Chubb improved its position in the ratings by 45 places to finish 12th overall, ahead of such names as Boeing, Shell and Virgin Atlantic. The UTC Fire and Security subsidiary finished 183 places ahead of its nearest rival, ADT. Top of the list was Google, followed closely by Rolls Royce and Sony.
Companies placed on the prestigious Business Superbrands listing are vetted through a rigorous selection process that includes researching the opinions of more than 1,500 business professionals (which are then compiled by the Centre for Brand Analysis) and close consultation with an independent council of industry experts (more of whom anon).
100 new brands in the Top 500
“There are 100 new brands in the Top 500. While the top of the league experiences relative calm, overall volatility remains and brands have to fight hard to be in the table, especially during these turbulent times,” said Stephen Cheliotis, chairman of the Business Superbrands Council for 2009.
A spokesperson for Chubb responded: “The essential components that define a Business Superbrand – quality, reliability and distinction – are all widely evident at Chubb. The Chubb name has been at the forefront of the fire and security industry for more than 170 years, and has become synonymous with customers as a name you can trust. To be recognised nationally and indeed internationally as a Business Superbrand is a marvellous achievement, and a great testimony to the continued commitment and dedication of our employees throughout the UK.”
Also leading the Support Services category sectors are PricewaterhouseCoopers (Accountancy and Business Services) in 17th place, The Law Society (Associations and Accreditations) in 118th place, McKinsey & Company (Consultancies) in 113th, AA (General) in 63rd, FTSE (Information Providers) in 35th, Linklaters (Legal) in 227th, Pickfords in 65th (Office Design, Refurbishment and Relocation), Reed (Recruitment) in 194th and Biffa (Waste Management) in 170th.
The Security and Fire Sector company rankings are as follows: (1) Chubb 12 (2) Yale 57 (3) ADT 195 (4) Securitas 209 (5) Banham Alarms 393 and (6) G4S 470
Business Superbrands: the selection process
The entire selection process is administered by The Centre for Brand Analysis (TCBA). TCBA researchers compile a list of the UK’s leading business-to-business brands, drawing on a wide range of sources from sector reports to blogs. From the thousands of brands initially considered, a list of just over 1,100 brands is created.
These brands are scored by the independent and voluntary Expert Council, which is assembled and chaired by the TCBA’s chief executive. Bearing in mind the given definition of a Business Superbrand, the Expert Council members individually award each brand a rating from 1-10. Council members are not allowed to score brands with which they have a direct association. The lowest-scoring brands (approximately 40%) are eliminated at this stage.
The remaining brands are voted on by more than 1,500 individual business professionals – defined as those who have either purchasing or managerial responsibilities. These individuals are accessed via a YouGov panel.
Taking the views of the experts and the business professionals into equal account, a combined score is produced for each brand. This score determines a given company’s position in the official league table – only the top 500 brands in that table are deemed to be Business Superbrands.
Business Superbrands: the definition
When voting on the brands, both the Expert Council and the business professionals consider the following definition of a Business Superbrand: ‘A Business Superbrand has established the finest reputation in its field. It offers customers significant emotional and/or tangible advantages over its competitors, which customers want and recognise.’
In addition, experts and professionals are asked to judge the brands against the following three factors:
– Quality – does the brand represent quality products and services?
– Reliability – can the brand be trusted to deliver consistently against its promises, and maintain product and service standards at all customer ‘touch points’?
– Distinction – is the brand not only well-known in its sector, but suitably differentiated from its competitors, and does it have a personality and values that make it unique within its market place?
Business Superbrands: the Expert Council 2009
– Jaakko Alanko (managing director, McCann Erickson Business Communications)
– Chris Bailey (regional creative director for Western Europe, Saatchi & Saatchi)
– Gary Brine (founder and ex-CEO, Gyro International)
– Richard Bush (founder and managing director, Base One Group)
– Steve Cooke (marketing director, BMRB)
– Nadia Cristina (partner, Practice Management International LLP)
– Jonathan Cummings (director, Start Creative)
– Paul Edwards (chief executive, Research International UK)
– Pamela Fieldhouse (managing director, Edelman UK)
– Carlos Grande (editor, WARC Online)
– Richard Groom (head of consultancy, Groom Associates)
– Joanna Higgins (senior editor, BNET UK)
– Jason Karaian (deputy editor, CFO Europe)
– Darrell Kofkin (chief executive, Global Marketing Network)
– Mark Lanigan (partner, Ogilvy)
– Kate Manasian (managing director, Saffron Consultants)
– Ruth Mortimer (editor, Brand Strategy)
– Marc Nohr (managing partner, Kitcatt Nohr Alexander Shaw)
– Phil Nunn (partner, Trinity)
– Andrew Pinkess (strategy director, Rufus Leonard)
– Shane Redding (managing director, Think Direct)
– Matthew Stibbe (writer-in-chief, Articulate Marketing)
– Morvah Stubbings (managing director, BPRI)
– Giles Thomas (chief operating officer, Branded)
– Richard Williams (founding partner, Williams Murray Hamm)
– Chris Wilson (managing director, Loewy Brand Communications)
– Andrew Worlock (director, Insidedge)
– Simon Wylie (founding partner and managing director, Xtreme Information)
Fire safety and security: one million customers worldwide
Chubb’s parent company UTC Fire and Security provides fire safety and security solutions to more than one million customers worldwide.
Headquartered in Connecticut, UTC Fire and Security is a business unit of United Technologies Corporation, which provides high technology products and services to the building and aerospace industries worldwide.