Rolex and Apple rise to the top of the Superbrand indexes for 2013

The index was decided through a poll of 3,000 British citizens.

Household brands such as Kellogg’s, Disney, Lego and Heinz make up half of the consumer top 20, while the appearance of Heathrow Airport may surprise many, although according to the index 71 per cent of the British general public deemed it to be a superbrand.

Stephen Cheliotis, chairman of the Superbrands Expert Council, explained “As consumers remain unsettled and fearful over what feels like endless economic doom and gloom, malpractice in key institutions and a weakening position for Britain in a changing world, it is perhaps no surprise that we are turning to reassuringly-familiar brands that we have known throughout our lives - often much- loved British establishments that we still trust, despite recent problems for some. In addition, voters recognise newer technology brands that make our lives simpler, happier and better-connected in these difficult times.”

Apple tops the poll of B2B marketing experts and thousands of individual business professionals to top the Business Superbrands list, while Rolls Royce, which has come top for the last two year, fell to 16th position.

The top five was rounded out by British Airways, Google, Visa and Virgin Atlantic respectively.

Cheliotis, added: “This year’s [Business Index] results are a nod to the importance of those businesses supporting the virtual economy, which is likely to continue outpacing the wider business services market. The results also show Apple¹s dominance of the technology sector coming under increasing pressure from Samsung and second placed British Airways continuing to outperform bitter rival Virgin Atlantic. Perhaps the most surprising element of the results was the significant reputational bounce back enjoyed by the UK¹s leading banks.”

Recruitment firms also increased their visibility within the index with companies such as Reed rising to 100, Manpower up to 197, Office Angels making 205th place, Hays at 289th, Blue Arrow to 300th and Adecco at 329th position, while another five recruitment agencies such as Jobserve and Jobsite were found within the top 500 for the first time.

Robin Knight, marketing, communications and strategy partner at Zolfo Cooper, said of the list: “The results demonstrate a healthy mix of the aspirational and the everyday. Irrespective of product, market or price point it is vital that every business constantly focuses on maintaining trust, integrity and loyalty in all dealings with its stakeholders – be they customers, consumers, employees or indeed any other interested party.

"Some of the results might be seen as surprising given that a number of the businesses highlighted have experienced some relatively well-publicised challenges as a result of difficult trading conditions. This just goes to show how a well-positioned brand identity can carry consumer confidence and help an organisation weather the storm as part of an overall approach to doing business.

"From a consumer perspective, the rise of Google and Facebook as trusted brands is extremely noteworthy. Their success shows how companies which seek to both innovate and permeate daily life can propel themselves into consumers’ hearts and minds and become as recognised, trusted and involving as brands with many years’ more history behind them.”

Top 20 Superbrands 2013 - Consumer

1. Rolex

2. Apple

3. Microsoft

4. British Airways

5. Coca-Cola

6. Google

7. Hilton

8. Heathrow Airport

9. Kellogg¹s

10. Mercedes-Benz

11. BMW

12. Heinz

13. BBC

14. Facebook

15. Lego

16. Disney

17. Marks & Spencer

18. BP

19. Dulux

20. Nescafé

Top 20 Superbrands 2013 - Business

1. Apple

2. British Airways

3. Google

4. Visa

5. Virgin Atlantic

6. IBM

7. Shell

8. Microsoft

9. London Stock Exchange Group

10. MasterCard

11. BP

12. BT

13. Bosch

14. Samsung

15. FedEx

16. Rolls-Royce Group

17. Royal Mail

18. PayPal

19. GlaxoSmithKline

20. DHL