Louis Vuitton still most powerful luxury brand

(AFP PHOTO/ JEAN-PIERRE MULLER)

According to this year's BrandZ Top 100 report, a ranking by respected market analysts Millward Brown Optimor that identifies the world's most valuable brands measured by their dollar value, French luxury conglomerate Louis Vuitton is still in the top spot.

The first four companies haven't changed position, and all but Tiffany & Co were already part of the top ten last year.

Reasons for the analysts' decisions included Vuitton focusing on its travel heritage, Tiffany refusing to discount, and Hermès still being family-owned while working on a new brand in China.

"In the past, many companies were quick to cut their marketing spend during a down
economy," said Joanna Seddon, CEO of Millward Brown Optimor. "A new trend has emerged in the wake of the recession as more companies realized the importance of maintaining and even increasing budgets to support brand loyalty and engagement."

In general, it can be said that those brands which successfully upped their value over the past year stayed true to their core values while expanding in Asia.

The complete ranking is as follows:

1. Louis Vuitton
2. Herme?s
3. Gucci
4. Chanel
5. Hennessy
6. Rolex
7. Moe?t & Chandon
8. Cartier
9. Fendi

10. Tiffany & Co.

More information can be found online at http://www.millwardbrown.com.

Meanwhile, Vuitton's creative head, Marc Jacobs will feature as the only fashion designer on Time's 2010 edition of its 100 Most Influential People list, due out April 29.

http://www.time.com