Marketing communications

Only two Russian brands were included in the top 100 most expensive brands in the world published yesterday by the consulting company Millward Brown Optimor (part of the Millward Brown research network). The MTS brand, which increased in price by 12% over the past year, to $10.883 billion, occupies 80th place, and Sberbank, which entered the rating for the first time and is valued at $8.535 billion, is in 99th place. As Kommersant predicted back on May 4 , the VimpelCom-owned Beeline brand did not make it into the top 100 this time (a year ago it was valued at $8.16 billion). In the industry rankings also compiled by Millward Brown Optimor, there are two more Russian brands that have a chance to enter the global top 100 in the future: Gazprom ($6.849 billion; plus 24% by 2010) appears in the top twenty most valuable brands in the oil and gas sector ($6.849 billion; plus 24% by 2010) and for the first time estimated LUKOIL ($5.792 billion). Rosneft also has the potential to become a global brand, notes Anastasia Kurovskaya, vice president of Millward Brown Optimor. In her opinion, among other Russian applicants, representatives of telecom (for example, Beeline), banks (for example, VTB) and the Baltika brewing company have a chance of further getting into the top 100. The leader of the rating was the Apple brand, which rose in price by 84% over the past year and is worth $153 billion.

Sergey Sobolev

Media

Warner Music went to Leonard Blavatnik

Billionaire Leonard Blavatnik's Access Industries is acquiring debt-laden Warner Music for $3.3 billion, the companies said in a joint statement. Under the terms of the deal, Access Industries will pay $8.25 for each share of Warner Music, which is 34.4% higher than the average price of shares over the past six months. The deal will be financed in cash and will close in the third quarter of this year. As a result of the transaction, Warner Music will become a private company and will delist. Let us recall that from 2004 to 2008 Leonard Blavatnik served on the board of directors of Warner Music. The entrepreneur already owns 2% of the record company.

Tamila Jojua

Beeline lost to Sberbank