TD tops the list of Canada’s most valuable brands

According to a ranking of public companies' brands, Canada's most valuable corporate brand is TD but it's Vancouver-based yoga and exercise apparel maker Lululemon that's considered a rising star.

Interbrand, a brand consultancy and authors of the biennial tally, has released its "2012 Best Canadian Brands report", a ranking of Canada's top brands by brand value.

"TD bank is a new No. 1 for us from two years ago and they've had impressive growth, not only from their value, but they've done it with a strong focus on their brand," explains Alfred DuPuy, managing director, Interbrand Canada in Toronto. "TD's brand strategy is putting everything under that TD (umbrella) … they're focused on driving equity towards the TD brand and less so for their sub-brands within their portfolio."

The resiliency of Canadian brands and their ability to drive higher brand valuations in the face of uncertain economic times is represented by an impressive $14 billion increase for the top 25 brands -- up 24 per cent over 2010's valuation, with gains across all sectors. The results demonstrate that companies putting brand at the core of what they do amplify their prospects for business success by thinking less mechanically and more holistically about creating value for the long term, the report reads.

"These 25 brands were willing to risk investing in their brands at times when normally brand investment is the first thing to go when budget cuts are being considered," he says. "Brand building doesn't happen overnight."

TD, which moves to No. 1 from No. 2 in the 2010 report, posted a 45 per cent gain in brand value to $9.69 billion -- an improvement Interbrand attributes to TD's continuing attention to its customer experience combined with success in building on its strong master brand strategy. Brands hailing from the financial sector did very well, as nine of the top 25 are banks.

"RBC also had a healthy gain and Scotiabank had a terrific gain," he says. "Scotiabank's recent results show (brand) growth internationally and they've done a fantastic job as they continue to unite under the Scotiabank banner while taking advantage of other banks' missteps in their areas of focus, particularly in Latin America."

But it's Lululemon that displayed the biggest brand value improvement, rising an impressive 292 per cent to $3.24 billion and moving to seventh spot for 2012 from 17^th in 2010.

"The biggest increase we've ever seen in our reports is Lululemon," DuPuy continues. "It's a significant increase in value. Normally we just don't see that kind of value but it's a testament to who they are and how they've expanded.

"They've got a workforce that believes in it, in its' lifestyle, in the company's mission; they sold it, they live it, they bleed it. Great brands start from within."

That being the case, one can't help but feel slightly confused then since RIM's BlackBerry ranks in the top 10 on this list, landing in fourth spot. The smartphone maker has seen its share of trouble in the last couple of years with a declining market value and a seemingly never-ending exodus of top executives.

"It's a bit of a catch-22. BlackBerry's valuation we actually took from our 2011 Best Global Brands report published last October," he explains. "They've got to ramp up their commitment to their brand and when they've tried to, they've had missteps in terms of their communications.

"I was in a Target store in the U.S. recently and I didn't see any BlackBerrys in the phone aisle, it was all Android and iPhone. That's pretty telling. What happens when Target comes to Canada?"

Interbrand's top 10 Canadian brands for 2012 and their valuations:

TD (brand valued at $9.69 billion)

Thomson Reuters ($9.55 billion)

RBC ($7.93 billion)

BlackBerry ($6.45 billion)

Scotiabank ($3.97 billion)

Tim Hortons ($3.44 billion)

Lululemon ($3.25 billion)

Shoppers Drug Mart ($3.18 billion)

Bell ($3.06 billion)

Rogers Communications ($3 billion)

Rounding out the top 25 brands:

BMO ($2.34 billion)

CIBC ($2 billion)

TELUS ($1.98 billion)

Canadian Tire ($1.89 billion)

Manulife ($1.87 billion)

Bombardier ($1.23 billion)

Sun Life ($1.05 billion)

National Bank ($827 million)

Molson ($821 million)

Shaw ($759 million)

Winners ($679 million)

IMAX ($602 million)

Investors Group ($454 million)

Future Shop ($374 million)

La Senza ($365 million)