Good branding helps brands stand out from competition, build a strong identity, and generate revenues. The elements of a branding strategy work together to evoke consumer responses such as awareness, trust, loyalty, and repeat purchases.
What do we know about branding and its outcomes? We’ve compiled a set of branding statistics to keep you informed on the latest research.
Key findings ✅
- The tech giants Amazon, Apple, and Google are the world’s most valuable brands.
- The aggregate value of the ten most valuable brands now stands at $1.52 trillion.
- 62% of people worldwide trust business brands.
- Brands could gain consumer’s trust by improving product quality and ensuring data security.
- A plentiful product range is the key driver of brand loyalty.
- Purpose is the most important value that drives consumer behavior worldwide.
Most valuable brands in the world 🌐
In 2023, Amazon surpassed Apple to become the world’s most valuable brand, despite a year-over-year value loss of about 15% for both brands. The retail giant, which last topped the ranking in 2020, has a brand value of $299.28 billion, down from $350.27 billion in the previous year. The fall can be explained by harsher consumer demands in the post-pandemic world, longer delivery times, and the return to physical shopping.
Apple is closely following at $297.51 billion, a 16% drop from 2022. Recent challenges for the technology company mostly relate to disrupted supply chains and constrained labor markets.
Google remains the third most valuable brand. It continues to grow with a 7% year-over-year increase in brand value. Much of this year’s success comes from improving already existing products such as Google Wallet and Google Cloud through artificial intelligence and virtual reality. Lessons from Google show that exploring existing offerings and adopting new technology can be more effective and efficient than jumping into new product launches.
Microsoft and Walmart are completing the remainder of the top 5 list, with each maintaining its position from the previous year.
Tesla and TikTok are the most recent entrants to the top 10, both having broader connections to the technology sector. While in 2022 Tesla led in electric cars sales, TikTok dominated as the most downloaded entertainment and video streaming app [1, 2].
Aggregate value of the ten most valuable brands
The total brand value of the top ten most valuable brands in the world stood at $1.52 trillion in 2023. This is a 8.12% decline, compared to the previous year. Despite the drop, the top ten retains its long-term growth trajectory. A decade earlier, the aggregate value stood at $462.65 billion, or less than one-third of the current value [2].
Which are the fastest-growing brands?
The Chinese electric vehicles manufacturer BYD is the fastest-growing brand worldwide, with a brand value up 57% in 2023. The US competitor Tesla is also in the list with a brand value increase of 44%, suggesting a strong demand for electric vehicles [3].
With 2024 set to be the hottest year on record, those that provide sustainable alternatives to fossil fuels are well-positioned to become brand value leaders.
Which are the brands with the highest brand value loss?
In 2023 the Chinese online retailer Alibaba.com faced the biggest year-over-year decline, losing 56% of its brand value. The competitors Tmall and Taobao.com are closely following with declines in brand value of 44% and 43%, respectively. The ecommerce industry in China suffered from substantial disruptions in business operations during the pandemic. The growing competition within the sector resulted in lower market shares and sales for industry leaders, depressing their brand value [3].
Nations with the greatest brand value contribution
The US has the greatest contribution, hosting 201 of the world’s 500 most valuable brands in 2023. Moreover, US brands generate about a half (49.7%) of the world’s brand value. China takes the second position in the ranking, recording a roughly 17.9% contribution [3].
Brand awareness statistics 💼
Brand awareness is one of the key measures for brand value. In 2022, just over 40% of marketers globally stated that the number one purpose of content marketing is to build brand awareness. Generating sales comes second, with 38% of marketers prioritizing the goal [4].
That said, building levels of familiarity amongst the target audience is foundational for any content marketing strategy. Brand awareness intertwines with further objectives such as building trust and credibility to boost sales and loyalty.
Brands with highest brand awareness in the US
As of Q2 2023, Colgate, Apple, Target, Paypal, and Hershey’s are in the top 5 of America’s most famous consumer brands. Nearly all (99%) Americans have heard of these brands. However, brand awareness does not necessarily translate into brand popularity. Just 64% of consumers who have heard about Apple report liking the brand [5].
Brand assets that drive awareness the most
The product itself is the asset that contributes most to awareness. Apart from the product, the logo is the branding asset with the greatest power to bring the brand in mind. 2023 data demonstrates that 19% of consumers globally rate logos as truly distinctive. Yet the majority (59%) finds logos almost entirely forgettable.
Mascots come second with 16% stating that characters help them evoke the brand. The results are impressive, considering the low performance of slogans and brand colors that remain unnoticed by 81% and 80% of consumers, respectively [6].
Every year $4.7 trillion is spent on marketing, and just about 15% is allocated to assets that are truly distinctive. Knowing which assets drive awareness the most helps to spend marketing dollars more effectively [6].
Brand popularity statistics ⚡
Although important, brand awareness does not necessarily translate into popularity and repeat purchases.
What are the most popular brands globally?
During a 2021-2022 survey, consumers elected Samsung as the world’s most popular brand. Samsung was ranked first, using an index calculated through Impression, Quality, Value, Satisfaction, Recommendation, and Reputation scores [7].
The South Korean giant generated 127 points, or 20% more than the second most popular brand, Google. The video content platforms YouTube and Netflix come fourth and fifth, respectively. The ecommerce platform Shopee and the messaging service Whatsapp make up the list of brands that scored at least 50 points.
What are the most popular FMCG brands?
As of 2022, Coca-Cola is the world’s most popular FMCG (Fast-Moving Consumer Goods) brand, measured in Consumer Reach Points (CRPs). CRPs are a measurement of penetration, or the number of households purchasing the brand, and frequency of purchase. Colgate and Maggi are ranked second and third, respectively, although they are significantly lagging behind the leader. The gap suggests that Coca-Cola has unmatched global brand penetration and purchase frequency [8].
Most liked brands in the US
In the US, M&M’s is at the top of the likeability chart. As of Q2 2023, 83% of Americans have a positive opinion of the brand. Following are Band-Aid, Ziploc, Dawn, and Reese’s, all with 82% popularity score [9].
Brand trust statistics 🤝
Once brands are well-known and liked by consumers, they have to win their trust. Trusted brands are honest and open; they demonstrate respect and inclusion; and identify with and care for consumers.
Do consumers trust business brands?
In 2022 62% of people globally stated that they trust business brands. In a world where governments and media brands fuel distrust, business is the primary institution seen as trustworthy [10].
This is also a great responsibility for companies, as the private sector is expected to lead the drive for change. The most successful brands will deliver solutions across climate, upskilling, diversity, and inclusion.
Over the past five years, trust in business brands has been gradually increasing. Between 2017 and 2022, there was a 9-point increase in the average trust rate, rising from 53% to 62% [10].
The failure of governments, media, and the civic sector to build trustful institutions has created an expectation of brands to fill the void. During a 2022 survey 68% of consumers from around the globe believed that brands could strengthen the social fabric [10].
Expectations are highest in Kenya (83%) and Indonesia (80%). Consumers in these countries reported significantly higher than average trust in business brands, with Kenya at 71% and Indonesia at 81%.
Meanwhile, trust in business among Japanese people is the second lowest in the world, standing at 47%. In Japan, people do not believe that brands have the power to bring people together, unlike the sentiment in the rest of the world. Overall, there is a strong correlation between levels of trust in business and consumers’ expectations that brands have the power to build shared identity.
| Country | Trust in business | Brands can strengthen the social fabric | |
|---|---|---|---|
 | China | 84% | 69% |
 | Indonesia | 83% | 80% |
 | India | 80% | 77% |
 | UAE | 78% | 75% |
 | Saudi Arabia | 73% | 76% |
 | Kenya | 71% | 83% |
 | Mexico | 71% | 77% |
 | Thailand | 71% | 74% |
 | Colombia | 68% | 78% |
 | Malaysia | 68% | 74% |
 | Nigeria | 66% | 77% |
 | Brazil | 64% | 76% |
 | S. Africa | 62% | 75% |
 | Singapore | 62% | 69% |
 | The Netherlands | 61% | 57% |
 | Italy | 57% | 61% |
 | US | 55% | 63% |
 | Australia | 54% | 61% |
 | Sweden | 54% | 49% |
 | Argentina | 52% | 73% |
 | Ireland | 52% | 65% |
 | Canada | 52% | 60% |
 | UK | 50% | 60% |
 | Germany | 50% | 48% |
 | Spain | 49% | 75% |
 | Japan | 47% | 45% |
 | S. Korea | 38% | 64% |
Which are the ten most trusted brands?
As of 2020, the world’s most trusted brand was Pampers, with a trust score of 136 (100 is the average). Following are two Chinese brands – the lifestyle platform Meituan and the Telecom China Mobile. Local origins help build brand trust, and Chinese customers appear to place strong trust in domestic brands. Visa and Netflix are in the fourth and fifth place, respectively [11].
A closer look at the US market shows that in 2022, Band-aid was the most trusted brand, with a net trust score of 57.73. Following are the home care brands Lysol (55.54) and Clorox (55.26). UPS (53.93) and CVS Pharmacy (53.21) occupy the fourth and fifth place in the ranking, respectively [12].
Following the pandemic, Americans placed their trust in brands that improve their safety and well-being. Several other brands in the top ten helped consumers to navigate through the pandemic life, such as UPS to avoid in-person shopping or The Home Depot for renovations during lockdowns.
What advertising channels are most trusted?
When it comes to building trust, there is a huge gap between offline and online platforms. Marketers have high hopes that online platforms provide a trusted and safe environment for their ads.
However, 2020 data demonstrates that online video ads are at the bottom of consumers’ trust list. The online channel average for trust is just 11%. Streaming TV ads are most trusted, with influencer branded content and news websites ads making up the rest of top three.
Meanwhile, the average consumer trust rate of offline channels is 20%. TV ads are expensive yet they are most trusted, followed by newspaper, magazine, radio, and cinema ads. Brands that cut expenses on above-the-line channels might be missing trust-building opportunities [13].
How can brands gain trust?
Brand trust starts with a great product. In 2022 product quality was the most frequently cited factor for increasing brand trust, as reported by 51% of consumers globally.
But brand trust makes up more than just a quality deal. With the rise of data leaks, over a third (34%) of shoppers identified security of consumer data as a key factor that impacts their trust. Good customer experience comes third with 28% of consumers citing the factor as key to building trust.
Beyond the product offering, consumers increasingly care about the fairness and responsibility of brands when deciding whether to trust a brand or not. Employee treatment (25%), process transparency (24%), company reaction to customer feedback (21%), and support of societal issues (21%) made up the rest of the list [14].
Brand consistency statistics 🎯
Importance of brand consistency
For most brands, trust is earned through consistency. Consistency in messaging is the key determining feature of best-in-class brands. During a 2022 survey 86% of consumers favored brands with consistent user experience, up from 78% the previous year. Consistency is even more important than loyalty rewards (86%) or responsible use of data (82%) [15].
Relationship marketing thrives on consistency. Brands that provide a consistent user experience whatever the channel are likely to become favorite brands, gaining customers’ trust and loyalty.
What is the impact of consistency on revenues?
Most brands realize the importance of consistency, and it is not just a matter of image. In 2021, 68% of professionals reported its noticeable (10% or more) contribution to revenue growth [16].
Do brands use brand guidelines to boost consistency?
Guidelines are effective in producing consistent content, yet they are increasingly loosely adopted by brands. Just 30% of professionals believe that brand guidelines are well-known and widely used across the organization. Another 19% use guidelines some of the time. The number of brands that don’t have any guidelines increased from 8% in 2019 to 15% in 2021 [17].
In a world of missed consistency opportunities, brands that adopt clear guidelines across internal infrastructures will win over competition. Consistency directly translates into brand equity, which in turn greatly contributes to revenues.
Brand loyalty statistics 🚀
Are consumers loyal to brands?
Brand loyalty is on the rise, despite the inflation. In 2022, 59% of consumers stated they would pay more to make a purchase from a favorite brand, a 4% increase since the previous year. Just 28% are not loyal to any brand. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing for companies, since almost 70% buy frequently from the same company, although they do not consider themselves loyal to that brand [15].
Loyalty growth drivers
Just over 80% of customers believe that what drives their loyalty to a brand is the plentiful product range, closely followed by product availability (80%) and data privacy policies (79%). Brands try to develop loyalty programmes or build relationships with customers, but these are not the key drivers to loyalty [15].
Statistics show that product strategies are foundational for building loyalty. New product development and a good distribution strategy should be a top priority in order to stay competitive. Closely following are emerging opportunities such as data privacy, customer service and product excellence, and digital marketing.
How do consumers express brand loyalty?
As of 2022 just over half of US customers show their loyalty by recommending the brand (52%) and by buying from it along with others (51%). The third most popular way to express loyalty is participation in loyalty schemes (48%). Only a small fraction, about one in ten, engage with their favored brand on social media. Likewise, just 13% of consumers dismiss the price when using that brand.
There are cross-generational differences when it comes to showing brand loyalty. The youngest Gen Z generation is significantly more likely to recommend a favored brand to friends and family (62%). Gen Zers are also more inclined to online activities such as subscribing to brand promotion (23%) or engaging on social media (24%) than the sample average [18].
Why consumers switch away from a favored brand
Poor quality was the leading factor for losing a loyal customer in 2022, as reported by 35% of consumers. Other factors include unattractive offers (33%), lack of product availability (27%), and dissatisfaction with customer service (25%) [15].
A year ago, the lack of brand purpose was the number one reason to become less loyal to a brand, while consumers downplayed the role of poor product or service quality. What comes to mind is that brand purpose has become a commodity. In a cluttered world, only a genuine and relevant purpose would stand out.
Brand purpose statistics 💡
Consumers are increasingly tuned in to the hurdles of the world around them, and are now expecting the same from brands. As of 2021, the vast majority (89%) expected brands to do a lot more to reduce their carbon dioxide emissions.
Nearly just as much (88%) believed that sustainability should be the new normal of business practice and that brands are responsible to take care of nature and the society. In fact, people and the planet should come first, before profit, according to 82% of consumers.
With business being the most trusted institution, it is their responsibility to offer sustainable alternatives to established models. That said, solutions are not limited to breakthroughs and new product development. Tesla didn’t invent the electric car, but the company pioneered a business model to bring sustainability to the automotive market.
The rise of purpose-driven shoppers
In 2022 the share of purpose-driven consumers grew to 44%, which is a 4% increase from 2020. Purpose is thus the most important value that drives consumer behavior around the world. Purpose-driven shoppers are ready to change their behavior to reduce the negative environmental impact of consumption.
In contrast, the share of value-driven shoppers dropped to 41%, or 4% less than 2020. This segment prioritizes value and convenience, without necessarily caring about the environment [19].
Statistics show that there is room for converting price-conscious customers to purpose-driven ones. It’s not that value-driven buyers won’t pay a premium for sustainable products and services. They are not provided with the right appeals they care about, so they stick to more affordable brands.
The role of brand purpose in making purchase decisions
There is a significant gap between what purpose-driven consumers say and what they do. As of Q1, 47% of consumers consider the brand’s position on social causes and commitment to sustainability when making purchasing decisions.
However, a number of factors matter more, including price (74%), a user-friendly online purchase process (66%), and quick delivery (60%). Against this backdrop, having purpose is not enough. To influence purchasing behavior, it should be the right purpose that matters the most for the target audience [20].
The relative importance does differ by country. In 2022 France had the highest share of consumers (61%) who often check for sustainability practices when buying from lifestyle brands. China had the lowest share, with 41% of shoppers checking for sustainability practices at least somewhat often [21].
Barriers to buying from purpose-driven brands
Many consumer claims are aspirational and do not match purchasing behavior. Price is the biggest barrier to buying more from sustainable brands. In 2021, 35% of consumers claimed that they would buy more from sustainable brands if prices were comparable to ordinary brands.
Closely following is quality, with 32% feeling that purpose-driven brands should offer better quality to ordinary brands. Product availability (21%), improved understanding of wellness benefits (21%), and of the impact of responsible consumption (21%) would also encourage consumers to shop more sustainably [19].
Some pain points can be fixed with campaigns to inform buyers about the good things they can do to themselves and the environment through sustainable consumption. However, the top three barriers – price, quality, and selection – require deeper changes in the marketing mix.
What brands do to be more sustainable
As consumers are growingly conscious, brands adjust their strategies accordingly. The most popular incentive in 2022 was easy recycling solutions, with 46% of brands planning to invest in it.
Following is improving manufacturing efficiency (39%), which might be more troublesome, yet brings long-term impact. To maintain integrity and brand reputation, more than a third of brands (36%) were planning to break up with partners who do not meet shared sustainability goals [22].
There are various popular ways for brands to run more as a more sustainable business. Knowing the sustainability plans of others can inspire ideas for implementing green practices, while keeping an eye on competition.
How do consumers see brands’ sustainability efforts?
Despite the good intentions, very few brands are seen as fair, clear, and committed in their sustainability efforts. As of 2021, consumers associate just 16% of the brands they buy with clear values and principles.
Even fewer brands are seen as caring about social and environmental responsibility (13%) or having values that consumers resonate with (13%). No matter what brands say, just 11% promote positive change in society, according to shoppers [23].
In 2024, Americans are noticing brands that take a stand even less than before. In the cluttered green messaging environment, over half of American shoppers can’t even name a brand that promotes causes related to diversity (57%), environment (57%), and community (54%) [24].
A closer look at data shows that Millennial women find it harder to recall brands promoting environmental causes than Millennial men (60% vs. 43%, respectively). Contrary to expectations, it is the Gen Z generation that is most likely not to remember a green brand (61% vs. 57% overall). In fact, nearly half (48%) can’t name a brand that is making any difference, significantly higher than the average of 39% [23].
Brands might be stereotyping Gen Zers, trying too hard to impress them with eco-conscious messaging. Statistics show that supporting a cause is not enough; it should really resonate with the target audience to stand out from the crowd.
Which are the most visible purpose-driven brands?
When prompted, Americans noticed the efforts of Target the most (69%). Walmart (68%), Tide (65%), Seventh Generation (63%), Starbucks (63%), Pepsi (63%), and Ben and Jerry’s (60%) make up the list of brands that achieved scores beyond 60%. In this diverse list, some have ethics and sustainability at the heart of their brand DNA, and others are purpose brands only sporadically. In the end, consumers notice their efforts relatively equally [23].
Brand safety statistics 🛡️
Brand safety is about placing the ad in a suitable and relevant context online to avoid damage on the brand reputation. This involves concerns such as inappropriate ad adjacency, fraud, and fake ads.
A 2021 survey among US advertisers identified fears of a harmful content environment as the number one reason for reduced budgets. 54% of those who cut ad spend on platforms like Google, YouTube, and Facebook did so out of concerns about funding hate or disinformation environments. This shows that most marketers should consider ad adjacency when allocating marketing dollars.
A related concern is the one over negative media reputation that can be transferred to the brand (48%). Another 44% feel that brand safety controls are inadequate to protect their brands from harmful adjacent content [25].
Impact of ad adjacency on purchase intentions
About 40% of US consumers surveyed in 2021 believed that the environment where ads appear has at least some impact on their buying decisions. Another 38% stated that they are unlikely to base their purchases on ad adjacency, and the rest (23%) either don’t know or have no opinion [26].
The link between brand safety and purchase decisions leaves advertisers with no choice. The complex and evolving nature of brand safety in digital environments merits ongoing examination and monitoring.
Brand safety awareness
Nevertheless, consumers are growingly aware of brand safety issues. Over 83% of Americans knew more about brand safety, compared to the previous year [27].
Who is responsible for ad adjacency?
It is primarily a responsibility of brands to make sure that ads do not appear next to inappropriate, offensive, or dangerous content, according to 60% of US consumers in 2022. But the online platforms that carry the ads (59%) and the ad agency who places the ads (58%) are nearly just as responsible [27].
Sources:
[1] https://brandirectory.com/rankings/global/overview
[2] https://brandirectory.com/rankings/global/table
[3] https://static.brandirectory.com/reports/brand-finance-global-500-2023-preview.pdf
[4] https://wpvip.com/resource/content-matters-2023-report-budgets-and-teams/#download
[5] https://today.yougov.com/ratings/consumer/fame/brands/all
[6] https://www.canva.com/design/DAFlyuy5-Zs/RQaK3mJw-g2F4rtadDZ1_A/view#1
[7] https://business.yougov.com/product/brandindex/global-best-brand-rankings-2022
[8] https://www.kantar.com/campaigns/brand-footprint/explore-the-data
[9] https://today.yougov.com/ratings/consumer/popularity/brands/all
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[12] https://go.morningconsult.com/rs/850-TAA-511/images/Most_Trusted_Brands_2022_Special_Report.pdf
[13] https://www.kantar.com/north-america/inspiration/advertising-media/trust-in-media-the-new-publishing-battleground
[14] https://blog.gwi.com/trends/consumer-confidence/
[15] https://go.meetmarigold.com/consumer-trends-index
[16] https://info.marq.com/resources/report/brand-consistency
[17] https://info.marq.com/brand-consistency-thank-you?submissionGuid=85528294-29eb-47ad-b440-279bab725b18
[18] https://www.pwc.com/us/en/services/consulting/business-transformation/library/customer-loyalty-survey.html
[19] https://cdn.nrf.com/sites/default/files/2022-01/Consumers%20want%20it%20all.pdf
[20] https://blog.gwi.com/marketing/brand-purpose/
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[22] https://www.shopify.com/plus/commerce-trends
[23] https://insights.gfk.com/bridging-the-purpose-gap
[24] https://www.gfk.com/press/brand-purpose-marketing-resonate-trend
[25] https://www.advertiserperceptions.com/report-advertisers-prepare-to-hold-media-accountable-for-misinformation/
[26] https://614group.com/hubfs/614%20Research%20(Fathom)/Brand%20Safety%202021%20Topline%20Perceptions_The%20614%20Group_Final.pdf
[27] https://2848641.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/2848641/TAG_2022USBrandSafetyConsumerSurvey_Final.pdf
