Best Brands Awards 2024: This Year’s Winners

Around 550 guests from business, trade and media as well as numerous celebrities attended the award gala at the hotel Bayerischer Hof in Munich. The evening was hosted by TV journalist Linda Zervakis. After a welcoming address by Franz-Olaf Kallerhoff, President of Markenverband (Brand Association), the evening opened with an enlightening speech by Australian fashion icon Elle Macpherson. Elle focused on her personal philosophy on beauty, wealth and success. As a supermodel and entrepreneurial businesswoman, Elle not only possesses extensive insider knowledge about wellness, fashion, fashion brands, and the entire industry but has also become an international brand of her own. After the award ceremony, the band "Sportfreunde Stiller" performed live on stage adding another highlight to the evening. The German indie rock group created a great atmosphere with hits such as "Applaus Applaus" and "Ein Kompliment".

Best Brands College 2024: The Power of Momentum

Durrng the day, the Best Brands College took place at Serviceplan Group's Munich House of Communication. The theme of this year's all-day congress was "Best Brands and the Power of Momentum: On the course to Success with Strong Brand Dynamics and AI". In her keynote speech, Ana von Hutten, Head of Marketing D-A-CH, Mattel, spoke about “the Art of Brand Momentum" and the epic journey of Mattel's iconic Barbie. This was followed by talks from renowned speakers such as Livia Mitschke-Collande from Google on how brands build the right kind of momentum at the right time, which strategies successful brands follow to develop resilience, and what role AI will play in the future. Finally, Germany’s most well-known sports manager Oliver Bierhoff, gave valuable tips on how brands can make the most of the 2024 sports year. The College was moderated by Daniel Boschmann for the fourth time.

Photos of the gala and college are available here.

The Best Brands Awards are organised as a partner event by NIQ/GfK, Seven.One Entertainment Group, Markenverband, WirtschaftsWoche, DIE ZEIT, RMS. Der Audiovermarkter, Media Impact and the Serviceplan Group.

Florian Haller, CEO Serviceplan Group: "In an era of multiple crises, brands are special anchor points in our lives. They not only give us joy, optimism and self-confidence, but also provide us with orientation through their values. It is particularly important for brand decision makers to show courage in these times: courage to take a stand, courage to make decisions, courage to keep renewing the brand. It is precisely these brands with courage and innovative strength that we honour at Best Brands. Congratulations to all the winners."
 

About the winners:

Based on a representative empirical study by GfK, Best Brands is the only marketing award that measures the strength of a brand according to two criteria: the actual economic market success and the attractiveness of the brand in the perception of consumers.

Nivea won the annual "Best Brand Overall" category this year. The brand combines the strengths of a traditional brand such as innovation, consistency, and contemporary values. With a focus on sustainability as well as diversity and inclusion, the brand shows attitude. This is particularly well-received by younger target groups. 

In addition to the "Best Brand Overall", brands from specific areas of life that were of particular importance to consumers in the respective year have been analysed since 2021. In the post-coronavirus era, both fashion and beauty products have regained relevance. Consumers increasingly feel the need to express themselves through clothing and cosmetics again.

The award in the "Best Brand Fashion" category went to Nike. Nike creates a high level of consumer loyalty through strong brand experiences and a strong attitude. The brand is characterised by innovative product ideas, proximity to pop culture and strong storytelling in communication.

L'Oréal Paris took first place in the "Best Brand Beauty" category. The brand sets standards in terms of the attractiveness of the brand in the perception of consumers (Share of Soul). The traditional company's claim "Because You’re worth it" perfectly captures the spirit of the times and consumers' desire to do something good for themselves.

Dyson was named "Best Momentum Brand". The brand benefits from the trend towards fewer, but higher quality products and is characterised by superior technology. Dyson also impresses with its strong pioneering spirit and future-orientation: with revolutionary products, for example in the haircare sector, the brand has succeeded like no other in defining and expanding its own product category. As an innovative trendsetter accompanied by stylish, modern communication, the brand arouses great desire among consumers.