
Watchdog instructs auto brand to remove or amend TV ad campaign
SA’s Advertising Regulatory Board finds Kia advertisement could be offensive to people with certain health disorders.
BRAND VALUATION
By our African Marketing Confederation News Team | 2024
Technology businesses dominate the top 10 in latest global brand-value ranking, with AI company NVIDIA showing massive growth.
Apple has become the world’s first trillion-dollar brand, according to the newly released Kantar BrandZ ‘Most Valuable Global Brands Report 2024’. It holds the number one position for the third consecutive year.
Apple is joined at the top of the ranking by Google, Microsoft and Amazon, reflecting technology’s critical place in everyday life.
McDonald’s also retains its position in the top five, with its success bolstered by its continued innovation, including the use of artificial intelligence for scenarios such as dynamic menu boards and order prediction.
According to Kantar, this demonstrates how non-technology brands are also exploring AI to unlock growth.
Further illustrating the emerging power of artificial intelligence in modern life, NVIDIA leaps 18 places to the number six position in the 2024 ranking, with a brand value increase of 178%. US-based NVIDIA develops technology for AI, high-performance computing, gaming, autonomous vehicles, and robotics.
Photo by Damian Barczak from Pexels
Facebook returns to the top 10 rankings
Facebook rejoins the top 10 after a one-year absence, while Oracle joins the top 10 for the first time.
This year’s BrandZ ranking underscores the resilience of top brands, with the total brand value of the Global Top 100 rebounding 20% to reach US$8.3-trillion, close to the 2022 peak of $8.7-trillion.
“With its $1-trillion brand valuation, Apple has proven resilient in the face of testing market conditions, justifying premium prices and proving that meaningful, different and salient brands are best placed to weather global economic disruption,” says Martin Guerrieria, head of Kantar BrandZ.
“Our 2024 global report reveals that strong brands continue to thrive despite global economic uncertainty. This year, brands investing in AI are seeing remarkable gains by reaping the benefits of enhanced customer experience.
“But effective marketing takes many forms, whether via great content, new innovations, effective media strategy, savvy pricing and more.”
The Kantar BrandZ ‘Top 10 Most Valuable Global Brands 2024’ are:
You can find out more about the study here.

SA’s Advertising Regulatory Board finds Kia advertisement could be offensive to people with certain health disorders.

Global study finds AI is helping marketers produce more – but is not creating the time and creative space they expected.

Urban Africa will double its footprint, adding the equivalent of more than 4,000 Manhattans or almost 400 Singapores, The Economist reports.

Luc Demez brings experience from Europe and African countries as the Carrefour brand looks to expand into Nigeria with a local partner.

What makes brands successful in Africa? A summary of the award-winning paper presented at Esomar’s first conference in Africa.

Woolworths supermarket chain embraces an AI-powered chef as it leverages two decades of recipes to answer an age-old family question.

Consumers are prioritising their wellness despite tighter wallets, meaning sportswear remains one of the most resilient areas of fashion.

Nominations for the 2026 African Marketing Confederation and African Supply Chain Confederation awards close on 31 July.

Consumers may stick with troubled brands because their emotional attachment overrides the perceived risk, study finds.

Book draws a line between customer experience – the private-sector marketing discipline – and what its authors call ‘Citizen Experience’.

Six years ago, the historic South African department store chain was in voluntary business rescue. Now it plans to open 50 new stores.