AI and market-driven disruption are creating new brand champions

Digitally enabled services and the rise of AI are creating winners faster than ever, with disruption a defining force shaping global brands. 

“Brands that are innovating across industries and entering new arenas, building cultural relevance, and investing in long-term brand strategy are winning. Those relying on legacy strength alone are seeing challenges to their growth,” comments Gonzalo Brujó, Global CEO of Interbrand. 

Brands riding the disruption wave and turning it to their advantage include Nvidia, which recorded the largest-ever brand value increase in Best Global Brands history, rising +116% to US$43.2-billion and bringing it to 15th position in the global ranking. 

Nvidia is an American technology company that designs and develops graphics processing units (GPUs) and other advanced chips. Originally known for its GPUs used in gaming and computer graphics, Nvidia’s processors are now essential for artificial intelligence (AI), data centres, high-performance computing, and the automotive industry.   

Having scale is not a brand strategy 

Notes Greg Silverman, Global Director of Brand Economics at Interbrand: “Nvidia’s stellar product marketing and complete dominance in its ecosystem have spurred its meteoric rise. However, the emergence of a disruptor could undo this brand if it does not invest in long-term brand storytelling. It has the scale, but that’s not a brand strategy. To maintain sustainable growth, this is imperative.” 

Other brands showing exceptional increases in value are digital-first services like Netflix (up 42%), YouTube (+61%), Uber (+38%), Nintendo (+35%) and Instagram (+27%). 

New entrants to this year’s brand listing also include digital-first companies such as Bookings.com (an online travel agency) and Shopify (an e-commerce platform that enables users to create and manage an online store).  

“They do one thing incredibly well. Continued investments in their brands will be important to continue their growth and protect them from competitive entrants,” Interbrand states in its report. 

Comments the marketing industry news website, Marketing Dive: “Brands that are growing in stature are capitalising on disruption caused by trends like AI or cracking into new service areas and revenue streams, while those that are leaning solely on familiarity are losing ground.” 

This year’s top 10 Best Global Brands 2025 are:

1. Apple 
2. Microsoft 
3. Amazon 
4. Google 
5. Samsung 
6. Toyota 
7. Coca-Cola 
8. Instagram 
9. McDonald’s 
10. Mercedes-Benz 

You can find out more about the report here.