Tyre manufacturers are four of top 500 global brands

Bridgestone may remain as the world’s most valuable tyre brand, according to new brand valuation research by Brand Finance, but there are actually four tyre brands in the top 500 list.

The annual Brand Finance Global 500 showed that while Bridgestone suffered some slippage from 2012 and Michelin gained some ground, the Japanese tyremaker’s lead brand retained its top spot. Bridgestone placed 254th overall on the global rankings, down from 2012 placement at 235th. The brand was valued at $4.5 billion, up slightly from 2012’s $4.4 billion valuation, earning a brand rating of AA-.

Michelin, meanwhile, jumped to 264th place on the global listing, up from 2012’s 271 spot. The brand earned a $4.4 billion value, well up from the $3.9 billion valuation of 2012, and a brand rating of AA+.

Continental was third among tyremakers, with a global ranking of 374, down from 362 in 2012. The brand was valued at $3.2 billion, up slightly from 2012’s $3.1 billion, giving it a brand rating of AA-.

Goodyear, the only American tyre brand on the global list, placed at 379th, well up from 431st spot last year. The brand’s value came in at $3.2 billion, a significant jump from 2012’s $2.7 billion, earning it an AA- rating.

Rounding out the tyre category was Pirelli, which went unranked among the top 500 brands this year and last. Still, its brand was valued at $1.5 billion, up from $1.3 in 2012, giving it a brand rating of AA.

Brand Finance CEO David Haigh noted: “The tyre market is forecast to grow 5 per cent per annum to 2015 and competition for this growing prize is intensifying. In what is one of the most highly branded industry sectors, manufacturers spend millions of dollars on sponsorships, advertising and promotional activity in order to gain market share, particularly within Asia Pacific, which accounts for half of the global tyre market.”