Brief Background of Superbrands Organization International

• It was founded by Marcel Knobil in London in 1994;

• It is a worldwide independent arbiter on branding;

• It has been responsible for awarding ‘Superbrands’ status to more than 2,500 of the strongest brands around the world;

• It pays tribute to brands that it considers exceptional through its programs.

• It publishes a series of brand-focused books and publications.

• It has launched its programs in over 55 countries in many key global markets and has publications in 47 countries.

• Argentina, Australia, Austria, The Baltic States, Brazil, Britain, Bulgaria, Canada , Chile, China, Czech Republic, Denmark, Egypt, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Malaysia, Mexico, Morocco, Netherlands, Norway, Pakistan, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Slovakia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, United Arab Emirates and the United States of America.

In each country that it operates in, it aims to identify brands that perform above and beyond other brands within their respective markets.

In each country, it has established an independent and voluntary council, which is made up of notable experts in the branding and marketing communication industry. Councils also include experts from local and international blue-chip organizations, as well as the media.

Selection criteria

Brands are invited to participate in the Superbrands project based on the following criteria:

• market dominance,

• longevity,

• goodwill,

• customer loyalty and

• market acceptancy.

In each country, brands are selected as a “Superbrand” by the country’s Superbrands Council.

Each participating country publishes its own Superbrands book, which tells the stories of brands in that country.

Each brand’s editorial has sub-sections which cover the brand’s market, achievements, history, product or service, recent developments, promotional activities, brand values, and a “things you didn’t know” boxed-section.

Other publications in the Superbrands stable include Business Superbrands, CoolBrands, Sport BrandLeaders and eSuperbrands. In the United States, their publications are called America’s Greatest Brands.

In some countries, Superbrands is sometimes confused with a Reader’s Digest survey called SuperBrands. This survey is carried out by Reader’s Digest in Hong Kong, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan and Thailand, and the results are published by editions covering these countries.