Davos 2020: Tata group leads the Indian league of brands in Global 500
11 Indian brands make it to the 2020 Brand Finance list, up from 9 last year; all except Airtel rise up the ranks
 "Indian brands, companies, marketing, strategy")
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The Brand Finance Global 500 released at the World Economic Forum in Davos on Wednesday appears to follow a rather predictable path when it comes to brands and rankings. Not surprisingly, the Tata group leads the band of Indian brands on the chart, followed by public sector insurer LIC (Rank 2) and Reliance (Rank 3). While the number of Indian brands in the global 500 is up to 11 from 9 last year, the list largely mirrors its past.
Globally too the numbers tell a familiar story, Amazon held on to the top spot the third consecutive year in a row and finally beat the $200 billion mark. Google, Apple, Microsoft all made it to the top 10 brands this year, as they had done last year.
However, beyond the ranking tables and the billion dollar valuations, a tangle of fault lines reveals itself, as do a few surprises. The combined value of the Brand Finance Global 500 has increased by less than 2 per cent year on year, and while 244 brands have increased their brand value, another 212 are down, including 95 by 10 per cent or more. Telecom brands have seen their valuations drop dramatically, a far cry from the years when the sector was driving up the charts, a trend visible in India too with Airtel dropping more than 40 places on the list. Uber that had once taken the list by storm saw brand values slashed, while eBay almost dropped off the map.
In a surprise comeback, Walmart is back in the top 10. Similarly, traditional hoteliers are back in business. Hilton Hotels & Resorts is one of the fastest-growing brands overall and Marriott has also seen substantial growth over the past year. Their pace of brand value growth is comparable to Airbnb’s, while another digital player, Booking.com has lost ground.
Globally too the numbers tell a familiar story, Amazon held on to the top spot the third consecutive year in a row and finally beat the $200 billion mark. Google, Apple, Microsoft all made it to the top 10 brands this year, as they had done last year.
However, beyond the ranking tables and the billion dollar valuations, a tangle of fault lines reveals itself, as do a few surprises. The combined value of the Brand Finance Global 500 has increased by less than 2 per cent year on year, and while 244 brands have increased their brand value, another 212 are down, including 95 by 10 per cent or more. Telecom brands have seen their valuations drop dramatically, a far cry from the years when the sector was driving up the charts, a trend visible in India too with Airtel dropping more than 40 places on the list. Uber that had once taken the list by storm saw brand values slashed, while eBay almost dropped off the map.
In a surprise comeback, Walmart is back in the top 10. Similarly, traditional hoteliers are back in business. Hilton Hotels & Resorts is one of the fastest-growing brands overall and Marriott has also seen substantial growth over the past year. Their pace of brand value growth is comparable to Airbnb’s, while another digital player, Booking.com has lost ground.