AB InBev's Budweiser has claimed the top spot as the world’s most valuable beer brand for the first time, overtaking long-standing leader Bud Light.
Brand Finance's annual report on the most valuable and strongest beer brands found Budweiser's brand value was $US7.5 billion.
It attributed the brand's rise to No.1 to the immense success of its global sponsorship of the 2018 FIFA World Cup.
"The campaign, the brand’s most expensive to date, reached 3.2 billion football fans globally, facilitating accelerated growth in new markets including South Africa, Colombia, China and Australia," the report revealed.
Budweiser sales increased 2Q18 revenue by 10.1% outside of the US as reaped the benefits of its global sponsor.
AB InBev dominated the Brand Finance Beers 25, with 11 brands making the list.
China’s Snow and Tsingtao recorded the fastest growth, up 52% and 49% respectively.
“As you can see across this year’s ranking, it is the Asian, particularly Chinese, beer brands that are seeing the highest brand value growth," said David Haigh, CEO, Brand Finance.
"With demand for beer at an all time high in China and predictions of inflated growth over the coming years as a result of greater disposable income from the emerging middle class, this trend looks set to continue. If these brands begin to expand beyond China and into new markets, we could potentially see some very stiff competition to established Western beer brands.”
Scotland’s BrewDog was the highest new entrant in 19th position, brand value US$1.5 billion.
"Now 11 years old, the brand is undertaking ambitious growth plans across key international markets, with new breweries and bars in the pipeline both at home in the UK and abroad," the report notes.
"Its flagship beer, Punk IPA, is already the number one craft beer in the UK and the brand is striving to make it the beer of choice internationally."
Columbia's Aguila is world’s strongest beer brand, clocking up Brand Strength Index (BSI) score of 88.4 out of 100.
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