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The Most Valuable Brand in Each Country in 2018

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Map: The Most Valuable Brand in Each Country in 2018

Map: The Most Valuable Brand in Each Country in 2018

Last year, we covered the world’s top brands based on the measure of brand value, and one thing stood out.

The top of the list was dominated by U.S. brands like Google, Amazon, Facebook, Visa, AT&T, and McDonald’s, but only one non-American brand (China’s Tencent) was able to crack the top 10 list.

Today’s infographic comes to us from HowMuch.net, and it helps to make the international brand value picture a lot clearer. Using updated rankings from Brand Finance’s Global 500 Report, it shows the top brand for each country in 2018.

It’s worth noting, however, that there are many countries that are not represented here, as they do not have a brand large enough to make the top 500 list.

A Steep Dropoff

Keeping the aforementioned U.S. dominance of brands in mind, there is a pretty steep drop from the U.S. to other countries on the map. After retail giant Amazon, which ranks as the world’s top brand at $150.8 billion, the next biggest brand in any other country is Samsung (South Korea) at $92.3 billion.

From there, it’s another big fall to get to the next tier, which includes China’s ICBC ($59.2 billion), Germany’s Mercedes-Benz ($43.9 billion), Japan’s Toyota ($43.7 billion), and Royal Dutch Shell ($39.4 billion).

After that, the remaining brands on the list are in the $4 billion to $25 billion range, including well-known names like Nestlé ($19.4 billion), Zara ($17.5 billion), and RBC ($13.8 billion). While small compared to Amazon, these are still mostly large international or national brands.

Why is Amazon so Dominant?

As Amazon continues to rapidly scale its revenue, and as the Jeff Bezos Empire expands, we are all now very familiar with the online retailer’s dominance.

That said, while Amazon appears massive on the map, it actually only just edged out Apple as the most dominant brand overall. Further, because Apple is also based in the U.S., the iconic tech company doesn’t have its logo appear on the map itself.

Here’s a look at how brand value for the top five brands has changed over time:

Brand Value Over Time

Courtesy: Brand Finance

According to Brand Finance, the value of Amazon’s brand increased by 42% between 2017 and 2018. Here’s what Brand Finance CEO, David Haigh, had to say about the future of Amazon’s brand:

The strength and value of the Amazon brand gives it stakeholder permission to extend relentlessly into new sectors and geographies. All evidence suggests that the amazing Amazon brand is going to continue growing indefinitely and exponentially.

– David Haigh, CEO of Brand Finance

Interestingly, the report authors also offer up reasons for Apple and Google getting “left behind”.

For Apple, an over-dependency on the iPhone limits the brand’s growth opportunities, while Google’s investments outside of search are unable to offer the scale, impact, or audacity demonstrated by Amazon’s ventures.

A Note on Brand Value

Understandably, there is often some confusion behind the definition of “brand value”.

Not to be confused with market capitalization or enterprise value, brand value is defined as a marketing-related intangible asset that generates economic benefits for a brand within a company. In other words, this is the value of the image of the brand itself, as represented in the minds of stakeholders.

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Nvidia Joins the Trillion Dollar Club

America’s biggest chipmaker Nvidia has joined the trillion dollar club as advancements in AI move at lightning speed.

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Nvidia Joins the Trillion Dollar Club

Chipmaker Nvidia is now worth nearly as much as Amazon.

America’s largest semiconductor company has vaulted past the $1 trillion market capitalization mark, a milestone reached by just a handful of companies including Apple, Amazon, and Microsoft. While many of these are household names, Nvidia has only recently gained widespread attention amid the AI boom.

The above graphic compares Nvidia to the seven companies that have reached the trillion dollar club.

Riding the AI Wave

Nvidia’s market cap has more than doubled in 2023 to over $1 trillion.

The company designs semiconductor chips that are made of silicon slices that contain specific patterns. Just like you flip an electrical switch by turning on a light at home, these chips have billions of switches that process complex information simultaneously.

Today, they are integral to many AI functions—from OpenAI’s ChatGPT to image generation. Here’s how Nvidia stands up against companies that have achieved the trillion dollar milestone:

Joined ClubMarket Cap
in trillions
Peak Market Cap
in trillions
AppleAug 2018$2.78$2.94
MicrosoftApr 2019$2.47$2.58
AramcoDec 2019$2.06$2.45
AlphabetJul 2020$1.58$1.98
AmazonApr 2020$1.25$1.88
MetaJun 2021$0.68$1.07
TeslaOct 2021$0.63$1.23
NvidiaMay 2023$1.02$1.02

Note: Market caps as of May 30th, 2023

After posting record sales, the company added $184 billion to its market value in one day. Only two other companies have exceeded this number: Amazon ($191 billion), and Apple ($191 billion).

As Nvidia’s market cap reaches new heights, many are wondering if its explosive growth will continue—or if the AI craze is merely temporary. There are cases to be made on both sides.

Bull Case Scenario

Big tech companies are racing to develop capabilities like OpenAI. These types of generative AI require vastly higher amounts of computing power, especially as they become more sophisticated.

Many tech giants, including Google and Microsoft use Nvidia chips to power their AI operations. Consider how Google plans to use generative AI in six products in the future. Each of these have over 2 billion users.

Nvidia has also launched new products days since its stratospheric rise, spanning from robotics to gaming. Leading the way is the A100, a powerful graphics processing unit (GPU) well-suited for machine learning. Additionally, it announced a new supercomputer platform that Google, Microsoft, and Meta are first in line for. Overall, 65,000 companies globally use the company’s chips for a wide range of functions.

Bear Case Scenario

While extreme investor optimism has launched Nvidia to record highs, how do some of its fundamental valuations stack up to other giants?

As the table below shows, its price to earnings (P/E) ratio is second-only to Amazon, at 214.4. This shows how much a shareholder pays compared to the earnings of a company. Here, the company’s share price is over 200 times its earnings on a per share basis.

P/E RatioNet Profit Margin (Annual)
Apple30.225.3%
Microsoft36.136.7%
Aramco13.526.4%
Alphabet28.221.2%
Amazon294.2-0.5%
Meta33.919.9%
Tesla59.015.4%
Nvidia214.416.19%

Consider how this looks for revenue of Nvidia compared to other big tech names:

For some, Nvidia’s valuation seems unrealistic even in spite of the prospects of AI. While Nvidia has $11 billion in projected revenue for the next quarter, it would still mean significantly higher multiples than its big tech peers. This suggests the company is overvalued at current prices.

Nvidia’s Growth: Will it Last?

This is not the first time Nvidia’s market cap has rocketed up.

During the crypto rally of 2021, its share price skyrocketed over 100% as demand for its GPUs increased. These specialist chips help mine cryptocurrency, and a jump in demand led to a shortage of chips at the time.

As cryptocurrencies lost their lustre, Nvidia’s share price sank over 46% the following year.

By comparison, AI advancements could have more transformative power. Big tech is rushing to partner with Nvidia, potentially reshaping everything from search to advertising.

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