The 50 most valuable Swiss brands

Nescafé is the most valuable brand in Switzerland. Nescafé remains at the top of Interbrand's Best Swiss Brands, leading the ranking of the 50 most valuable Swiss brands 2015 ahead of Roche and Nestlé. This is the result of the latest Interbrand study, published jointly with the Swiss business magazine BILANZ. There were fluctuations like never before in the brand values of the Best Swiss Brands this year. The biggest climbers - Geberit, Nespresso and Patek Philippe - can boast plus 29, plus 19 and plus 15 percent respectively. After an absence of one year, Sika re-enters the Swiss ranking. "We live in turbulent times," explains Michel Gabriel, Managing Director of Interbrand in Zurich. "A lot is changing: consumer behavior, as far as B2C brands are concerned, but also the macroeconomic environment due to digitalization and globalization, which is particularly felt by B2B brands. What used to take years now happens in months. Serious upheavals in brand management are the "After losses in brand value in the previous two years, Nescafé was able to increase its value by four percent this year, extending its lead over second-placed Roche to over two billion Swiss francs. The global coffee brand was able to strengthen its brand value of CHF 10.653 billion by expanding its influence in emerging markets and attracting additional, younger target groups.Roche with slight lossRoche follows in second place in the Best Swiss Brands 2015, but suffered a slight loss in brand value of one percent. The second-largest Swiss pharmaceutical group is working consistently to expand the leading position of its brand in the area of "personalized healthcare". In addition, the pharmaceutical group has a number of promising medicines in the pipeline.Nestlé once again took third place this year. The brand was able to increase its brand value by 3 percent to CHF 7.472 billion through its successful positioning as a food, health and wellness brand. The Nestlé Group has three brands in the 2015 winner's ranking - with Nescafé at No. 1, Nestlé at No. 3 and Nespresso at No. 12. The premium coffee brand expanded its geographic reach in the United States. At the same time, a new store design, new machines, and new brand ambassadors are keeping the brand fresh: in addition to George Clooney and Penelope Cruz, Matt Damon and Jean Dujardin will also star in future Nespresso advertising. With an increase of CHF 443 million, Nespresso helps the Vevey-based group to an impressive total brand value of CHF 20.869 billion. This means that the Nestlé Group has increased its value by CHF 1.088 billion compared to the previous year, cracking the 20 billion mark for the first time in the Best Swiss ranking.Geberit and Sika make gainsGeberit was able to increase by an impressive 29 percent and, with a brand value of CHF 1.236 billion, has jumped to 22nd place. Geberit has done a great deal to make its expertise more tangible for customers. More showrooms were opened, a virtual tour of the product range was made possible on the web and major investments were made in sales in China. In addition, Geberit has strengthened itself considerably through the acquisition of the Finnish company Sanitec.

Geberit was able to grow the most compared to the previous year. Source: Interbrand. Sika celebrated by far the greatest success in the Best Swiss Brands 2015. With a brand value of CHF 384 million, the construction chemicals manufacturer is back in the rankings and now occupies 39th place. The takeover battle with French competitor St. Gobain ensures ongoing media presence and thus high brand awareness. But Sika is highly successful despite this distraction and has acquired quite a few companies, entered new markets and presented record figures in the last twelve months. "In the process, the brand has decisively gained in awareness, popularity and likeability, mainly due to the consistent attitude of its management," explains Michel Gabriel.The second newcomer in the ranking is Helvetia, which ranks 49th with a brand value of CHF 255 million. Following the acquisition of its Basel-based competitor Nationale Suisse in 2014, the pan-European insurance company has made it into the 50 Best Swiss Brands for the first time. With its values of trust, dynamism, and enthusiasm, as well as the claim "Your Swiss insurance company," the brand emphasizes its closeness to its home country.Watch industry on the upswingThe other winners in the Best Swiss Ranking 2015 come from the watch industry. Of 16 brands in this year's ranking of the 50 most valuable Swiss brands, 13 were able to increase their brand value. With an increase of 15 percent to a brand value of CHF 1.772 billion, Patek Philippe in particular swings to the top. The beacon of the Swiss watch industry celebrated its 175th anniversary in 2014 with new model variants and anniversary watches, positioning the brand as a luxury brand with a focus on tradition and exclusivity. Rolex remains the most valuable Swiss watch brand, moving up from fifth to fourth place with a slight increase in brand value of one percent to CHF 7.252 billion. Its eternal competitor Omega, on the other hand, lost a significant six percent and slipped out of the top ten for the first time. Looking at the sector distribution, however, horlogerie still makes up the most important sector in the Best Swiss Brands Rankings 2015, with a total brand value of CHF 21.849 billion. It was able to increase its value cumulatively by CHF 229 million.Behind it come the banks with CHF 13.3 billion. These lost a total of 216 million Swiss francs in brand value, while they were still able to make significant gains in the previous year. The two big banks in particular are dragging down the sector value. Credit Suisse (CHF 3.647 billion) still ranks eighth, as in the previous year, and UBS (CHF 3.619 billion) even improved from tenth to ninth place. However, the continuing legal disputes over aiding and abetting tax evasion, currency manipulation, etc., as well as the expandable efforts to regain lost customer trust, are making themselves felt in declining brand value. "One expects more innovation and forward thinking from banks of this relevance," criticizes Gabriel.Dropping out of the ranking altogether is Davidoff. The cigar and perfume brand, which ranked 20th last year, is still in favor with consumers. As a private company, parent company Oettinger Davidoff does not publish sufficiently disaggregated financial figures to calculate brand value. Also no longer in the top 50 are Kuoni, which was ranked 48th last year. The brand has had an identity problem for some time. The total value of the 50 most valuable Swiss brands is an impressive 103 billion Swiss francs. "We live in a strong brand country," concludes Michel Gabriel. "Large banks, important B2B brands and strong luxury brands ensure diversity, competence in brand management is given thanks to good employees, and traditionally numerous brand innovations come from Switzerland, cue Nespresso."