Six Indian brands among world's 500 best; Tata among top 50

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As many as six Indian brands including - Tata, Airtel, State Bank of India, Reliance, Indian Oil Corporation and Infosys - have been named amongst world's 500 best brands this year by global consultancy firm 'Brand Finance'.

The Tata is the only Indian brand making it to the top 50, as per the latest ranking.

Tata has improved its ranking in the coveted list from 50 in 2011 to 44 this year. Its brand value has also increased to USD 16.3 billion this year from USD 15.8 billion a year ago, the valuation consultancy Brand Finance said.

Amid falling demand in western economies and rising commodity prices, high level of diversification in Tata business portfolio has meant that the group has been able to generate revenues in numerous areas, Brand Finance said.

"Historically, Tata's brand equity has always been very strong with the group having been regarded as one of the world’s most reputable organisations for a number of decades," it added.

The list was topped by technology giant Apple which replaced internet major Google and emerged as the most valuable brand with a brand valuation of USD 70.60 billion.

Apple improved its position significantly over last year's ranking of 8th.

Among brands in India, while Tata, Airtel and Infosys have improved their positions, State Bank of India, Reliance Industries and state-owned Indian Oil Corporation slipped from their last year's rankings.

Airtel with a brand value of USD 5.22 billion was ranked 186th this year (284 in 2011, brand value of USD 3.68 billion) and Infosys with a brand value of USD 3.62 billion climbed to 296 position (381 in 2011, brand value of USD 2.90 billion).

State Bank of India slipped to 218th slot (from 171 in 2011), Reliance to 235 (from 133 in 2011) and Indian Oil Corporation to 292 (from 234 in 2011).

However, the number of Indian brands in the top 500 has declined from nine last year to six, as Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd, Wipro Technologies and ICICI Bank dropped out of the ranking.

Other than Apple and Google, the top ten global brands include Microsoft at the third position with a brand value of USD 45.8 billion, followed by IBM, Walmart Samsung, GE, Coca Cola, Vodafone and Amazon.