Brand Finance data reveals AI expertise is a top priority for companies when selecting an IT services provider
LONDON, 21 January 2025 – In 2025, the value of the top 25 IT services brands has reached USD163 billion, according to a new report from Brand Finance, the world's leading brand valuation consultancy. 15 out of the top 25 brands have increased their brand values. This growth is driven by more favourable market conditions, with IT companies benefiting from interest rate cuts, a rebound in corporate spending, and sustained demand for emerging technologies, notably AI.
Accenture (brand value up 2% to USD41.5 billion) retains its position as the most valuable IT services brand. The brand’s strong global presence, diverse service offerings, and strategic investments in AI have reinforced its dominance at the top of the ranking.
Accenture has also overtaken IBM Consulting to become the strongest IT Services brand in 2025, with a brand strength index score of 89.6/100 and an equivalent AAA+ rating. Its rise in brand strength is largely driven by its exceptional familiarity and market presence, particularly in the US, where it commands the highest familiarity levels among the top 25 brands. Accenture’s robust competitive position is further reflected in its top score for consideration in both Europe and the US.
The drivers of consideration encompass a range of factors that influence decision-making when evaluating companies or service providers, emphasising technical expertise, operational efficiency, and strategic alignment with client needs.
Lorenzo Coruzzi, Valuation Director at Brand Finance, commented,
“Brand Finance data reveals that "deep expertise in AI" is the top driver of consideration in the IT Services sector, accounting for 18% of decision making. This finding emphasises the need for companies to excel in AI innovation to stay competitive and meet the evolving demands of customers in an increasingly digital world. Accenture performs well in this metric, evidenced by securing USD3 billion in new generative AI bookings in 2024. This achievement highlights Accenture’s leadership in harnessing AI to drive innovation and business growth.”
TCS (brand value up 11% to USD21.3 billion) retains its position as the world’s second most valuable IT services brand for the fourth consecutive year. Notably, TCS is the second IT services brand to surpass the major milestone of USD20 billion in brand value, on the back of its investments in its brand and its growing prowess in AI and new technologies.
A key pillar of TCS’s brand-building strategy is its association with marathons and other high-profile sports events worldwide. From sponsoring iconic races like the TCS New York City Marathon and the TCS Sydney Marathon (its latest acquisition in 2024), to partnering with Jaguar TCS Racing in Formula E, TCS has cemented its global presence by using sports as a dynamic platform to connectwith diverse audiences while highlighting its transformative digital solutions.
HCLTech (brand value up 17% to USD8.9 billion) has emerged as the world’s fastest-growing IT Services brand in 2025. This growth is fuelled by its strong financial performance driven by a series of mega deal wins across diverse industries and geographies in 2024, the continued positive momentum of its successful brand transformation and its early leadership in AI/GenAI business. HCLTech’s AI offerings have created a lot of stickiness in the market, the company having entered the space almost a decade ago and having strong AI partnerships with all the leading Technology OEMs and Hyperscalers.
David Haigh, Chairman and CEO at Brand Finance, commented,
"HCLTech has once again exhibited exceptional growth in its brand value through effective market differentiation, becoming the fastest growing IT Services brand in the world and retaining its AAA- rating. In an era where buyers and prospective employees encounter numerous choices across various categories, HCLTech has set itself apart with its distinctive brand positioning, clearly articulating the company's ambition, energy, and momentum. This remarkable performance underscores how effectively HCLTech is engaging with clients and capitalising on new market opportunities, surpassing other leading brands in the industry.”
Infosys (brand value up 15% to USD16.3 billion) is recognised as the world’s third most valuable IT Services brand for the fourth consecutive year. The brand has also achieved the fastest compound annual growth rate (CAGR) in brand value (18%) over the last five years among IT Services brands. Bolstered by the robust leadership of CEO Salil Parekh, Infosys has redoubled its relevance in the AI-first world and consistently delivered strong performances and innovation in the rapidly evolving digital services landscape.
David Haigh, Chairman and CEO at Brand Finance, commented,
“Infosys has demonstrated remarkable growth over the past five years, achieving the fastest CAGR among IT services brands. The company has strategically prioritised innovation and emerging technologies, with a strong focus on generative AI. Infosys has also consistently leveraged high-profile sponsorships and strategic partnerships, intensifying its brand visibility and market presence in recent years. This commitment to technological innovation and strategic brand positioning has not only enhanced Infosys' brand value growth but has also strengthened its brand on the global stage, reflected in an enhanced brand strength score and an impressive AAA rating.
Sustainability is becoming an increasingly important driver of consideration and reputation in the IT Services sector. Brand Finance data considers three sustainability-related factors that influence consideration; these encompass environmental, social, and governance aspects of sustainability. In total, sustainability is responsible for driving 17.5% of consideration of IT Services brands, up from 14.1% in 2024. Of these, the most significant driver is a company's commitment to supporting communities and wider society, followed by its dedication to being professionally, ethically, and responsibly managed.
Among the top 25 IT Services brands, Accenture has the highest Sustainability Perceptions Score, at 4.31 out of 5. Accenture scores well across environmental, social, and governance categories and has clearly communicated its commitment to ethical management and diversity.
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.