London, 26th September 2024 – Samsung (brand value down 1% to USD82.2 billion), continues to hold the title of South Korea’s most valuable brand ranked this year, according to a new report by Brand Finance.
According to Brand Finance’s market research, Samsung’s success is driven by its strong consumer loyalty, high awareness, and market leadership. Its robust domestic presence, combined with innovative product offerings, ensures the brand retains its spot firmly at the top among South Korean brands ranked.
Despite a 27% drop in brand value to USD3.3 billion, Naver remains South Korea’s strongest brand ranked, thanks to high scores in key metrics including ‘awareness’, ‘familiarity’, and ‘usage’, with a Brand Strength Index (BSI) score of 90.67 of 100.
Naver’s innovative product offerings, such as the NAVER Shopping Live platform and its partnership with Samsung Pay, continue to reinforce the brand’s leadership position in the market.
Meanwhile, Cantata, Korea’s first premium canned coffee brand, saw its brand value soar by 91% to USD869 million this year. Strong financial results and excellent scores in metrics such as ‘familiarity’ and ‘reputation’ have supported Cantata to be recognised as South Korea’s fastest-growing brand of 2024.
Brand Finance’s South Korea 150 2024 report also reflects significant growth in the value of the country’s leading retail brands, with eight out of 11 retail brands ranked achieving double-digit increases. Collectively, the retail brands in this year’s ranking are worth USD17.7 billion, representing the fifth largest sector.
Coupang (brand value up 12% to USD7.2 billion), leads as the most valuable South Korean retail brand, supported by its strong brand perception and market dominance.
In 2023, for the first time, online e-commerce platforms accounted for over half of South Korea’s total retail sales, reflecting the growing trend towards convenience-focused, digital shopping experiences. The nation’s high smartphone usage and advanced logistics continue to support innovations in the retail segment led by platforms such as Naver Shopping Live and Kakao Shopping Live.
Alex Haigh, Managing Director of Brand Finance Asia Pacific, commented:
“Hyundai and Kia are leading the charge in the automobile industry with strong growth and global expansion in the electric vehicle market, while the logistics sector, exemplified by CJ Logistics, is embracing cutting-edge technology to enhance operational efficiency. This year’s rankings highlight the adaptability of South Korean brands as they set new standards in both local and global markets.”
The 2024 Sustainability Perceptions Index finds that among South Korean brands, Samsung Group has highest Sustainability Perceptions Value of USD6.7 billion and the highest positive gap value of USD203 million.
Brand Finance is the world’s leading brand valuation consultancy. Bridging the gap between marketing and finance for more than 25 years, Brand Finance evaluates the strength of brands and quantifies their financial value to help organizations of all kinds make strategic decisions.
Headquartered in London, Brand Finance has offices in over 20 countries, offering services on all continents. Every year, Brand Finance conducts more than 5,000 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 over 5,000 brands, surveying more than 150,000 respondents across 38 countries and 31 industry sectors. Combining perceptual data from the Global Brand Equity Monitor with data from its valuation database enables Brand Finance to arm brand leaders with the data and analytics they need to enhance brand and business value.
Brand Finance is a regulated accountancy firm, leading the standardization 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.
