Samsung overtakes Coca-Cola in brand value; highest among Asian firms

Samsung Electronics Co.’s global brand has risen to the highest ranking among Asian companies, as the South Korean tech giant overtook Coca-Cola to join the world's top five.

Samsung moved up one notch to rank the fifth most-valuable global brand this year with its brand value estimated at $62.3 billion, up 2% from 2019, according to global brand consulting firm Interbrand’s latest list of its top 100 best global brands.

The Coca-Cola Co., the multinational beverage giant, slipped one notch to the sixth place this year.

This year marks Samsung’s first ascension to the global top five since the global branding company began releasing such ranking data in 2000 when the Korean tech giant ranked No. 43. Samsung's brand value increased twelvefold in the past two decades.

Interbrand evaluates the brand value of businesses based on its comprehensive analysis of multiple factors, including financial performance, brand influence and competitiveness.

“Quick response to the COVID-19 pandemic along with global activities for corporate social responsibility, programs for sustainable development and continuous launching of innovative products led to the growth of our brand value,” Samsung said in a statement.

US tech giants swept the top four spots in Interbrand’s best brand rankings for 2020. Apple Inc. topped the list at $323 billion, followed by Amazon, Microsoft and Google.

Meanwhile, Hyundai Motor Co. also rose by one notch to fifth place on the list of  global auto brands this year. Overall, the global automaker ranked 36th with its brand value rising 1% to $14.3 billion.

Write to Su-Bin Lee and Il-Gue Kim at isb@hankyung.com
In-Soo Nam edited this article.