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1 Harley Davidson

Harley-Davidson is an American motorbike maker that has established a cult following for its machines. It was founded by William S. Harley and his childhood friend Arthur Davidson in 1901. They spent several years trying to make a motorbike that would sell. They started production in 1907 in their factory in Milwaukee, which is still the company headquarters today. The company has survived despite America’s Great Depression and competition from Japanese companies that finished off most of the world’s other motorcycle makers. Harley produces big bikes (over 750cc) designed for cruising. They have a distinctive Harley rumbling noise. The company has a very loyal following, which it develops through HOG – the Harley Owners Group. The company’s 2009 revenue was over $4 billion. Almost 5% of this was from the licensing of its logo.

2 - Pampers

Pampers is a brand of baby products that started out as a manufacturer of disposable diapers (nappies). They are now part of the Procter & Gamble group of companies. Pampers were created in 1961. The company has diversified its product range so parents of babies of all sizes, sexes and medical conditions have a choice. Pampers are the most popular brand on the market and the word ‘Pampers’ has almost become a generic noun for all diapers. Several controversies have hit the brand. In 2010, Pampers introduced a product with something they called ‘Dry-Max technology’. They received thousands of complaints from parents who reported the diapers gave their babies rashes and chemical burns. An investigation was undertaken by the Consumer Products Safety Commission.

3 - Amazon

Amazon.com is one of the biggest success stories of the Internet. It was started by Jeff Bezos from a garage in Seattle, Washington in 1995 and is now the largest online retailer in the world. Bezos was Time magazine’s Person of the Year in 1999 for popularizing online shopping. His company originally sold only books but has diversified into selling music, video games, toys, electronics and other popular ranges of goods. Amazon has cleverly marketed itself worldwide by establishing separate websites in different countries. In 2007 Amazon launched its Kindle e-book reader, which now enjoys a huge share of that market. A year later it teamed up with toy and electronics makers to sell goods with minimal packaging to help the environment. It remains an innovative leader in the area of online commerce

4 - Heineken

Heineken is one of the world’s most popular brands of beer. It was established in 1873 in Amsterdam by Gerard Adriaan Heineken. He saw a market to introduce a ‘beer culture’ in Amsterdam’s cafes. Today, Heineken is brewed by 40 breweries in 39 countries around the world. It’s website says: “Heineken has been able to remain one of the world’s leading consumer and corporate brands for more than 130 years. It confronts directly the challenges in many of our markets to deliver organic profit growth, but also focuses on building the long-term future of our brands and business.” Heineken is one of the world’s leading brewers in terms of sales volume and profitability. Its principal brands are Heineken and Amstel, but it also owns more than 200 international brands, including Foster’s, Strongbow cider, Kingfisher, Tiger, and Newcastle Brown Ale.

5 - Panasonic

Panasonic is a Japanese multinational corporation that produces electronics. It is Japan’s largest maker of electrical goods and the 89th biggest company in the world. The company was founded in 1918 by Konosuke Matsushita. It was called Matsushita Denki and started off making bicycle lamps. It changed its name to Panasonic in 2003. ‘Panasonic’ was the name of the audio speakers it produced in 1955. After WWII, the company started making a wide variety of household electronics and bicycles. It became a world leader in the former but was forced to give up making bicycles due to poor levels of profitability. Panasonic bought its rival Sanyo (which was started my Matsushita’s brother-in-law) in 2008. The merged corporation has annual revenues of over $110 billion. The company uses the slogan “Panasonic ideas for life”.

6 - American Express

American Express, a.k.a. AmEx, is one of the world’s top 20 global brands. The financial services company was established in 1850. It is one of the 30 companies that make up the Dow Jones Industrial Average index. The company’s core business is credit cards and traveller’s cheques. American Express credit cards are seen as a premium product. Its membership fee is higher than most and it markets itself to a richer, business-travelling clientele. As a result, the company suffers less credit losses than its competitors. The company likes to keep with tradition. Its slogan “Don’t Leave Home Without It” dates from 1975. AmEx is frequently high on industry lists. ‘Fortune’ magazine listed it as one of the world’s 30 most admired companies and the ‘New York Times’ reported it has a 91% customer satisfaction rate.

7 - Heinz

The H. J. Heinz Company, commonly known as Heinz, is an American-based food company. Its website says: “Throughout the world, Heinz is synonymous with ketchup. We sell 650 million bottles of Heinz ketchup every year and approximately two single-serve packets of ketchup for every man, woman and child on the planet.” The company is also known for its baked beans and soups and the "57 Varieties" slogan. The company was founded in Pittsburgh in 1869 by Henry John Heinz. His business ideals are still important to the company today. Its website states: “Heinz conducts business in an ethical manner, guided by the enduring principles of our founder and an unwavering commitment to integrity.” Everyone knows the slogans, “Beanz Meanz Heinz” and “If It Isn’t Heinz, It Isn’t Ketchup.”

8 - Pepsi

PepsiCo is one of the world’s largest producers of soft drinks. Its most famous brand is Pepsi but its products also include Mountain Dew, Aquafina, 7up, Gatorade and Tropicana, among many other household names. Pepsi was first made in the 1890s by a pharmacist called Caleb Bradham. He wanted to create a tasty drink that boosted energy and helped with digestion. Since its creation, it has been involved in perhaps the world’s greatest business rivalry, with Coca Cola, which unsuccessfully tried to buy Pepsi three times in the 1930s. The company has over 200,000 employees worldwide and generates $50 billion of revenue a year. PepsiCo’s website says: “Our mission is to be the world's premier consumer products company focused on convenient foods and beverages.”

9 - Apple

Apple Inc. is one of the world’s best-known and perhaps favourite companies. It has earned the reputation as being an innovative leader in the fields of personal computers, software, music players, mobile phones and digital music distribution. The company was started by Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak in 1976. In 2010, it became the world’s most valuable computer company. Apple has succeeded by providing consumers with high quality, groundbreaking products. Almost everything Apple produces creates a media frenzy. The brand loyalty the company enjoys is the envy of any business. The company’s product range is a list of stunning commercial successes, from the iMac to iTunes, the iPod, iPad and iPhone. ‘Fortune’ magazine says Apple is the world’s most admired company.

10 - Hertz

Hertz is the world's leading vehicle renting organization. It operates from approximately 7,700 locations in 145 countries worldwide. It is the largest general use car rental brand in the world and is the number one airport car rental brand in the U.S. and at 69 major airports in Europe. Hertz's Worldwide Reservations Centers handle approximately 40 million phone calls and receive 30 million reservations annually. The company started in 1923 when John Hertz of the Yellow Cab and Yellow Truck and Coach Manufacturing Company bought a car renting company from Walter L. Jacobs - the pioneer of auto renting. He called it the Hertz Drive-Ur-Self System. Hertz’s mission “is to be the most customer-focused, cost-efficient vehicle and equipment rental/leasing company in every market.”