Best Global Brands 2009

Interbrand has just published its annual listing of Top 100 Global Brands. The top 10 brands - with my comments:

1. Coca-Cola (A "classic")
2. IBM
3. Microsoft (Did not win any points with me with the 2007 Office suite. I know lots of customers did not like this)
4. GE
5. Nokia (Always pays attention to its customers)
6. McDonald's (Say what you want about this "hometown" favorite, but you know what you are going to get from them. And they have taken steps to make their menu healthier)
7. Google (Ubiquitous. You don't search, you "google.")
8. Toyota (Another reliable brand. You know what you are going to get, and you trust them)
9. Intel
10. Disney (Have not been a Disney customer for a while, but people who are say they still receive a superior experience)

Click here to go to Interbrand. Make sure you navigate to Business Week.

http://interbrand.com/ If the link does not work, e-mail me at les@lsternmktg.com

And what are your favorite brands on this list or not on this list? Any brands here that should not be? We invite you to post a comment.

Great Marketing - Apple

I saw one of Apple's new Mac ads last night (see link below) Great ad...simple...clever...gets the message across. Got me to thinking what a great brand Apple is. They managed to create a brand (IPod) out of a category (MP3 player) that was very confusing - certainly to people of my generation. They positioned the product to make it easy to understand how to use it, and made it easy to get music via ITunes (the "razor blades"). Then they created great brand extensions like docking stations, clock radios, etc. And of course, the experience extends to whenever you walk into one of their stores or call their Customer Support. I actually received a personal thank you e-mail from a support rep a few weeks ago after I called her. When was the last time that ever happened to you?

Anyway, you can click on the link below to view the ad. And share your comments on Apple's great marketing, or any other great, bad or ugly marketing experiences you have had.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KIABtnUruGs