Here’s a link to Interbrand’s Best Global Brands 2010 rankings. The methodology includes measuring financial performance, the role of the brand in purchase decisions and brand strength. The section on brand strength provides some great insight for anyone who thinks about brands.  I’ve included the 10 principles and explanations here.  For a deep dive into each principle, follow the link below for a wealth of information. 

http://www.interbrand.com/en/best-global-brands/best-global-brands-2008/best-global-brands-2010.aspx

FYI: Top 10 Global Brands

1.   Coca-Coal

2.   IBM

3.   Microsoft

4.   Google

5.   GE

6.   McDonald’s

7.   Intel

8.   Nokia

9.   Disney

10. HP

10 Principles of Brand Strength

1 COMMITMENT A measure of an organization’s internal commitment to or belief in its brand. Commitment is the extent to which the brand receives support in terms of time, influence and investment.

2 PROTECTION This component examines how secure a brand is across a number of dimensions – from legal protection and proprietary ingredients to design, scale or geographic spread.

3 CLARITY The brand’s values, positioning and proposition must be clearly articulated and shared across the organization, along with a clear view of its target audiences, customer insights and drivers. It is vital that those within the organization know and understand all of these elements, because everything that follows hinges on them.

4 RESPONSIVENESS This component looks at a brand’s ability to adapt to market changes, challenges and opportunities. The brand should have a desire and ability to constantly evolve and renew itself.

5 AUTHENTICITY This component is about how soundly a brand is based on an internal capability. Authenticity asks if a brand has a defined heritage and a well-grounded value set, as well as if it can deliver against customers’ expectations.

6 RELEVANCE This component estimates how well a brand fits with customer needs, desires and decision criteria across all appropriate demographics and geographies.

7 UNDERSTANDING Not only must customers recognize the brand, but there must also be an in-depth understanding of its distinctive qualities and characteristics, as well as those of the brand owner.

8 CONSISTENCY This measures the degree to which a brand is experienced without fail across all touch points and formats.

9 PRESENCE This measures the degree to which a brand feels omnipresent and how positively consumers, customers and opinion formers discuss it in both traditional and social media.

10 DIFFERENTIATION This is the degree to which customers perceive the brand to have a positioning that is distinct from the competition.

Bill Duffy is an Account Executive at Mirage Advertising, an award-winning creative communications group specializing in graphic design, web design, video production and event staging.