Caterpillar is Again a Top Global Brand; Value Keeps Growing

Interbrand reports Caterpillar’s brand value increases to $5.28 billion

PEORIA, IL - Interbrand, the world’s largest brand consultancy, has once again placed the Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE: CAT) brand on its Best Global Brands list. Coming in at number 68 this year, it’s the sixth consecutive year Caterpillar has ranked within the top 100 brands. The Caterpillar brand increased five percent from the 2007 ranking to a value of $5.28 billion. The company has seen its brand value rise 65 percent since first making Interbrand’s list in 2002.

“Our global scale, diverse employee base, unique dealer distribution model and innovative culture is a key reason why Caterpillar continues to lead in almost every industry we serve,” said Stu Levenick, Caterpillar group president. “We and our worldwide dealer organization are providing solutions to our customers that ensure a more sustainable planet, allowing us to remain at the forefront of positive global change, especially in emerging markets.”

BusinessWeek pointed to Caterpillar’s “enviable position as these new markets expand at an extraordinary rate” as a reason for making the 2008 list.

“The legacy of our brand is well known. We’ve been making progress possible for more than 80 years,” said Caterpillar’s Global Brand Manager Jennifer Wilfong. “Equally significant is the impact our products and services have on making sustainable progress possible. We are pleased with the recognition our brand continues to receive. I’m confident the value of our brand, whether measured in dollars or by the increasingly sustainable world we help make possible with our dealers and customers, will continue to grow.”

To qualify for inclusion in the BusinessWeek/Interbrand Best Global Brands 2008 list, each brand must derive at least a third of its earnings outside its home country, be recognizable outside of its base of customers and have publicly available marketing and financial data. This methodology evaluates brand value in the same way any other corporate asset is valued—on the basis of how much it is likely to earn for the company in the future. Interbrand uses a combination of analysts’ projections, company financial documents and its own qualitative and quantitative analysis to arrive at a net present value of those earnings.