Samsung, world's global brand value ranks 5th two years in a row

Samsung Electronics Co., the world’s leading maker of smartphones and memory chips, was ranked fifth among the world’s top 100 corporate brands for the second year in a row, according to a consulting firm Thursday.

The brand value of South Korea’s IT giant was estimated at $74.6 billion this year, increasing 20 percent from $62.3 billion last year, according to the list of 100 Best Global Brands announced by US-based Interbrand.

This is the highest gain observed since 2013 and double the average growth rate of the 100 brands which is 10 percent.

Samsung first entered the top 10 of Interbrand’s list in 2012, ranking ninth. It reached sixth place in 2017 and fifth last year.

The US agency said the Korean company’s shift to a customer-centered management system, sustainable development, innovative products such as Galaxy Z Flip 3, and consistent investment into advanced technologies have led to the growth of its brand value.

Taking the top four spots were American tech giants Apple, which topped the list, followed by Amazon, Microsoft, and Google.

Meanwhile, Korean automaker Hyundai Motor’s brand value was 35th highest with $15.2 billion, and sixth among the world’s automakers.

Hyundai’s sister company Kia ranked 86th with a brand value of $6.1 billion.

By Hong Yoo (yoohong@heraldcorp.com)