Kantar assesses a brand’s value by multiplying its calculated financial value with a metric it calls Brand Contribution, defined as “the ability of the brand to deliver value to the company by predisposing consumers to choose the brand over others or pay more for it, based purely on perceptions and their implications for future performance.”
By incorporating subtler attributes like perception, “we’re valuing something that’s intangible,” said BrandZ head Martin Guerrieria—but the result is a more nuanced reading of potency than an examination of fiscals alone.
For example, while a global brand ranking by revenue would see a top 25 dominated by banking, insurance, and oil and gas companies, BrandZ’s top quartile includes names like McDonald’s, Coca-Cola, Hermès, and TikTok—brands that generate plenty of revenue, but also enjoy strong emotional connections with consumers.
While Kantar’s most valuable brands list encompasses sectors ranging from tech to luxury to fast food, Greenspoon said that all the brands share the common achievement of having created a “meaningful difference” in the minds of consumers.
“Meaning is more emotion, more trust; difference is more about the functional benefit—does it work? Is it innovative? Is it technically better than the others?” he said. “Brands that are meaningfully different drive about five times higher penetration in the market.”
