[THE INVESTOR] Samsung Electronics has been rated the world’s seventh valuable brand, with its value estimated at $51.8 billion, the company said Wednesday, quoting an annual report published by Interbrand, a global brand consulting agency.

According to the report, the brand value of the South Korean IT giant has increased 14 percent from last year, surpassing the $50 billion mark for the first time. In the last 10years, its brand value has surged 320 percent, it added.

Samsung’s launch of premium lineups in mobile, TV and home appliances may have contributed in strengthening its brand power, the company said in a statement.　

Meanwhile, Hyundai Motor, the nation’s largest carmaker, has ranked 35th in a global brand value report, climbing four notches from last year.

According to Interbrand’s list of the world’s top 100 brands, Hyundai Motor held $12.5 billion worth of brand value. Its sister firm Kia Motors ranked 69th, up five steps from last year. The brand value of Kia Motors was estimated at $6.3 billion won.

When it entered the top 100 in 2005, Hyundai Motor’s brand value was $3.5 billion.

Among carmakers on the Interbrand list, Hyundai Motor beat out German carmaker Audi in terms of brand value for the fifth consecutive year. The top carmaker by brand value was Toyota, followed by Mercedez Benz and BMW. Hyundai ranked sixth, followed by Audi and Volkswagen.

Kia Motors saw a 12 percent increase in its brand value from last year and a 600 percent increase from 2006, when it first announced a plan to reinforce the focus on design.

Interbrand is a brand consultancy under the New York-based Omnicom Group. The company publishes the top 100 brands every year based on companies’ financial status and marketing strategy. It measures anticipated returns of the companies in the future, and list them up with numbers calculated in present value.

By Cho Chung-un/The Korea Herald ()