The World Branding Awards is an international award presented to global and national brands for their work and achievements in branding. The World Branding Forum, based in London, organises the awards.
There are three tiers of awards. A Global Award is presented to international brands, a Regional Award is presented to brands that are the top in several countries in a particular geographic region, and a National Award is presented to brands from participating countries. The awards trophy is on display at the Museum of Brands, Packaging & Advertising in London. The award's Brand of the Year logo is a registered trademark.
The 2015, 2016, 2017, and 2018 award ceremonies took place at Kensington Palace in London.
In 2017, the first Animalis Edition, an award ceremony dedicated to pet and animal branding, was held in the Hofburg Palace in Vienna. It is the world's largest animal and pet branding awards ceremony. The second Animalis Edition was held at the same venue in 2019.
In 2018, the Americas Edition of the awards, dedicated to the Americas and the Caribbean, was held at The Plaza on Fifth Avenue in New York City.
Nominations, judging, and scoring
Nominations for the awards can be made by brands' owners, custodians, agencies, or the public. There are three tiers of awards: a Global Award is presented to international brands that have a presence in ten or more countries, on three or more continents, limited to the top 100 global brands in any particular year; a Regional Award is presented to brands that are the top in several countries in a particular geographic region; and a National Award, which is presented to the top brands in participating countries at the awards. Brands that are global winners are not awarded again on a national level.
Winners of the awards are judged through three streams: brand valuation, consumer market research, and public online voting. There are also other awards for individuals voted for by the World Branding Forum Advisory Council. Winners go through an assessment process to determine the level of work put in by a brand for their branding activities. The level of trust that the brands’ customers and the public have for the brand is also taken into account.
Trophy
The award trophies are made in Stratford-upon-Avon. The first trophies were manufactured in nickel and gold plate, and accented in acrylic with a design focus on the logo. In 2016, a new gold-plated trophy was introduced for all winners. This is a solid trophy with no acrylic, and highlights the logo. It is in height and in diameter with an angled top, and weighs .
A trophy is on display at the Museum of Brands, Packaging & Advertising in London.
Award ceremonies
2014–2015 Awards
Over 2,500 brands from 35 countries were nominated for the Awards for the 2014–2015 period. Of these, 119 brands were awarded.
London ceremony
The London Awards ceremony was held on 26 October 2014, at One Whitehall Place, the events building of the Royal Horseguards Hotel. David Croft hosted the event.
Paris ceremony
The Paris Awards ceremony took place on 25 March 2015, at the Hilton Paris Opéra. This second instalment of the 2014–2015 awards emphasised food, beverage, luxury, fashion, lifestyle, hospitality, and service brands, with 50 brands from 22 countries awarded.
French actress, Sara Verhagen, presented the awards, and magician, Ben Hanlin provided the entertainment.
2015–2016 Awards
For the 2015–2016 period, more than 65,000 people voted for 2,600 nominated brands from 35 countries. 118 brands from 30 countries were declared winners. The awards ceremony took place on 24 September 2015 at Kensington Palace. Olivia Wayne of Sky Sports hosted the event.
2016–2017 Awards
This edition of the awards saw over 120,000 people voting for more than 2,800 brands from 35 countries. 210 brands from 30 countries were declared winners. The ceremony was held in Kensington Palace. Among the attendees were the United Arab Emirates Ambassador to the United Kingdom, Sulaiman Almazroui, and the Philippines Ambassador, Evan Garcia. David Croft of Sky Sports hosted the event.
2017–2018 Awards
Over 135,000 people voted for more than 3,000 brands from 35 countries in 2017. 245 winners were awarded. The awards ceremony was held in Kensington Palace in London.
In the same year, the Animalis Edition of the awards, focused on pet and animal brands, saw 92 brands from 35 countries named "Brand of the Year" in a ceremony held at the Hofburg Palace in Vienna.
2018–2019 Awards
In 2018, the World Branding Forum held two Brand of the Year Awards ceremonies.