Samsung, Hyundai Rise in Global Brand Rankings

Samsung Electronics and Hyundai Motor have climbed higher on the annual list of the world’s top 100 valuable brands at a difficult time for many global corporations amid the global economic crisis.

Samsung, in particular, is the first Korean company to break into the top 20 list of most valuable brands.

According to the annual BusinessWeek-Interbrand Best Global Brands rankings, Samsung was ranked 19th, up two notches from last year. Hyundai rose three notches to 69th. Samsung’s brand value was an estimated 17.52 billion U.S. dollars, while that of Hyundai was 4.64 billion U.S. dollars.

Although Samsung’s brand value fell around one percent from last year, the electronics giant fared better considering that most IT brands saw an average drop of 3.2 percent.

Apple was ranked 20th and Oracle 24th, while Sony was 29th.

Samsung’s rise is attributed to the success of its LED television sets and tough-screen phones on the global market. Hyundai’s climb is thanks to its aggressive marketing at a time when its competitors have remained conservative in management.

Last year’s top-five leading brands maintained their rankings, with Coca-Cola’s brand value estimated at 68.73 billion dollars, IBM 60.21 billion dollars, Microsoft 56.65 billion dollars, General Electric 47.78 billion dollars, and Nokia 34.86 billion dollars.

smhong@donga.com