BT enters UK BrandZ top 100 for the first time

BT has launched into Millward Brown’s BrandZ Top 100 ‘most valuable global brands’ for the first time – ranking at number seven in the UK and worth £6.27 billion, ahead of Barclays and O2.

The news follows the announcement that BT will be offering BT Sport free to all consumer broadband customers, which is said to have put the pressure on rival companies such as BSkyB.

Vodafone remains the most valuable British brand in the ranking with a value of £26.1 billion, though was down -8% on 2012, while second-place runner HSBC was up 24%, giving it a current worth of almost £16 billion.

However, Barclays saw the biggest brand value change across the year, up 34% to just over £5 billion.

The UK top ten British brands increased in value by 4% – less than the 7% global growth of the top 100, for which Apple, unsurprisingly, came out on top (£121.8 billion) followed by Google (£74.8 billion), up 1% and 5%, respectively.

Apple’s long-term rival Microsoft sat down the chart in seventh place – down -9% to £46 billion.

An analysis of the BrandZ Top 100 Most Valuable Global Brands report over the last eight years showed that high value brands provide faster growth and that companies with strong brands are able to deliver better value to shareholders.

“The temptation for brands has been to try and do too much too quickly with too little success,” said Kevin Sugrue, Director of Millward Brown. “But the brands that have succeeded have been more relevant, different and engaging than their competitors and they have succeeded in that launch after launch throughout the year.”

Since 2006, the highest growing British brand was HSBC (up 73% in brand value), while Vodafone saw a 65% increase and Marks & Spencer a 43% increase.