100 Top Brands by BusinessWeek

Source: BusinessWeek
Reviving even a storied brand isn't easy once consumers have a negative perception of it. Just ask Ford or Gap, which lost 19% and 15% of their brand value, respectively, in this year's BusinessWeek/Interbrand annual ranking of the 100 Best Global Brands. Even such perennial winners as Coca-Cola (No. 1) can have trouble boosting their brand. The beverage giant claimed the top spot for the seventh year in a row mostly because it is big and everywhere, but it failed to further burnish its reputation because its move into healthier drinks and snacks has yet to resonate.

Here are more comeback stories:
Nintendo
Daring to go after a new crowd
Nintendo's marketers had a pretty good idea that the new Wii player would be a game changer, thanks to a newfangled wireless controller that is wielded like a light saber. And yet they didn't slap the Nintendo name on the gadget. Why? Because the company wanted to make it clear that the Wii was not just for gamers but was also a home entertainment system for all. "I'm not concerned about the spread of the Wii brand," says Nintendo President Satoru Iwata, "because I think the brand name of Nintendo is expanding with it.


Audi
Hatching a plan and sticking to it
The Audi brand has long suffered in comparison with its more prestigious German rivals. If Wall Streeters drove BMWs and Mercedes-Benzes, Audi was embraced by suburban lawyers and the like. Now that's changing. Even in its home market, where people can be excessively snooty about their wheels, Volkswagen's premium brand has been ranking high in consumer surveys, with some of its models even placing ahead of BMW and Mercedes.



Hewlett-Packard
Challenging the status quo
Regaining your position as the world's biggest seller of personal computers is impressive, especially when just two years earlier critics were clamoring for you to get out of the PC business altogether.







Burberry
Mining the past to seize the future
When British soccer fans began donning Burberry hats en masse about five years ago, it became clear that the fashion icon had forfeited some of its prestige. Ditto when a British soap opera star appeared in the tabloids with her new baby swaddled head to toe in the iconic plaid pattern. When holiday sales tanked in 2004, Burberry knew that it was on its way to becoming overexposed. It was time to retrench. Since then, Burberry has walked a careful line: moving beyond plaid without disrespecting its fashion history.



Citibank
Staying big but going local
Wall Street and some institutional investors continue to push for a breakup of Citi, which they say should choose between being an investment bank or a consumer lender. And the stock is still languishing. But while the institutional banking side of the house has suffered setbacks under Citigroup CEO Charles "Chuck" Prince, the retail and consumer side of the business is growing and was the primary driver of global brand value in 2006. Indeed, Citi posted a 9% gain and held on to its position as the No. 11 global brand, thanks to a concerted effort to boost its retail presence.

For 100 Top Brands Slideshow, please refer to : Best Global Brands