Switzerland perceived as world’s third-strongest national brand

The Swiss parliament in Bern. Switzerland is considered one of the strongest national brands in the world. Keystone

Switzerland is one of the three strongest national brands in the world in the eyes of the global public.

The latest ranking by consultants Brand Finance takes into account soft-power factors such as presence, reputation and impact on the world stage.

Switzerland comes behind Germany and Britain but ahead of the United States and Canada. “Germany remains a haven of stability under the chancellorship of Angela Merkel,” said Brand Finance in its 2020 rankingExternal link, for which it surveyed over 55,000 people in more than 100 countries.

A somewhat different picture emerges when the brand strength of national companies is measured. Here the US is ahead of China and Japan. Switzerland is in 15^th place, between Russian and Brazil, with brand value declining by 19% to $764 billion (CHF697 billion).

Switzerland is by no means alone in this decline. As almost everywhere else in the world, the coronavirus pandemic has left deep scars on valuations. Worldwide, the value of the 100 strongest brands has fallen by $13.1 trillion this year.

Leading Swiss companies

The most valuable brand among companies remains Amazon for the third year in a row, which broke the $200 billion barrier for the first time in history. Google, Apple, Microsoft and Samsung follow. Tesla, the manufacturer of electric cars, recorded the strongest brand growth worldwide.

The list of the strongest Swiss brands shows that the food company Nestlé has the greatest brand strength. With a valuation of $20.31 billion (up 3.4%), Nestlé has moved up to 81^st place in the top 500 (previous year 87^th).

UBS follows in 202^nd place, having lost 29 places compared with the previous year. Zurich Insurance is only slightly worse off in 231^st place (229^th last year). This also applies to the Rolex watch group in 248^th place (243^rd).