2013 Top UK brands

Superbrands UK recently released its 2013 list of top brands, consumer and business. Here are the top 5 in each list.

Consumer brands:

1. Rolex
2. Apple
3. Microsoft
4. British Airways
5. Coca-Cola

Business brands:

1. Apple
2. British Airways
3. Google
4. Visa
5. Virgin

I was surprised to see Rolex at the very top of the consumer list, above Apple. Yet Rolex is an extremely strong brand, known around the world for quality, styling and status. The company is an active sponsor of many artistic, cultural and athletic activities. It's also received more than 1 million YouTube views, more than 1 million Youku views (China) and additional Douban views (China).

Visa, the no. 4 business brand, is expanding its use of 'contactless payments' (by card), mobile payment options and safe payment alternatives for online shopping. As an example, Visa recently arranged with RBS and NatWest to issue 2m contactless cards for consumers to use in everyday transactions such as buying clothing or groceries. Visa has also partnered with Samsung to have mobile payments functionality preloaded on future Samsung mobiles. For businesses and retailers, it emphasises that 'whether you're making or receiving payments, Visa can help your business make money flow'.