Microsoft Ranked Number One Business Superbrand by British Professionals and Industry Experts
Superbrands UK revealed today that Microsoft has beaten 1,610 other business-to-business brands to be crowned the number one Business Superbrand for 2020. After sitting below fellow tech titan, Apple, the number one Business Superbrand for two years running, Microsoft has risen up through the ranks, moving from third, to first place in the last three years.
While knocked from the winner’s podium this year, Apple has still been ranked a solid second place, closely followed by British Airways at third – a rank up from its former 2019 status. Multinational financial services corporation, Visa, has also seen rapid movement within the ranks this year – rising from tenth to fourth place and now ahead of both Mastercard (7th) and Paypal (9th).
The Business Superbrands survey has been tracking the perception of a wide-range of business brands in the UK since 2001. It follows a voting process involving 2,500 UK business professionals, supplemented by an expert council comprising of 20 senior business-to-business marketing leaders, all with purchasing or managerial responsibility within their business.
Business-to-business brands across 64 categories from ‘Accountancy & Business Services’ to ‘Waste Management & Recycling’ were evaluated. Brands never apply to be considered, but each year all the key players within each sector are evaluated to identify the most highly regarded. The research process was managed by The Centre for Brand Analysis (TCBA) in partnership with Dynata, one of the world’s leading data research companies.
All voters were asked to judge brands against the three core factors inherent in a Superbrand: quality, reliability and distinction. Additionally, brand perception and voting by individuals is also influenced by a range of both short and long-term factors, from the brand’s current profile to its latest marketing activities and new product and service developments, giving a holistic picture of how brands are currently perceived.
The Business Superbrands rankings show a fairly consistent top 20, with only five changes in the top 20 entrants, all of whom, bar Adobe, have been in the top 20 on at least one other occasion over recent years.
Other key citations include:
There has been a continued importance of sectors vital to the growing digital economy, including payment solutions, where PayPal, Mastercard and Visa retain their top twenty berths
Petrochemicals giant Shell remains prominent in the top 20 for the seventh year in a row
Google remains omnipresent in the top twenty since the methodology was changed in 2006, this year regaining sixth place after falling to ninth last year
Airlines, British Airways and Emirates, remained in the top 20. British Airways rising from fourth to third place this year and Emirates falling from third to tenth.
Damon Segal, CEO and Co-founder of The Academy of Chief Marketers, and Chief Executive Officer at Superbrands UK comments: “It has been a year of immense unpredictability, and while this year’s survey was carried out pre-pandemic, the Business Superbrands ranking remains faithful. This year we saw strong growth in brand presence across the board, making Superbrands 2020 extremely competitive. The familiarity and trust of the leading brands have once again shone through, enabling many to remain resilient. Becoming a Superbrand is a fantastic achievement and continues to provide a competitive edge over weaker rival brands.”
The overall top 10 Business Superbrands for 2020 are:
Microsoft
Apple
British Airways
Visa
Samsung
Google
Mastercard
Shell
PayPal
Emirates