47
volkswagen
+14%
7,857$m
Volkswagen excelled this year in its use of social media across markets, as seen in Brazil where a Twitter Treasure Hunt campaign, launched as part of its sponsorship of the Planta Terra Festival, became a trending topic in São Paulo in less than two hours. Volkswagen will need to create similar cultural touchstones it is to reach its stated goals of tripling U.S. sales and becoming the world’s leading automaker by 2018. In pursuit of its sales objectives in the year ahead, the carmaker will continue to target China and India as two key growth areas.
Volkswagen's extensive “Think Blue” marketing campaign spotlights the brand’s long running commitment to eco-friendly mobility (with a playful nod to its iconic “Think Small” slogan from the 1960s), positioning it smartly as a part of the larger societal movement towards sustainable lifestyles. Lifestyle was also on display in what may have been this year’s biggest branded viral splash. Volkswagen’s “The Force” spot premiered during the 2010 NFL Super Bowl and has garnered nearly 42 million YouTube views, so far. Overall,
48
nintendo
-14%
7,731$m
likely to forget soon the Wii console, which widened its market by appealing to non-traditional gamers and consumers of all ages. One of its most valuable assets is the Nintendo brand itself, which consumers see as fun and a reliable provider of smiles. Its clean, modern identity is consistent across markets, and few brands cause as much chatter in social media circles.
Few brands anywhere can claim a cultural impact as significant as Nintendo’s, and it continues to bring fun and sociability into gaming. 2010 proved to be a challenging year with profits dropping and its brand value falling 10 places in our ranking. The 3DS, a 3D game system that doesn’t require awkward glasses, has real promise, despite slower than anticipated sales. While the company’s markdown of the platform and the president and board of directors voluntary pay-cuts suggest the brand has yet to regain steam, it is clear there’s internal faith in the product, which leads us to wonder “What’s next?” as we anticipate future innovations. Additionally, consumers are not
cons u m er
p ac k aged
goods on
ns
tte
ille
G
‘s
gg
llo Ke
l
éa Or
L‘
te
z
in He
a olg
C
on
n Da
e
tlé
s Ne
on Av
ne
lee
K
x
n&
so
n oh
J
h Jo
a ve Ni
BRAND VALUE ($)
25 K
12.5 K
#16
#34
#40
#49
#51
#52
2011 RANKING 30 Best Global Brands 2011 by Interbrand
#55
#65
#71
#83
#87