KUALA LUMPUR (March 12): Twelve Malaysian brands have emerged as winners of the Brand of the Year 2020-2021 award at the World Branding Forum held in London.

Several of the winning brands were first-time winners, namely Aeon (Retailer – Department Stores), CS Chan (Retailer – Furniture), Digi (Telecommunications – Mobile), Thai Odyssey (Health & Beauty – Massage & Therapy), Top Glove (Healthcare – Gloves), Twisties (Snack Foods – Corn Based), and Unifi (Broadband/Internet Service Provider).

Meanwhile, the returning national tier winners from Malaysia were Getha (Retailer – Beds & Mattresses), MR. D.I.Y. (Retailer – Home Improvement), Munchy’s (Biscuits), Spritzer (Water), and Tenaga Nasional (Energy/Power).

“This is a celebration of the best marketers from across the globe. The Awards are an acknowledgement of the tireless effort of the teams that build and maintain their brand presence in an ever-changing market,” said chairman of the World Branding Forum Richard Rowles in a statement.

The 12th edition of the prestigious World Branding Award saw over 400 brands from more than 45 countries named “Brand of the Year” after they were nominated by over 250,000 consumers across the globe.

Amongst the brands listed as Global Tier winners are CoCo, Faber Castell, Fender, Heinz, IKEA, LEGO, Lurpak, McCain, Netflix, PILOT, Spotify, Yakult, and Yamaha.

Regional Tier winners include Anchor (New Zealand), Cotton On (Australia), Elkjøp (Norway), LuLu (United Arab Emirates), Isetan and Uniqlo (Japan), and Shopee (Singapore).

Singapore brands that bagged the National Tier award include Axe Brand (Medicinals – Traditional), BreadTalk (Bakery), and StarHub (Telecommunications – Mobile).

Meanwhile, first-time winners from Singapore also included Ayam Brand (Canned Food), FoodRepublic (Food Courts/Halls), Kenko Wellness (Health & Beauty – Massage & Therapy), and Shopee (Retailer – Online) winning the Regional award.

Winners are uniquely judged through three streams: brand valuation, consumer market research, and public online voting. Seventy percent of the scoring process comes from consumer votes. There can only be one winner in each category per country.

“The voting and nomination had taken place amidst the global Covid-19 pandemic whilst many countries were faced with restriction measures that had greatly disrupted the economic landscape.

“The Awards celebrates the innovative and creative ways these successful brands have managed to remain distinct and relevant to their consumers over the past year,” said organiser and global non-profit organisation World Branding Forum in the statement.