VIPility ! Luxury's best blog: Top Luxury Brands 2006

World’s Most Powerful Brands 2006: Microsoft tops list of 100 Rankings: New Economy,
New Business Models, New Money

Europe leads the world in luxury brands: Louis Vuitton ranked (24), Mercedes (28), Porsche (44), Chanel (75) and Cartier (82). The study shows that demand for luxury goods is growing rapidly, fuelled by the rise in global wealth, and the increase of "super-affluent" consumers in developing countries.
Chinese brands are gaining global power: The rise of Chinese brands such as China Mobile, which was (4) in the ranking — and rapidly emerging brands like Lenovo — reflects both the size and growth of the Chinese market as well as the ability of these companies to run global operations.
Retail brands are becoming a more important factor in driving consumer shopping behaviour: Many retailers show strong brand contributions, which in some cases are higher than those of the products they sell. This proves that shopping is a "branded" experience e.g., Wal-mart ranked (6), Tesco (30), eBay (38), and Amazon (78), and puts retailers in a position of power to exert pressure on suppliers of branded products.
New economy, new business models and new money: New business models have enabled new brands such as Starbucks, ranked (48), and Zara (87) to establish their positions not only in the market but in consumers' minds — creating a strong foundation to help them earn lead positions among "old" brands. With the increasing acceptance of digital lifestyles, brands that enable customers to lead them such as Google ranked (7) and eBay are growing fast. The challenge here is continual innovation.

FORTUNE 500
Our annual ranking of America's largest corporations

See the full list of America's largest corporations, including detailed company profiles and contact information. (more)

1. Exxon Mobil	6. ConocoPhillips
2. Wal-Mart Stores	7. General Electric
3. General Motors	8. Citigroup
4. Chevron	9. AIG
5. Ford Motor	10. IBM

Best employers

Forty companies are on both the FORTUNE 500 and 100 Best Companies to Work For. (more)

• FedEx	• Nike
• Starbucks	• See the rest

more from CNN.com :

Businessweek The 100 Top Brands 2006

2006 Rank	2005 Rank	Name	Country	2006 Value ($Mil)	2005 Value ($Mil)	Change in Value (%)	Description

1	1	Coca-Cola	U.S.	67,000	67,525	-1%	Flagging appetite for soda has cut demand for Coke, but the beverage giant has a raft of new products in the pipeline that could reverse its recent slide.

2	2	Microsoft	U.S.	56,926	59,941	-5%	Threats from Google and Apple haven't yet offset the power of its Windows and Office monopolies.

3	3	IBM	U.S.	56,201	53,376	5%	Having off-loaded its low-profit PC business to Lenovo, IBM is marketing on the strategic level to corporate leaders.

4	4	GE	U.S.	48,907	46,996	4%	The brand Edison built has extended its reach from ovens to credit cards, and the "Ecomagination" push is making GE look like a protector of the planet.

5	5	Intel	U.S.	32,319	35,588	-9%	Profits and market share weren't the only things slammed by rival AMD. Intel's brand value tumbled 9%, as it loss business from high-profile customers.

6	6	Nokia	Finland	30,131	26,452	14%	Fashionable designs and low-cost models for the developing world enabled the mobile phone maker to regain ground against competitors.

7	9	Toyota	Japan	27,941	24,837	12%	Toyota is closing in on GM to become the world's biggest automaker. A slated 10% increase in U.S. sales this year will help even more.

8	7	Disney	U.S.	27,848	26,441	5%	New CEO Robert Iger expanded the brand by buying animation hit-maker Pixar and beefing up digital distribution of TV shows through the Internet and iPods.

9	8	McDonald�s	U.S.	27,501	26,014	6%	A new healthy-living marketing campaign—and the premium-priced sandwiches and salads that came with it—have led to a fourth year of sales gains.

10	11	Mercedes-Benz	Germany	21,795	20,006	9%	The new S-Class sedan and M-Class SUV are helping repair a tarnished quality reputation. High costs and weak