Amazon has been crowned the world’s most valuable brand for the third year in a row, according to the Kantar BrandZ 2021 Top 100 ranking.

The success of the ecommerce giant comes amid a record year of growth for brands on the ranking. Overall, the top 100 brands grew four and a half times higher than in a typical year and collectively are now worth $7trn, more than the GDPs of France and Germany combined.

This growth has been prompted in part by increased optimism about a possible end to the pandemic, as well as steps taken by the US government to boost the nation’s economic prospects post-lockdown.

When it comes to the ranking, Amazon has a brand value of $683.9bn, up 64% compared to 2020. Apple follows in second place ($611bn, up 74%), with Google claiming third place ($458bn, up 42%) from now fourth placed Microsoft ($410.3bn, up 26%).

Chinese tech giant Tencent is in fifth place ($240.9bn, up 60%), followed by Facebook ($226.7bn, up 54%), Alibaba ($197bn, up 29%), Visa ($191.3bn, up 2%), McDonald’s ($154.9bn, up 20%) and Mastercard ($112.9bn, up 4%).

Global head of research at BrandZ Martin Guerrieria describes both Amazon and Apple’s growth figures as “genuinely astounding”.

“It’s the first time that we’ve had two brands that are worth more than half a trillion dollars, which is actually pretty scary when you think about the amount that they’re actually worth,” Guerrieria adds.

Looking at the wider top 10, only two brands – Visa and Mastercard – were in single-digit growth.

The 2021 BrandZ Top 10 most valuable brands.
It is testament to the strength of these brands that they were able to bounce back after lockdown measures were lifted quicker than, for instance, Wall Street. The report highlights how brands were able to regain their positions of strength within 15 weeks of the first lockdown in March 2020, twice as fast as mainstream stock market indices.

“We had to check those numbers five times, because we just couldn’t believe it at first,” Guerrieria explains. “It’s quite amazing, the resilience of these brands.”

Flying high
For the first time this year, Chinese brands outnumber their European counterparts, with US and Chinese companies now accounting for 88% of the top 100. Furthermore, the domination of tech and its influence on retail, leisure and media continues unabated.

“I think we’ve now reached the point where technology is playing a role in practically all of the brand value growth that we’re seeing, whether you’re a grocery retailer or car manufacturer,” says Guerrieria.

That’s reflected in the two brands that enjoyed the greatest value increase on the ranking. Tesla boasted a remarkable 200% uptick, while TikTok continued its meteoric rise with a 150% increase. The electric car brand’s figures were the best since Blackberry, back in 2009.

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