Misc
The Most Searched Consumer Brands in 2022
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The Most Searched Consumer Brands in 2022
View the high resolution of this infographic by clicking here.
In today’s fast-paced world, a strong brand is a powerful asset that helps a business stand out in a sea of competition.
What are some of the most popular brands around the world? One way to gauge this is by looking at Google searches to see what consumers are searching for online (and therefore, what brands they’re paying the most attention to).
This graphic by BusinessFinancing.co.uk uses data from Google Keyword Planner to show the world’s most searched consumer brands in the twelve months leading up to March 2022.
Methodology
To source this wide of a dataset, the team at BusinessFinancing.co.uk first compiled a list of well-known brands, using a number of reputable sources including Forbes, the Financial Times, BrandDirectory, and more.
From there, the team created a shortlist of popular consumer brands. This year, they focused on businesses that sell products and services, so some of the big tech companies like Google and Meta were excluded from the 2022 ranking.
Next, the team used Google Ads API to extract search volume data for the shortlisted brands. They looked at a couple of things:
- The monthly average of searches over the last 12 months for the brand name alone (e.g. “Nike”)
- Brand name with the corresponding sector added to the keyword (“Nike clothing”), which helped offset the skew in search volume for generic terms like “Apple” or “Amazon”
They did this for every country in the world with data available. Here’s what they found.
The Top 5 Most Searched Brands
While Netflix is the most frequently searched brand in the highest number of countries (92), Amazon takes the top spot when it comes to total search volume.
Here’s a look at the top five most search brands by average global monthly searches:
| Brand | Average global monthly searches (March 2022) | # Countries Most-Searched In |
|---|---|---|
| Amazon | 335,400,000 | 42 |
| Netflix | 140,200,000 | 92 |
| eBay | 80,600,000 | 6 |
| Walmart | 76,100,000 | 2 |
| IKEA | 55,300,000 | 14 |
But a brand’s search popularity doesn’t necessarily reflect that the business is thriving. For instance, in April 2022, Netflix announced it had lost around 200,000 subscribers throughout Q1.
The week of the announcement, Netflix’s stock price dipped below $200—the lowest it had been since 2017.
Smartphones
Apple and its iPhone take the top spot when it comes to smartphone searches, which may be unsurprisingly considering the top five best-selling smartphones in 2021 were all iPhones.
View the high resolution of this infographic by clicking here.
It’s worth noting that the top five best-selling smartphones only capture a fraction of the overall smartphone market, and while iPhones are undeniably popular, they only make up 16.7% of worldwide smartphone sales.
Gaming
Epic Games, the creator and platform of Fortnite, maintains its status as the most searched-for gaming brand worldwide, with an average of 14.9 million global monthly searches.
View the high resolution of this infographic by clicking here.
No other gaming company came close to Epic Game’s search volume. For instance, Nintendo, which came in second place, only averaged 3.2 million searches a month.
However, Nintendo still managed to generate more than $16 billion in revenue throughout 2021, triple the gross revenue that Epic Games made the same year.
Fast Food
KFC was the most searched fast-food company in more than 83 countries, making it the most popular worldwide.
View the high resolution of this infographic by clicking here.
However, it’s worth noting that, while McDonald’s ranked first in fewer countries, it had a higher global monthly search average than its fried chicken competitor.
In 2021, KFC generated approximately $2.79 billion in global revenue, while McDonald’s brought in $23.2 billion.
This article was published as a part of Visual Capitalist's Creator Program, which features data-driven visuals from some of our favorite Creators around the world.
Misc
Ranked: The World’s Top 10 Automotive Exporters (2000-2022)
Data from the World Trade Organization highlights the world’s 10 largest automotive exporters in 2022.
Ranked: The World’s Top 10 Automotive Exporters
According to the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association, over 85 million motor vehicles were built around the world in 2022.
In this graphic, we add context to this massive figure by ranking the world’s 10 largest automotive exporters. The list is based on data from the World Trade Organization (WTO) and includes countries from nearly every corner of the world, highlighting the global nature of the industry.
Top 10 Exporting Countries
The data we used to create this graphic is included in the table below. It represents each country’s share of the total export value of global automotive products in both 2000 and 2022.
“Automotive products” are defined by the WTO as motor vehicles, parts and accessories for motor vehicles, and internal combustion engines for propelling said vehicles. This grouping excludes motorcycles and trailers.
| Exporter | 2000 (% of world exports) | 2022 (% of world exports) | Change (pp) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🇪🇺 EU | 45.4% | 46.1% | +0.7 |
| 🇺🇸 U.S. | 11.7% | 9.1% | -2.6 |
| 🇯🇵 Japan | 15.3% | 8.9% | -6.4 |
| 🇲🇽 Mexico | 5.3% | 8.5% | +3.2 |
| 🇨🇳 China | 0.3% | 8.0% | +7.7 |
| 🇰🇷 South Korea | 2.6% | 5.1% | +2.5 |
| 🇨🇦 Canada | 10.5% | 3.3% | -7.2 |
| 🇬🇧 UK | 4.5% | 2.7% | -1.8 |
| 🇹🇭 Thailand | 0.4% | 2.0% | +1.6 |
| 🇹🇷 Türkiye | 0.3% | 1.7% | +1.4 |
| Total | 96.3% | 95.4% | -- |
From this list we can identify which countries have experienced the most growth or decline over the past 22 years.
Countries With the Most Growth Since 2000
The automotive exporters that grew their share of global value the most since 2000 are China (+7.7 pp), Mexico (+3.2 pp), and South Korea (+2.5 pp).
There are clear drivers behind each of these growth stories.
For example, China became the world’s largest car market back in 2009, which accelerated the growth of its domestic automakers. China is also home to some of the world’s biggest automotive suppliers, including Weichai (diesel engines), Hasco Automotive (drivetrain and air conditioning systems), and CATL (EV batteries).
Mexico, on the other hand, has grown its auto industry by enticing global brands to construct their factories there. The country’s competitive edge includes cheaper labor and a land border to the United States.
Finally there’s South Korea, whose growth is largely attributed to Hyundai Motor Company. The Seoul-based automaker recently became the third largest on a global basis, trailing only Toyota and Volkswagen.
Countries With the Biggest Decline Since 2000
The automotive exporters that declined the most since 2000 are Canada (-7.2 pp), Japan (-6.4 pp), and the U.S. (-2.6 pp).
Canada’s auto industry has experienced a steady decline in recent years, though new EV-related investments could turn things around. In March 2022, Stellantis and LG Energy Solutions announced the construction of a $3.5 billion EV battery plant in Windsor, Ontario.
Canada’s automotive industry is largely concentrated in the province of Ontario, which neighbors Michigan, the top state for U.S. car production.
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