Here’s a quick afternoon diversion: What Texas brands are the most valuable, according to Brand Finance, the international tracker of such things?
You won’t be shocked to learn that the top of the list for Texas is heavy with multinationals in the tech and energy industries: AT&T takes the top spot, and ExxonMobbil, Dell, ConocoPhillips, Exxon’s international retail brand Esso, also make the list. Things get a lot more interesting the further down you look, though—that’s where we discover the international reach of, say, Dr Pepper (which weighs in as the 336th most valuable brand in the world, with an estimated value of $1.758 billion).
All of this is conjecture, of course—Dr Pepper isn’t really for sale, and these valuations don’t factor in the other assets that the company may hold—but it’s fun to see how Texas brands stack up globally. Whole Foods, for example, weighs in at number 130 (with a valuation of nearly $4 billion), just one spot behind fellow Texan Huggies.
As far as other Texas retailers go, Whole Foods takes second place, behind 7-11 and ahead of J.C. Penney, while watch and leather goods retailer Fossil and oft-reviled video game store GameStop both check in ahead of Neiman Marcus.
In fact, it’s as interesting to see what ubiquitous Texas brands come in low on the list as it is to see which ones check in near the top: casual dining chain Chili’s, which seemingly has a location at every exit in the DFW Metroplex, comes in all the way at number 462, nearly a hundred spots below brands like Sally Beauty Supply and movie theater chain Cinemark.
Anyway—the utility of this list is probably limited, but it’s a fun lark to see how a global index of brand values views the things that Texans take for granted.
