Corporate Brand Ranking in Japan: Nikkei Research Brand Strategy Survey 2021

Nikkei Research Inc. has released its Brand Strategy Survey 2021, which evaluates the corporate brand equity of 600 major companies in Japan. This year, Apple Japan topped the list again, while Google came in second, moving up from its previous position in fifth place. Other names at the top of the list were familiar from last year, although TOTO, Toyota Motor and Canon all made significant gains in the rankings and moved into the top 10.

*More details on the rankings are available here.

The overall rankings are based on the Brand Perception Quotient (PQ), our original measure of corporate brand equity formulated with the following five key indicators:

• 1. Empathy (i.e., attractiveness to those in the "businesspeople" group)
• 2. Necessity
• 3. Premium
• 4. Uniqueness
• 5. Willingness to Recommend

The performances of all the indicators among those in "consumer" and "businesspeople" groups are combined to result in the PQ score.

In addition to the key indicators that make up the PQ, the survey also takes into account a number of other factors. These include corporate brand penetration, brand image, appealing aspects, contact points and experiential value. This year, the recognition of SDG-related activities associated with each brand was included for the first time. The leading brand to be recognized for its SDG initiatives in 2021, by both consumers and businesspeople, was Toyota Motor.

The Brand Strategy Survey has been conducted annually since 2003. The 19th survey this year had 46,480 respondents in the consumer group and 46,475 respondents in the businessperson group - an average of 770 to 780 people per brand. The survey was conducted online in Japan from June to July.

More details on this year's results are available at the link below.

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