Whassup?.....global 500 Report Names Budweiser As World’s Most Valuable Beer Brand

Feb. 17, 2010 - PRLog -- •   European beer brands suffer as Americans, Mexican and Australian beers climb the brand value ladder

•   Smirnoff the only spirit brand in Global 500

European beer brands Heineken, Amstel and Stella Artois have all dropped down the list of the world’s most valuable beer brands at the expense of Budweiser, Corona and Foster’s, according to the annual BrandFinance® Global 500 survey of the world’s 500 most valuable brands published this week by Brand Finance plc, the world’s leading brand valuation consultancy.

Iconic American beer brand Budweiser cemented its position as one of the world’s twenty most valuable brands with a 27% rise in brand value to US$21,279 million and a four-place climb to 15 in the Global 500. It is also the most valuable beer brand in the world and the second most valuable beverage brand overall, behind Coca Cola.

Heineken remains the world’s second most valuable beer brand, but has seen its brand value rise by only 11% this year and has fallen in the overall Top 500 from 43 to 62, but there has been an impressive performance by Corona, the third placed beer brand, which has risen 37 places to 184 on the back of a 53% rise in brand value.

Amstel and Stella Artois have fallen from 283 to 336 and 247 to 340 respectively. Stella fared particularly badly with a 3% fall in the value of its brand. Both have been overtaken by Foster’s, which is new into the Global 500 at number 284 and Carlsberg at number 372 with a brand value of US$2,525 million.

Smirnoff is the only spirit brand to make the Global 500 survey. It is ranked as the 16th most valuable beverage brand and 341st most valuable brand overall.

“Budweiser, with its global brand status and iconic advertising, continues to dominate the beer sector,” comments David Haigh, CEO of Brand Finance. Foster’s and Corona both have well defined brand


positions based on their geographical  origins have out performed Amstel and Stella. Smirnoff’s ability to extend its brand across age and gender by diversifying its drinks offering has enabled it to remain the world’s leading spirits brand.”

Elsewhere in the report, retail giant Walmart, whose brand value increased 2% this year, retains top spot in the annual survey. Google, whose brand value has risen 24% to US$36,191 million, is at number two and Coca-Cola, which enjoyed a 6% increase in its brand value, is at number three. Coke has extended its dominance over main rival Pepsi, which falls nine places to number 30, despite a similar 6% increase in brand value. Other brands in the Top Ten include Microsoft, IBM and hp. GE, HSBC, Vodafone and Toyota complete the top ten.

For further information contact:

Irene Kyme, Howard Robinson
020 7360 7878
ikyme@teamspiritpr.com or hrobinson@teamspiritpr.com



About Brand Finance Global 500
Brand Finance first issued its global report into the relative equity of the 250 top global brands back in 2007.  In 2008, the study was extended to analyse the top 500 brands worldwide.  
The Global 500 report is published annually and incorporates data from all listed companies globally. Each brand is accorded a brand rating: a benchmarking study of the strength, risk and future potential of a brand relative to its competitor set as well as a brand value: a summary measure of the financial strength of the brand.

About Brand Finance
Brand Finance plc, the world’s leading brand valuation consultancy, advises strongly branded organisations on maximising their brand value through effective management of their brands and intangible assets.  Founded in 1996, Brand Finance has performed thousands of branded business, brand and intangible asset valuations worth trillions of dollars.

Its clients include international brand owners, tax authorities, Intellectual Property lawyers and investment banks. Its work is frequently peer-reviewed by the big four audit practices and its reports have been accepted by various regulatory bodies, including the UK Takeover Panel.

Brand Finance is headquartered in London and has a network of international offices in Amsterdam, Athens, Bangalore, Barcelona, Cape Town, Colombo, Dubai, Geneva, Helsinki, Hong Kong, Istanbul, Lisbon, Madrid, Moscow, New York, Paris, Sao Paulo, Sydney, Singapore, Toronto and Zagreb.