The coveted 'best brands' prize, now in its fourth year, is not awarded by a jury. Rankings for this prize are the result of representative market research covering such key criteria as current economic market success and brand recognition and popularity among consumers. Miele was successful as 'Best Company' and also achieved a top-five place in the category 'Best Product Brand'.
At Miele, the award is seen as confirmation of the company philosophy of 'Forever better', a maxim which has been handed down through the ages. Success is put down to the fact that for generations, Miele has consistently focussed on durability, technology and service. According to a company spokesman, "We are receiving the award for the teamwork of all employees at Miele who live this philosophy anew every day".
When deciding on the winning brands, 'best brands' dispenses with the subjective opinion of a jury. Instead, candidates who make it to the final round must be judged by two essential criteria: current market success, the so-called 'Share of Market', and attractiveness of the brand among consumers, the so-called 'Share of Soul'. Therefore 'best brands' is the first brand ranking which evaluates brands according to both their market significance and also their psychological appeal, which, after all, is the foundation for their future success. Previously, no other brand ranking system has taken both components into account together – the revenue-oriented and the emotional factors.
The 'Best Company' is determined based on the 'GfK Corporate Reputation' measuring method. GfK is the leading market research institute in Germany. This method examines the attitude of the public towards companies and includes a rational and an emotional appraisal of companies. This separate poll was also carried out between October and November 2006 and involved telephone interviews with a representative selection of 2000 consumers across Germany about success factors such as international outlook, standing and reputation as a top company, product quality and unique appeal.
The 'best brands' award, presented by the initiators Serviceplan, GfK, SevenOne Media, the 'WirtschaftsWoche' business magazine, the brand association and GWP media-marketing, is held in high regard by the German branded goods industry. The gala in Munich is regarded as the top event among brands.