BrandZ

BrandZ is a brand equity database and ranking program produced by Kantar, a market research and data analytics company. It publishes annual rankings of the world’s most valuable brands, including the Global Top 100, as well as regional and sector-specific lists such as Chinese brands. The program is widely cited in marketing and business discussions as a measure of brand value and strength.

Methodology in BrandZ combines consumer insights with financial analysis. It relies on large-scale surveys of millions of consumers across multiple markets to assess brand attributes such as familiarity, relevance, quality, differentiation, and trust. These consumer signals are linked to a brand’s financial performance to estimate the brand’s monetary contribution to the business, resulting in a BrandZ value expressed in USD and used to derive the rankings. The approach blends perception data with financial data to quantify the impact of branding on company results.

Scope and outputs include the Global Top 100 and various regional and category rankings, along with brand strength scores and accompanying insights to guide brand-building strategies. The brand value and rankings are published through reports and online dashboards accessible to clients and, in summarized form, to the public.

History and ownership: BrandZ traces back to Millward Brown and became part of Kantar. It is maintained as part of Kantar’s brand equity research offerings, with involvement from WPP and other industry partners. The rankings are influential in marketing discussions but rely on proprietary methodologies that may yield varying valuations across different frameworks.