market share, most of it can be attributed to the production shortfalls resulting from the 2011 earthquake in Japan, and the Thai floods. Nevertheless, the brand’s strong track record of creating well-built cars and delivering good value will not suffice on word-of-mouth alone.

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20. Amazon // +46% // $18,625 $m

Amazon aims to be a place where consumers can find anything they want to buy — online. It delivers on this aim by regularly expanding its products and services and, in doing so, has remained a leader in customer service.

In the past year, Amazon sustained the success of its Kindle brand, stretching it beyond its e-reader origins into a legitimate iPad alternative, introducing both the Kindle Touch and Kindle Fire in 175 countries. The Kindle Fire now enjoys the world’s second-largest tablet market share.

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19. Nokia // -16% // $21,009 $m

As Nokia tries to reinvent itself, its brand value continues to decline. This year, Nokia lost its position as the world’s largest mobile phone manufacturer by volume and is losing the smartphone battle.

However, it is Samsung’s handset business that impacts Nokia most. For consumers, the role of the handset brand has changed as their focus shifts towards the operating system (OS) and the all-important apps they support. As the decline of Nokia’s Symbian OS accelerates, all hopes are placed on the Windows Phone OS.

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18. Oracle // +28% // $22,126 $m

Oracle is one of our top risers with a 28% increase in brand value. The brand is committed to branching out beyond database solutions in order to stay ahead of competitors.

The company continues to make strategic acquisitions, like Sun Microsystems, to grow its capabilities and offerings, especially in cloud computing. Oracle’s suit against rival Google (over the use of Java code in Android software) could also be seen as a play to remain relevant.

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17. Louis Vuitton // +2% // $23,577 $m

Louis Vuitton’s continued success can be attributed to consistently upholding its core values and remaining loyal to its travel-centric heritage. In addition to its partnership of the 2012 America’s Cup, Louis Vuitton has also improved its digital presence — from charting its history on Facebook to launching an app that enables customers to share travel experiences.

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16. Gillette // +4% // $24,898 $m

Owned by Procter & Gamble, Gillette grew into the leading men’s shaving line because it, historically, has spent more than any other company in R&D to make its razors the best. Once again delivering the performance and innovation consumers have come to expect, Gillette and Braun’s new Gillette Fusion ProGlide Styler, a three-in-one facial hair trimmer, shaver, and edger, won multiple awards and helped increase market share in emerging markets.

In India, consumers prefer Gillette “seven to one” over traditional doubleedge razors, a promising sign of the brand’s ability to extend its global presence. Building on its sponsorship of the London Olympics, P&G has announced a 10-year agreement with the International Olympic Committee, which will link the Gillette brand with top male athletes.

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14. Cisco // +7% // $27,197 $m

Cisco, the worldwide leader in networking, has continued to refocus its brand on the B2B market after pulling the reins in on a much-scrutinized extension into consumer audiences. Cisco’s brand has always been able to remain relevant in the switching and router market, but that may not be enough to maintain Cisco’s performance in the future.

The recent acquisition of NDS, a leading provider of video software and content security solutions, indicates that Cisco could be looking to gain a more solid foothold in softwarebased applications.

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13. Disney // -5% // $27,438 $m

The world of entertainment has been steadily transforming as audience behaviors evolve, content consumption habits change, and the old gives way to the new. If one brand, however, has demonstrated an ability to remain resilient over the years in the face of change, it is Disney.

The company that launched on the shoulders of one little mouse has expanded to include five key groups: Media Networks, Parks and Resorts, Studio Entertainment, Consumer Products, and Interactive Media. While each division has seen its own share of turmoil, with executive shifts and box office disappointments in the past year, Disney continues to march forward, albeit without a strong vision for its brand. Disney has reported solid earnings this year, driven by growth across all divisions, but it’s worth noting that while the Disney Channel is still a top-rated cable network in the US, recently surpassing Nickelodeon, it’s a small value contributor overall.

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12. BMW // +18% // $29,052 $m

Synonymous with class, performance and style, BMW remains a leading premium brand in the automobile industry and continues to appeal to a wide host of target groups around the world with over 11 million Facebook fans, more than most other auto brands.

The key success factors are BMW’s handling characteristics, design, and innovative thrust of the brand. As the official automotive partner of the London 2012 Summer Olympics, BMW provided over 3,000 vehicles to the games, successfully demonstrating its mastery of global brand management and further unifying its positioning worldwide. BMW is determined to set new benchmarks in the dealership experience, opening brand stores in London and Paris this year as part of BMW’s “Future Retail” program.

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11. Mercedes Benz // +10% // $30,097 $m

There may be no other vehicle that exudes class and luxury quite like Mercedes-Benz. In the minds of many people, it is still the brand that says, “I’ve arrived.” Its long heritage of excellence in engineering, performance, styling, and safety was dramatically underscored in 2010 by the resurrection of founder Gottlieb Daimler’s guiding motto, “The Best or Nothing.”

Laying the groundwork for further growth, the striking campaign reached millions and gave sales a significant boost. Building on that success, this year’s confident “A as in Attack” campaign is now fanning the flames of desire for the new A-Class lineup. Together, with the new B-Class and further model variants based on the same vehicle architecture, the A-Class is expected to be an important driver in the Mercedes-Benz growth strategy going forward.

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10. Toyota // +9% // $30,280 $m

The resilience of the Toyota brand seems to have closed the chapter on sudden acceleration and helped the carmaker in reclaiming its global leadership position. Toyota’s Prius customers continue to deepen their connection to the Toyota portfolio.

At the same time, the Prius lineup is creating an influx of new customers to the Toyota brand. And thanks to the generous subsidies and reduced taxes on cleaner cars, hybrids are a clear differentiator for Toyota, so the Prius portfolio continues to grow. In addition to showing solid numbers with repeat customers, Toyota is strengthening its appeal with younger consumers. The brand has intensified its incentives push and reduced its fleet sales.

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9. Samsung // +40% // $32,893 $m

Samsung is one of the biggest successes of 2012, marked by a meteoric 40% rise in brand value. In a market competing to create convergent ecosystems of internet-enabled household devices, its smartphone sales have led the way to a strong position over competitors.

With 19.1% market share, Samsung became the global leader for smartphone shipments in 2011 ahead of Apple and Nokia. From this bumper position, the next year holds promise of greater expansion. Samsung has announced plans to sell its own Microsoft Windows phone and a series of Windows 8 computers, to sit alongside the new Galaxy SIII and Note. This will help it further connect Samsung mobile devices with home devices, such as TVs and washing machines, to create a consistent user experience as the brand grows.

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8. Intel // +12% // $39,385 $m

For Intel, the last year has been filled with change, big bets, and the continued quest to remain at the forefront of the ceaseless computing revolution. The rise of the smartphone, and the shift from “the era of computers to the era of computing,” has made it hard for the brand to stretch from the processors for PCs and servers for which it is known, into a broader set of technology offerings.

While marketing efforts like the Creators Project, staged in conjunction with Vice, and a host of smaller, targeted marketing programs are making the brand more accessible to the next generation of consumers, the drive towards greater relevance isn’t just a marketing one. Intel’s response has been to push consumer understanding into everything that it does — hiring new leaders, and promoting from within to help bring a more user-centric attitude to how it goes about defining and building the technology of the future. From putting an anthropologist in charge of the Interaction and Experience Research group, to bringing in executives from Apple and the BBC to guide their entry into smartphones, tablets and home entertainment, Intel is shifting from a technology first mindset to one of user first.

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7. McDonald's // +13% // $40,062 $m

McDonald’s, the leading global foodservice retailer, stands out because of its exceptional brand management, significant global presence, leadership in sustainable practices and admirable approach to consumer engagement. McDonald’s has more than 33,500 restaurants in 119 countries and the Golden Arches continue to expand, most notably in Asia.

The company deftly manages its franchise model, delivering a remarkably consistent customer experience while still allowing for locally relevant menu and service variations (such as home delivery in India and China).

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6. GE // +2% // $43,682 $m

As was the case before the dot com bubble, the promise of emergent technologies can sometimes feel a bit vague. As the market swooned over social networks, the mobile media revolution, and the all-knowing cloud, GE pulled the ultimate trump card.

In 2012, the brand launched GE Works, an integrated communications platform. With gripping imagery and stories of meaningful human outcomes, the campaign reasserted the brand as the world’s maker of “real” things — from job creation in the manufacturing sector to advanced healthcare technologies, GE’s focus has been squarely on asserting its global leadership role.

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5. Microsoft // -2% // $57,853 $m

Still one of the world’s most recognized technology brands, Microsoft has found itself in a bit of a holding pattern in 2012, reporting soft growth compared to Google and Apple. In particular, there has been weak computer demand as consumers switch to tablets and try out Windows 8, the newest version of the company’s flagship operating system (OS).

Attempting to combat Apple’s lead in the tablet market, Microsoft has promised a revolutionary OS that represents the convergence of technologies along with a consistent, bold cross-platform look and feel. The technology world has had unprecedented access to the development of Windows 8. Its success would catapult Microsoft forward and revitalize the entire PC ecosystem.

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3. IBM // +8% // $75,532 $m

IBM, the US-based multinational technology company, has consistently ranked as one of the world’s most innovative, profitable, and sustainable brands — and it is still operating at full speed. IBM continues to reinvent itself to meet everchanging marketplace needs, turning its attention to emerging markets, big data analytics, and cloud computing. Smarter Planet, IBM’s groundbreaking business strategy, continues to drive new product and service development, employee engagement, and corporate citizenship.

It remains a textbook example of how to create, build, and deliver a world-leading business-to-business brand.

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2. Apple // +129% // $76,568 $m

The response to Steve Jobs’ death last year proved how deeply millions connect with Apple on an emotional level. In a world where consumers are oftentimes overwhelmed with information, the role a brand plays in people’s lives has become all the more important to ensuring a business’ overarching success. Nobody understood this better than Steve Jobs. He simplified the complex, democratized technology that was once out of reach, and built a brand so powerful that it forever changed the way consumers think of brands.

Jobs recognized that a brand is so much more than a logo. He instinctively knew that his customers needed to feel a certain way when they picked up an Apple product, when they entered an Apple store, or when they visited the Apple website. He knew that a strong brand should envelop the entire business strategy and positively influence the entire employee base. He also recognized that a brand is what connects a business with the hearts and minds of consumers. Simply put, Steve Jobs understood that a brand is uniquely capable of humanizing a business — and that is precisely why so many of us are Apple ambassadors today.

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1. Coca-Cola // +8% // $77,839 $m

Coca-Cola. The company excels at keeping the brand fresh while maintaining a powerful sense of nostalgia that unites generations of Coke lovers and reinforces consumers’ deep connections to the brand. Its edgy campaigns continue to push boundaries, and Coca-Cola reinforced its values through celebratory promotions relating to its 125th-year anniversary (“Sharing Happiness”) and the London Olympics (“Move to the beat”).

Though Coca-Cola sold millions of beverages on the Olympic grounds in London this year, the brand’s real returns have come from global viewership. According to a survey released in July by Research Now, Coca-Cola scored over 90% in brand awareness among respondents from the US, Canada, UK, France, Germany and Australia. One of the few marketing platforms that are relevant to a global audience, the Olympics have allowed Coca-Cola to solidify a powerful association in the minds of billions. Through its consistent presence at the Games, Coke, a sponsor since 1928, continues to build its brand strength, reach, and impact every time the Olympic torch is lit.

Yet, despite its enormous size, Coca-Cola has proven to be nimble, flexible, and innovative, adapting to local markets and new eras without diminishing its legacy. The brand continues to embrace digital, expanding its impressive online presence and engaging with consumers via its “Coca-Cola Music” promotion. Also progressing in the area of corporate citizenship, Coca-Cola gained accolades for its advanced water recovery system this year and received high ratings for employee diversity and sound workplace policies for LGBT associates. In a bold collaborative move with musical artist will.i.am, Coca-Cola has also launched the EKOCYCLE brand, a stand-alone initiative that encourages recycling and sustainability among consumers through lifestyle products made in part from recycled material. Coca-Cola may be 126 years old, but with more than 50 million fans on Facebook, 1.8 billion Coke products consumed daily and 3,500 beverages in its diverse portfolio — Coke’s still got it.

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