New research from Brand Finance reveals sectoral strengths and consumer trust driving Austria’s top brand’s brand value to €40 billion
VIENNA, 3 Sept 2025 – A majority of Austria’s top 25 most valuable brands demonstrated upward trends in 2025, with the collective brand value rising by 14% to €40 billion, according to the latest Austria 25 2025 report by Brand Finance, the world’s leading brand valuation consultancy.
Brand Finance research also reveals that Austria’s brand value growth significantly outpaces that of neighbouring German-speaking markets, Germany and Switzerland, highlighting Austria’s exceptional brand momentum in the region.Red Bull remains Austria’s most valuable brand ranked with its value rising 11% to €8.7 billion. The energy drink giant continues to expand its global footprint, supported by sports sponsorships, digital campaigns, and sustainability initiatives. Recent efforts include investments in recyclable packaging and low-carbon logistics, reinforcing its reputation as both a marketing powerhouse and a brand attuned to consumer expectations on sustainability.
Reflecting this, Brand Finance’s research data also ranks Red Bull as the Austrian brand with the highest Sustainability Perceptions Value (SPV) at EUR887.8 million and with the largest positive gap value of EUR304.2 million. This suggests the brand outperforms public perception and could unlock further brand value through improved sustainability communications.
Erste bank, the second most valuable Austrian brand this year, recorded a 40% increase in its brand value to €6.1 billion. This surge reflects its outstanding brand strength as it scores highly across all key consumer metrics, including credibility and appeal, familiarity and recognition, and advocacy, according to Brand Finance’s market research. As Austria’s first savings bank and the central institution of the Sparkassengruppe, Erste combines heritage with innovation through its widely used digital platform “George.” Meanwhile, Raiffeisen Bank International (RBI) reinforced the strength of Austria’s banking sector, ranking as the third most valuable brand with a 39% rise to EUR3.1 billion.
The fastest-growing Austrian brand of 2025 is Billa (brand value up 70% to €2 billion). Entering the top 10 for the first time with a 6 spot leap to rank 5th, the supermarket chain’s success is tied to REWE Group’s robust performance across Central and Eastern Europe. In Bulgaria, sales rose 15% in 2023 to €725 million as customer numbers grew 5.4% and the growth momentum continued into 2024 with double-digit brand value growth.
Meanwhile, Erste also takes the crown as Austria’s strongest brand ranked this year backed by deep consumer trust and advocacy. ÖBB follows in second place, with brand value up 26% to €1.8 billion. It remains one of Europe’s most reliable railway operators, with punctuality rates near 94%. According to Brand Finance research, ÖBB scores highly in the reputation metrics, underscoring its credibility and popularity among locals. Insurance brand Wiener Städtische ranks third, its brand value up 30% to €440 million, supported by higher premiums and a rebound in profits.
A new entrant this year under the Leisure & Tourism sector, Bwin debuts with a brand value of €489 million, reflecting the rise of digital betting and gaming brands in Austria’s economy.
Overall, 15 brands in the ranking have recorded growth. These brands span across 14 different sectors, highlighting the diversity and sectoral strengths driving Austrian brands’ positive performance in 2025.
Looking at BSI for OBB: it's the train operator for Austria and is therefore well known and is a credible brand as we can see with high scores in reputation. A reputation that has been carrying forward by being punctual.
Cristobal Pohle Vazquez, Associate Director, Brand Finance, commented:
"Austrian brands are showing remarkable resilience and momentum this year, with the rankings collective value rising by 14%, outpacing larger neighbours in the DACH region. This growth reflects not just the success of a few market leaders, but a broad story of sectoral strength, from banking and retail to transport and leisure. The depth and diversity of Austria’s brand landscape give it a true competitive edge, supporting sustainable growth in a challenging global environment, inspiring confidence both at home and abroad.”
Other Notable Mentions
Brand Finance is the world’s leading brand valuation consultancy. Bridging the gap between marketing and finance, Brand Finance evaluates the strength of brands and quantifies their financial value to help organisations make strategic decisions.
Headquartered in London, Brand Finance operates in over 25 countries. Every year, Brand Finance conducts more than 6,000 brand valuations, supported by original market research, and publishes over 100 reports which rank brands across all sectors and countries.
Brand Finance also operates the Global Brand Equity Monitor, conducting original market research annually on 6,000 brands, surveying more than 175,000 respondents across 41 countries and 31 industry sectors. By combining perceptual data from the Global Brand Equity Monitor with data from its valuation database — the largest brand value database in the world — Brand Finance equips ambitious brand leaders with the data, analytics, and the strategic guidance they need to enhance brand and business value.
In addition to calculating brand value, Brand Finance also determines the relative strength of brands through a balanced scorecard of metrics evaluating marketing investment, stakeholder equity, and business performance, compliant with ISO 20671.
Brand Finance is a regulated accountancy firm and a committed leader in the standardisation of the brand valuation industry. Brand Finance was the first to be certified by independent auditors as compliant with both ISO 10668 and ISO 20671 and has received the official endorsement of the Marketing Accountability Standards Board (MASB) in the United States.
Brand is defined as a marketing-related intangible asset including, but not limited to, names, terms, signs, symbols, logos, and designs, intended to identify goods, services, or entities, creating distinctive images and associations in the minds of stakeholders, thereby generating economic benefits.
Brand strength is the efficacy of a brand’s performance on intangible measures relative to its competitors. Brand Finance evaluates brand strength in a process compliant with ISO 20671, looking at Marketing Investment, Stakeholder Equity, and the impact of those on Business Performance. The data used is derived from Brand Finance’s proprietary market research programme and from publicly available sources.
Each brand is assigned a Brand Strength Index (BSI) score out of 100, which feeds into the brand value calculation. Based on the score, each brand is assigned a corresponding Brand Rating up to AAA+ in a format similar to a credit rating.
Brand Finance calculates the values of brands in its rankings using the Royalty Relief approach – a brand valuation method compliant with the industry standards set in ISO 10668. It involves estimating the likely future revenues that are attributable to a brand by calculating a royalty rate that would be charged for its use, to arrive at a ‘brand value’ understood as a net economic benefit that a brand owner would achieve by licensing the brand in the open market.
The steps in this process are as follows:
1 Calculate brand strength using a balanced scorecard of metrics assessing Marketing Investment, Stakeholder Equity, and Business Performance. Brand strength is expressed as a Brand Strength Index (BSI) score on a scale of 0 to 100.
2 Determine royalty range for each industry, reflecting the importance of brand to purchasing decisions. In luxury, the maximum percentage is high, while in extractive industry, where goods are often commoditised, it is lower. This is done by reviewing comparable licensing agreements sourced from Brand Finance’s extensive database.
3 Calculate royalty rate. The BSI score is applied to the royalty range to arrive at a royalty rate. For example, if the royalty range in a sector is 0-5% and a brand has a BSI score of 80 out of 100, then an appropriate royalty rate for the use of this brand in the given sector will be 4%.
4 Determine brand-specific revenues by estimating a proportion of parent company revenues attributable to a brand.
5 Determine forecast revenues using a function of historic revenues, equity analyst forecasts, and economic growth rates.
6 Apply the royalty rate to the forecast revenues to derive brand revenues.
7 Discount post-tax brand revenues to a net present value which equals the brand value.
Brand Finance has produced this study with an independent and unbiased analysis. The values derived and opinions presented in this study are based on publicly available information and certain assumptions that Brand Finance used where such data was deficient or unclear. Brand Finance accepts no responsibility and will not be liable in the event that the publicly available information relied upon is subsequently found to be inaccurate. The opinions and financial analysis expressed in the study are not to be construed as providing investment or business advice. Brand Finance does not intend the study to be relied upon for any reason and excludes all liability to any body, government, or organisation.
The data presented in this study form part of Brand Finance's proprietary database, are provided for the benefit of the media, and are not to be used in part or in full for any commercial or technical purpose without written permission from Brand Finance.
