The effects of the intensifying cost-of-living crisis are already showing in the latest UK brand ranking results, with even some strong and successful brands facing pressure on profits. The bounce back that UK brands experienced following the impact of Covid-19 is now stuttering, with the total value of the UK’s Top 75 most valuable brands reaching $$283bn in 2022, a modest increase of 1% versus last year.
Vodafone is the UK’s most valuable brand, with a brand value of $32.6bn (+6%) and has achieved the top spot since 2017. As one of the world’s biggest telecom providers, it is the only UK brand to appear in Kantar BrandZ’s annual global brand ranking.
The Top 10 UK brands come from a range of six categories: Telecom Providers, Banks, Energy, Food and Beverages, Retail, and Alcohol. HSBC is at number two in the ranking ($17.7bn; +14%) and Shell is at number 3 ($15.4bn; +11%).
Three brands have accelerated their growth over the past 12 months, including: Revolut (No.15; $4.7bn; +479%), Wise (No.44; $1.7bn; +48%) and Costa Coffee (No.50; $1.4bn; +33%).
The brands that make their Top 75 debut in 2022 provide powerful lessons in how to thrive in challenging times. Newcomers to the ranking this year include: financial investments brands, St James’s Place (No.18; $4.1bn) and Hargreaves Landsdown (No.31; $2.5bn), premium drinks brand, Fever-Tree (No.58; $1.1bn) and pet retail store, Pets At Home (No.70; $876mn).
To weather the challenges ahead, brands need to identify how they can stand out from competitors and be perceived as different in consumers’ minds. Read more in the full report on how difference does not just underpin demand, it is a brand’s secret weapon in strengthening pricing margins.
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The 2022 ranking shows how the power of marketing can keep brands on top during unpredictable times. With six different categories taking over the Top 10, Telecom Providers and Banks have come out the strongest, alongside Food and Beverages, Alcohol and Retail. Take a look at a summary of the UK’s brand leaders in the infographic.
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Despite the UK’s Top 75 brands seeing just 1% overall growth, it is important to note that the UK ranking has missed decline during a climate of lingering Covid-19, rising inflation, and a devastating war in Europe. This truly shows how important the impact of brand-building and brand difference will be in supporting businesses to grow over the coming year.
The UK’s top 75 brands have staged a magnificent fightback, despite the immense challenges of the past year and a half. Kantar BrandZ’s Top 75 Most Valuable UK Brands 2021 have grown 22% in value since 2020, with an overall brand value totalling $278.8 billion. This is a higher combined value than the leading brands had even before anyone had heard of COVID-19.
The fastest risers and new entrants in this year’s ranking reflect lifestyle habits adopted during the pandemic. The four brands which grew the quickest in the past 12 months were all delivery specialists: Royal Mail (no.52, $1.4bn, +83%), Ocado (no.13, $5.7bn, +72%), ASOS (no.27, $2.8bn, +65%) and Deliveroo (no.25, $3.0bn, +58%). Following its merger in 2020, Just Eat Takeaway.com features at number 11 in this year’s ranking, with a brand value of $6.5 billion. Media and entertainment providers fared well too, with the Premier League gaining its inaugural inclusion in the top 75 – valued at $5.4 billion.
While the top UK brands have far outpaced the rate of economic growth predicted for the UK in 2021 (8%), they still face a monumental challenge. Even with this level of growth, the UK’s leading brands are falling behind the most valuable brands in the world.
Find out what UK brands need to do to compete on the global stage, and how the most valuable, dynamic and boldest UK brands are achieving Meaningful Difference despite all the challenges they face.
Download the Kantar BrandZ Most Valuable UK Brands 2021 report
Download the Kantar BrandZ Most Valuable UK Brands 2021 infographic
Against the backdrop of a global pandemic and with the cloud of Brexit still casting a shadow over consumer and business confidence, investment in brand equity remains a most powerful form of defence.
UK brands that have been bold enough to invest in innovation and brand building have been reaping the rewards, with five of the BrandZ UK Top 75 brands posting double-digit growth.
Online retail and take-away brands Ocado (no.18, $3.3bn), Just Eat (no.20, $2.8bn) and Deliveroo (no.29, $1.9bn) are the UK’s fastest growing brands. Dyson (no.15; $3.5bn) has increased its brand value +51% since 2017, fuelled by differentiation, innovation and product excellence.
There are big, urgent lessons to be learned from trailblazing brands, and now is a unique opportunity for brands with the confidence to invest and transform.
Discover the new BrandZ Top 75 Most Valuable UK Brands ranking, with insights and inspiration to develop a new brand growth blueprint for the future.
Download the BrandZ Most Valuable UK Brands 2020 report
Download the BrandZ Most Valuable UK Brands 2020 infographic
Vodafone holds firm as the UK’s most valuable brand as total brand value declines by 3% during a challenging and uncertain time for the country.
UK brands remain well known and loved among consumers with fastest risers Deliveroo, Costa Coffee and BrewDog standing out as examples of what a strong brand can achieve.
Download the BrandZ Most Valuable UK Brands 2019 report
Download the BrandZ Most Valuable UK Brands 2019 infographic
Just Eat, bet365, Compare the Market and Ocado are among the new entries in the 2018 ranking of the BrandZ™ Top 75 Most Valuable UK Brands. Vodafone remains at no.1 with an increase in value of 6% to reach $28.9 billion, followed by HSBC (+7%, $23.6 billion) and Shell (+10%, $20.3 billion).
The BrandZ Top 75 is worth $271 billion (around £205 billion) – equivalent to just over 10% of the UK’s GDP. The 50 most valuable brands on the list have gained 5% in total value in the last year, compared with the 2017 BrandZ UK Top 50.
Last year’s UK ranking identified ‘an innovation gap’, putting UK brands at risk from leading international brands and smaller, newer rivals. While UK brands are frequently household names worldwide, too often consumers see them as big and reliable, but not especially dynamic. This year’s UK report includes special analysis to explore why that is, how UK brands can be more innovative – and be seen by consumers as more innovative.
Download the BrandZ Most Valuable UK Brands 2018 report
Download the BrandZ Most Valuable UK Brands 2018 infographic
WPP and Kantar have announced the first BrandZ™ Top 50 Most Valuable UK Brands. This is the first edition of an annual report that will track and anticipate the evolving landscape for UK brands, and chart their changing fortunes.
The total brand value of the UK Top 50 brands is $230.4bn. The ranking includes some of the most famous brands in the world, and reflects the UK’s role as a centre for financial services, energy exploration and communications. Leading brands will need to keep step with consumers’ changing attitudes and priorities as the UK prepares to leave the EU. The brands that are meaningful, that make a positive difference to people’s lives, and that are seen as different to other brands in their category, are those that are healthier and tend to be worth more.
The study also highlights an “innovation gap”. Consumers do not perceive the top UK brands as innovative, simultaneously putting them at risk from disruptive start-ups as well as indicating opportunities for growth.
Download the report to find out more about the UK market, how the most successful brands are performing, and new strategies for building healthy brands that will stand the test of time.
Download the BrandZ Most Valuable UK Brands 2017 report
Download the BrandZ Most Valuable UK Brands 2017 infographic