PETRONAS -top brand in Malaysia

Date: 28/09/2007 
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National oil corporation Petronas is the most valuable Malaysian brand at 
RM7.51 billion, according to Brand Finance Plc, the London-based independent 
valuation firm.

"Petronas is the most valuable Malaysian brand and is worth RM7.51 billion out
 of the total brand value of Malaysia 's top 50 brands, which is RM60.19 billion," 
the firm said when releasing the first index of Malaysia 's top 50 brands report.

AirAsia, Astro , Malaysia Airlines, Petronas, Telekom Malaysia (TM) and 
Maybank were the only Malaysian brands to achieve an "AAA" brand rating, 
Brand Finance said in a statement issued from London .

"The top 10 Malaysian brands command more than 60 percent of the overall 
top 50 brand value and overall the brands predominantly come from the financial 
services and agricultural sectors," it said.

Based on the Brand Finance Global Intangible Study, about 40 percent of 
Malaysia 's market value is derived from intangible assets, compared to the 
United States at 70 percent.

Overall, the total brand value of the top 50 brands in Malaysia as a percentage 
of the total enterprise value averaged at only four percent.

"This could partly be due to the fact that most of the companies in Malaysia 
are heavily weighted on mining and industries, agriculture and infrastructure 
sectors," Brand Finance said.

However, Malaysian brands such as Petronas, MayBank and TM are gaining 
global recognition, the firm said.

"Many of these Malaysian companies will adopt a new mindset as they 
compete globally and are increasingly accountable to their shareholders,"
 it said.

Lucy Gwee, managing director of Brand Finance Singapore , said some leading 
Malaysian brands were already setting their footprints globally.

"The immediate noticeable change is in the mindset of management," Gwee said.

"Malaysian companies need to increasingly focus on using their intangible 
assets such as brands to increase shareholder value," she said. 

Source : BERNAMA 27 Sep 2007