“Top 100 Brands!” Quiz

James T. Berger headshot

James T. Berger
Senior Marketing Writer

Published January 1, 2008

It’s time to play The Wiglaf Journal’s annual “Top 100 Brands” quiz. All information is generated by the annual Interbrand/Business Week report that this year appeared in the August 6, 2007 BUSINESS WEEK and the report is available on-line at www.interbrand.com/best_brands_2007.asp.

1. Which brand among the Top 10 had the greatest rise from 2006 to 2007?

a. Disney
b. Nokia
c. Coca-Cola
d. IBM

2. Which brand among the Top 10 had the greatest fall from 2006 to 2007?

a. McDonald’s
b. Toyota
c. GE
d. Intel

3. What is the top automobile brand in the world?

a. Mercedes
b. Toyota
c. BMW
d. Honda

4. What is the world’s No. 1 brand?

a. Microsoft
b. GE
d. Coca-Cola
d. IBM

5. Of the Top 100 global brands, which had the most meteoric rise?

a. Porsche
b. UBS
c. Google
d. Nintendo

6. Of the Top 100 global brands, which had the most cataclysmic fall?

a. Ford
b. Duracell
c. Kraftl
d. Kodak

7. What is the world’s leading food service brand?

a. McDonald’s
b. Nescafe
c. Budweiser
d. Kellogg’s

8. What is the world’s leading financial services brand?

a. American Express
b. Citi
c.JP Morgan
d. Merrill Lynch

9. What is the world’s leading apparel brand?

a. Chanel
b. Louis Vuitton
c. Gucci
d. Zara

10. Of the following brands that cracked the Top 100 list for the first time, which had the highest ranking?

a. Polo RL
b. Allianz
c. AXA
d. AIG

11. What brand disappeared from the Top 100 list?

a. Levi’s
b. Smirnoff
c. Nivea
d. Burberry

12. What brand whose parent company is not headquartered in the U.S. has the highest ranking?

a. Nokia
b. Toyota
c. Mercedes Benz
d. BMW

How brand smart are you?
If you got 10 or more right, you can consider yourself a brand expert.
If you get 7-9 correct, you can consider yourself as having possessed superior brand insight.
If less than 7, consider the quiz to be a learning tool and read the Wiglaf Journal more.

ANSWERS:

Question 1 – While there is traditionally little movement among the Top 10 brands, in 2007, Nokia moved up one notch from 6th to 5th place. The others -Disney, moved a click lower from 8th to 9th; Coca-Cola stayed the same at No. 1, and IBM held onto 3rd place.

Question 2 – Intel fell from 5th to 7th; McDonald’s moved up a notch from 9th to 8th; Toyota moved up a notch from 7th to 6th, and GE stayed the same at 4th.

Question 3 – Toyota at 6th is the leading auto brand; Mercedes is 10th; BMW is 13th, and Honda is 19th.

Question 4 – Coca-Cola continues to be the world’s dominant brand and Interbrand reports that Coke’s brand value is worth $67 billion; Microsoft is 2nd with brand value of $56.9 billion; IBM is 3rd with brand value of $56.2 billion, and GE is 4th with a brand value of $48.9 billion.

Question 5 – Among the Top100 there was some major movements up and down, but as for the most meteoritic rise among the four candidate, the biggest winner is Nintendo, which jumped in the rankings from 51st to 44th; Porsche moved from 80th to 75th; UBS moved from 42nd to 39th, and Google moved from 24th to 20th.

Question 6 – Major erosion occurred among a number of brands. Leading the slide among the four candidates listed was Kodak, which fell 12 places from 30th to 41st; Ford dropped 11 slots 30th to 41st; Duracell dropped from 84th to 89th , and Kraft fell from 79th to 86th .

Question 7 – This is an easy one. McDonald’s heads the group at 8th; followed by Nescafe at 24th; Budweiser at 30th, and Kellogg’s at 40th.

Question 8 – Citi is the leader here at 11th , followed by American Express, 15th; Merrill Lynch at 22nd and JP Morgan at 32nd.

Question 9 – The top apparel brand among the four candidates is Luis Vuitton at 17th, followed by Gucci at 46th, Chanel at 58th and Zara at 64th.

Question 10 – All four brands listed were newcomers on the Top 100 list. AIG, the insurer that sponsors the Manchester United soccer club, surfaced at 47th; AXA, the French insurer came in at 49th; Allianz entered the list at 80th and Polo RL came in at 99th.

Question 11 – One of the great brands that has departed from the Top 100 is Levi’s, which held on to the 100th spot in 2006. The other three candidates are still among the Top 100: Burberry is 95th; Smirnoff is 91st, and Nivea is 96th.

Question 12 – Finland-based Nokia, at 5th , tops the list of brands who parent companies have headquarters outside the U.S.; Japan-based Toyota ranks 6th, Germany-based Mercedes Benz is 10th and Germany-based BMW is 13th,

About The Author

James T. Berger headshot
James T. Berger, Senior Marketing Writer of The Wiglaf Journal, through his Northbrook-based firm, James T. Berger/Market Strategies, offers a broad range of marketing communications, research and strategic planning consulting services. In addition, he provides expert services to intellectual property attorneys in the area of trademark infringement litigation. An adjunct professor of marketing at Roosevelt University, he previously has taught at Northwestern University, DePaul University, University of Illinois at Chicago and The Lake Forest Graduate School of Management. He holds degrees from the University of Michigan (BA), Northwestern University (MS) and the University of Chicago (MBA). Berger is an often-published free lance business writer who has developed more than 100 published articles in the last eight years. For more information, visit www.jamesberger.net or telephone him at (847) 328-9633.