The release of the latest Star Wars film has pushed Disney to be named the world's most powerful brand, according to the Brand Finance Global 500 report.
'Star Wars Episode VII - The Force Awakens' was released last year and took the record of being the fastest film to reach US$1 billion while merchandise for the film has exceeded US$700 million.
Disney acquired Lucasfilm, the production house of the Star Wars franchise, in 2012.
Brand Finance awarded Disney the most powerful brand in its annual report, noting it is founded on its rich history, original creations and strategic acquisitions.
“Disney is managing to exploit the Star Wars concept both rapidly and sensitively; a difficult feat to pull off,” the report says.
“Disney styles itself as ‘the happiest place on Earth’. That has proved true not just for its customers but for investors too.“
Closer to home, Telstra has taken the top brand value ranking out of Australian brands, taking the title from Woolworths, which had been named the most powerful local brand since 2009. Telstra was number two in the 2015 rankings.
“As flagged in last year’s result, Telstra is now Australia’s number one brand despite increasing competition, especially in the mobile division,” Brand Finance Australia MD Mark Crowe says.
“It is testimony to Telstra’s continued brand strength which has driven a 23% increase in value despite only a 3.6% increase in revenue.”
Woolworths moved down to number two while Coles also slipped down a space to number seven.
“With sales expecting to slow at faster rates than rivals, the biggest challenge to Woolworths and other supermarket operators is coming from the German discount chain Aldi,” Crowe reveals.
“This threat is exacerbated by weak brand perceptions that has resulted in a downgrade in Woolworths brand rating to AA.”
However, Crowe says the rankings show the strength of Australia's banking sector. The big four banks occupy the third to seventh places in the rankings, with ANZ taking the top placed Australian bank.
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