The Superbrands organization is an independent arbiter on branding[1]. Its membership programmes pay tribute to the world's leading brands, as selected by experts and consumers[2]. The organization also publishes a series of brand-focused books and publications. Superbrands has launched its programs in many key global markets and has publications in over 86 countries[3].
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Superbrands was founded by advertising executive Marcel Knobil in London in 1994. It began as a radio show on GLR (now BBC Radio London), which was aimed at giving ordinary customers an insight into the significant brands that touched their lives. Due to the success of the show the Superbrand organization was founded in 1995.
In each country that it operates, it aims to identify brands that perform above and beyond other brands within their respective markets. To facilitate this, each country has an independent and voluntary council, which is made up of notable experts in the branding and marketing communication industry as well as experts from local and international blue-chip organisations. Brands that are rated highly by both the council and consumers are eligible for inclusion in a Superbrands project. Step 1 Study: an independent study elects the strongest brands of the country called Superbrands. Step 2 Reward and Knowledge; Superbrands Seal of Excellence, The Superbrands book. In some countries they also hold seminars and Awards ceremonies.
In each country that Superbrands operates in, it elects a Superbrands Council, which usually comprises industry experts and practitioners, which selects the top brands under various categories and awards them the status of "Superbrands".[4]
Brands are invited to participate in the Superbrands project based on the following criteria: market dominance, longevity, goodwill, customer loyalty and market acceptancy.[5]
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[6], CoolBrands, Sport BrandLeaders and eSuperbrands. In the United States, their publications are called America's Greatest Brands[7].
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.[8]
Due to the popularization of Superbrands, Reader's Digest Super Brands was renamed "Trusted Brands".