Nokia brand value

Not long after Nokia announced Q2 2004 earnings, BusinessWeek reported on Interbrand’s annual ranking of the “100 Top Global Brands”.

Both are worth reading. Remember as you read the latter, however, that brands often vary significantly in their following from one region to another, and regional trends in brand value are probably more useful predictions of future success than one averaged out number in isolation might be.

Case in point: Nokia’s brand value in Asia is #2 right behind Sony. Everyone agrees that China’s and the rest of Asia’s accelerating markets are the place to watch for sales, and brands are of central importance in driving these sales. If you had a choice to be the #8 brand worldwide but #2 in China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia and the Philippines, or vice versa, what would you pick?

Want another indicator of this trend? Look at the top two handsets in CNETAsia’s Singapore based “Top 10 phones of July”. Yep, Nokia 6230 and Nokia 7610, with the 7200 and N-Gage QD also in the Top 10.

I guess #8 worldwide isn’t too bad, anyway: It leaves seven steps up available for improvement, right? And if the trends in Asia continue, Nokia’s got a pretty good chance of taking some of those steps.

[Standard disclaimer applies.]