The Top Brands in the World and What We Can Learn From Them

What are the top brands in the world? Brand Finance produced a comprehensive annual report that ranks the world’s most valuable brands by calculating their brand value (i.e., the net economic benefit a brand owner would achieve by licensing the brand in the open market). It’s a bit complicated, but in a nutshell the strongest brands in 2024 all shared something in common: a high brand strength index (BSI), scored out of 100, which includes things like marketing investment, stakeholder equity (customer familiarity, satisfaction, reputation), and business performance (market share, profitability).

Tl;dr – Brand Finance’s Global 500 proves one thing – you’re not just building a company. You’re building a brand.

Let’s take a look at the some of the brands that hold the top spot globally, and see where you can copy their example to boost your brand equity and sales this year. Keep in mind that in 2025, the world’s 500 most valuable brands are worth $9.5 trillion—up 10% despite global economic uncertainty. People are buying, even if global economies are unstable. So, what are they buying?

More importantly, why are they buying?

PSA: now’s the time to develop a sound eCommerce branding strategy. Make sure you guide your efforts and maneuver your brand’s operations and marketing expertly.

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The Top Brands in the World: Top 20 and Fastest Growing Brands

As of December 2024, here are the Top 20 brands worldwide.

These valuations are derived from comprehensive analyses conducted by organizations such as Visual Capitalist, Interbrand, and Brand Finance. Each entity employs distinct methodologies, including factors like financial performance, brand strength, and consumer perception, to determine brand value. It’s important to note that brand valuations can vary based on the criteria and timeframes used by different analysts.​

In addition to these top brands, there are 3 brands that stood out for the fastest growth in 2024, according to Brand Finance Global:

🥇 NVIDIA

• Brand Value Growth: +98%

• 2025 Brand Value: $87.9B (up from $44.5B in 2024)

• Why it Grew: Insane demand for AI chips and NVIDIA’s dominance in the AI + semiconductor space.

🥈 Chanel

• Brand Value Growth: +45%

• 2025 Brand Value: $37.9B

• Why it Grew: 100th anniversary of Chanel No. 5 sparked a global campaign, increased visibility, and higher perceived value.

🥉 TikTok/Douyin

• Brand Value Growth: +26%

• 2025 Brand Value: $105.8B

• Why it Grew: Massive integration of eCommerce (TikTok Shop), increased time-on-app, and international monetization.

Brand Finance also mentions American gambling brand Draftkings and Fanduel, which have grown exponentially year-on-year:

📈 DraftKings

• Brand Value Surge: From a modest $18 million in 2020 to a staggering $5.1 billion in 2025. ​(Ref: brandkit.com)

• Growth Drivers:

  • Strategic Partnerships: Collaborations with major sports leagues and teams have significantly boosted brand visibility.​

  • Innovative Offerings: Features like gamified elements and live betting interfaces cater to a younger demographic.​ (Ref: Brand Finance)

  • Early Market Entry: Swift launches in states legalizing online gambling provided a competitive edge.​

• Market Position: As of 2025, DraftKings holds approximately 27% of the U.S. sports betting market. ​(Ref: Earnest Analytics)

📈 FanDuel

• Brand Value Surge: Soaring from $56 million in 2020 to $7.0 billion in 2025. ​(Ref: Brand Finance and Brand Kit)

• Growth Drivers:

  • Brand Awareness Campaigns: Extensive marketing efforts, including TV ads and sponsorships, have elevated brand recognition.​

  • User-Centric Experience: A seamless app interface and personalized features enhance user engagement.​

  • Data-Driven Strategies: Utilizing analytics to tailor user experiences and refine offerings.​ (Ref: Brand Finance)

• Market Position: Leading the U.S. sports betting market with a 35% share as of 2025. ​(Ref: Reuters)

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Emulate the Top Brands in the World for Brand Growth on Amazon

Based on the brands list of the top brands in the world, what can you learn? You don’t have to be one of the tech giants like Apple and Microsoft, nor do you have to be a successful automotive brand like Mercedes-Benz, Ferrari, or BMW, or even a luxury brand like Hermès or Louis Vuitton. Before you point out that these are some of the largest companies on the planet with tons of investor backing – don’t worry, we’re aware that these guys often have financial backing that the average Amazon seller does not.

That’s not to say though that you can’t take a page out of their book. Here are the growth lessons you can learn from the most successful companies in the world:

Tip #1: Own a Category and Become Indispensable

You know the old keyword adage: look for that sweet spot between high search volume and high relevancy. Chasing high search volume means drowning in competition. Too low, and no one’s looking. Aim for that sweet spot: solid demand, but enough room to stand out.

You’ll see this in semiconductor brands NVIDIA and AMD. They experienced steady growth year-on-year from 2020 to 2025 (ref: Brand Finance Global 500). NVIDIA especially has growth to a brand value of USD44.488 mn in 2024 from USD4.654 mn in 2020 – all because the semiconductor didn’t try to be something for everybody. It specialized in AI chips and made itself unreplaceable in a booming sector.

What Amazon Sellers Can Do:

Be the go-to seller for one specific problem. Use long-tail keywords, own the “frequently bought together” slot, and build bundles around that core product.

Tip #2: Turn Brand Moments Into Money

Sometimes a marketing gimmick is all you need. Chanel capitalized on the 100th anniversary of Chanel No. 5 to ignite a global campaign that led to a +45% brand value jump. Build buzz around the campaign and brand equity will follow.

What Amazon Sellers Can Do:

Celebrate “5 Years on Amazon” with limited edition packaging. Use email and Amazon Storefront banners to hype anniversaries, seasonal wins, or product milestones. Launch a “founder’s pick” collection or a nostalgic version of your bestseller.

Tip #3: Marry Product with Platform: Social Commerce is Where It’s At

All you need to do here is to check out the example of TikTok. TikTok Shop fused entertainment with eCommerce, leading to $105.8B valuation and 26% growth. Brands that sell on TikTok Shop marry social media and eCommerce all at the same time, presenting retail options in a digestible and entertaining way. How entertaining is your customer journey? Do customers enjoy buying from your Amazon listing? Is it optimized with graphics, SEO, and engaging copywriting?

What Amazon Sellers Can Do:

Use Amazon Live, influencer collaborations, and TikTok content that links directly to listings. Repurpose that content in your Brand Store to increase time-on-page and conversion.

Tip #4: Build Early and Bet Big on Trends

It’s called the first-mover advantage. When you introduce a brand or product first and be the first in line to solve a problem, you gain considerable competitive advantage. DraftKings and FanDuel entered legalized betting markets early, then locked in visibility with sports league partnerships.

What Amazon Sellers Can Do:

Launch in emerging categories before they’re saturated (e.g., pet anxiety wearables, mushroom-based supplements). Partner with rising creators, bundle with trending products, or ride new niches early with Sponsored Brand ads.

Tip #5: Deliver a Frictionless, Personalized Customer Experience

Remove buying barriers. Give customers an experience that feels like it was made just for them. FanDuel nailed this with a seamless mobile experience and data-driven personalization.

What Amazon Sellers Can Do:

Optimize listings for mobile—shorten bullet points, make visuals lifestyle-focused. Use Amazon’s A/B testing (Manage Your Experiments) to learn what your audience prefers. Consider using external tools like ManyChat or email flows to create tailored post-purchase experiences. And be sure you localize every listing when you expand, so your target audience in every region feels like your brand is local, and speaks directly to them.

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What the Top Brands in the World Didn’t Do

Here’s a cautionary tale – not every single big brand made it to the list. Here’s what not to do.

Starbucks: -36% Brand Value Crash

Starbucks pushed too hard into digital-only ordering while simultaneously hiking prices. Gone was that personal touch; the Harvard Business Review noted the “disconnect between performance metrics geared toward sales volume and those focused on the quality of the connections with customers.” In short, it just wasn’t fun to order from Starbucks anymore.

This is the risk that many Amazon sellers make when they rely too heavily on AI. When you automate everything – especially communication – you risk alienating people who crave that human touch. While we at YLT Translations believe in multilingual Chatbots to provide real time answers to popular customer service queries, we will also encourage every single seller out there to point your customers to a human agent at one point – it’s a great way to build a relationship with your customer.

Tesla: -26% Drop from Drama

Despite strong product loyalty, Tesla’s brand took a major hit thanks to erratic leadership, PR misfires, and declining perception in key global markets (especially in Europe). It just goes to show – a product may be good, but if a brand comes across as one that accepts no responsibility for things like missed deadlines, quality control issues, or public backlash, nobody’s going to buy.

Your product might be amazing, but it’s not going to walk off the shelves by itself. If your brand feels arrogant or unaccountable, customers will bounce. Even loyalists have limits when transparency disappears.

Disney: -4% Drop from Magic to Meh

Disney’s market value declined amid audience fatigue, franchise oversaturation, and internal identity confusion. According to this article from Forbes, Disney faced incredible success during the pandemic, when it amassed subscribers quickly when other revenue streams faltered. So it started to invest heavily in exclusive content for Disney+. As the pandemic came to an end and economic challenges arose, consumers started to cut back on streaming services – and Disney accumulated over USD11.4bn in operating losses, forcing it to cut costs dramatically, including USD7.5bn reduction in expenses and content.

Don’t be like Disney. Know your brand’s core story and stick to it. Chasing every trend or trying to appeal to everyone will dilute your message and your margins. Be clear about who you serve, and stay anchored in that narrative.

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Your Fast Profit Playbook to Becoming a Valuable Global Brand

Expanding your brand globally is an excellent venture because it dilutes risk and taps new customers that may really be into your product offering. What can you learn from the success of the 100 most valuable brands worldwide?

Specialize > Generalize
Own a niche, solve a specific problem, and become the go-to brand—don’t try to be everything to everyone.

Brand consistency builds trust
Your tone, visuals, and messaging should align across listings, ads, and storefronts to build recognition and credibility.

Localization = Global growth
Selling internationally? Native, culturally-aware translations convert way better than copy-paste language swaps.

Engagement > Automation
Real connection drives loyalty—reply to reviews, respond to questions, and keep a human touch wherever possible.

Track Brand-Specific Revenues

Understand which product lines are actually pulling their weight (an exercise you should perform for every marketplace you sell in, because a bestseller in the UK may not be a bestseller in Poland, for example). Allocate your marketing spend accordingly.

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Are You the Next Coca-Cola or Colgate of Your Niche?

You don’t have to be one of the top contributors to global economic growth. You don’t have to emulate McDonald’s extensive product localization (though a little bit is never a bad thing), or chase down the same funding to pursue Google’s and Microsoft’s meteoric rise.

You could however adapt the same marketing principles behind Apple’s brand identity – simple, effective, and consistent. Or you could take a page from the book of Chinese vehicle maker BYD, which met surging demand for electric vehicles with competitively-priced tech-forward models – particularly when Tesla’s performance was low.

The bottom line? No pressure. You don’t have to aim to be a company on the list of top brands in the world, but if you’ve got the funding and the marketing team behind you, why not? The idea is to do what you can, and follow the example of these top brands. They did something right, after all – no need to reinvent the wheel.

In the world of online shopping, follow the best practices of brands that have made it – before you know it, your balance sheets will show how much your hustle has paid off!