Nescafé ranked best brand

Nescafé instant coffee has been named the top Swiss brand for 2009 in a biennial ranking by an economics magazine.

It is the second time running that the brand, produced by the world’s largest food group, Nestlé, has topped the Bilanz magazine table.

Nescafé’s brand value increased as the product developed and expanded into emerging markets, according to the Swiss magazine’s results published on Friday. Nestlé itself came in third.

Switzerland’s largest bank, UBS, remained in second place, but the magazine noted that last year’s problems in its investment banking arm had shaken the credibility of the group as a whole.

Credit Suisse managed to weather the financial crisis better and improve its shareholder value, the magazine said, ranking it fourth.

Also in the top ten were Zurich Financial Services, Swisscom, watchmakers Rolex and Omega, as well as Davidoff and the chocolate maker Lindt.

Adecco, Logitech and Swiss Life all dropped down in the magazine’s ratings. Novartis and Roche meanwhile were no longer rated as advertising revenue focused more on product names rather than the company brand.

On a global level Coca-Cola had the strongest brand name, followed by IBM and Microsoft.