Superlatives are always suspect. Saying that anything is “best” or “biggest” or even “most likely to succeed” is a risky move, and it’s doubly so in the world of finance. However, branding consultancy Interbrand, a division of global marketing company Omnicom, has taken this responsibility on itself with its annual report on what it calls the "Best Global Brands," a designation measured by a combination of financial performance and conceptual brand value.
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Of interest to investors, of course, are the companies that have gained the most in the past year, and I have (at great personal risk) combed through the data to bring those to you. Here, according to Interbrand, are the biggest brands in the world that are still on their way up.
10. 3M
Minnesota-based conglomerate 3M (MMM) starts us off at number 10. Interbrand’s valuation of the company’s brand has risen 18% since last year to $4.7 billion. The company’s expansive strategy appears to be continuing, since it announced Friday that it would acquire industrial ceramics company CeradyneM (CRDN) for $860 million. Investors have responded with relative optimism to the company’s confidence, and 3M is currently trading at around $95 per share, an 18.7% increase over the past year.