Nikkei Research announced the results of its "Brand X (Ten) - 10-Year Analysis of Brand Strategy Survey," based on data from the past 10 years. The survey analyzed data from 277 companies whose brand strength was measured continuously over the 10-year period up to 2012 and created a ranking of companies evaluated over the entire 10-year period. Topping the list was Google, which surpassed Microsoft Japan in "momentum," a score measured by the extent and frequency of increases. It was followed by Amazon (2nd), Microsoft Japan (3rd), and Apple Japan (5th), with IT companies accounting for four of the top five spots. Yamato Transport achieved the highest ranking among Japanese companies, coming in at 4th place. While its brand strength declined slightly, maintaining a high level for 10 years led to its high evaluation. Among the top 20 Japanese companies, Uniqlo (7th) was the only one whose brand strength improved from 10 years ago, despite experiencing ups and downs. Overall, 36 companies, just over 10% of the total, saw their brand strength improve from 10 years ago. Top-ranked companies have a strong image of having "strong product and service planning and development capabilities," while Japanese companies are declining in this category.

Meanwhile, Kagome (8th place) and Ajinomoto (10th place) made it into the top 10, with food companies maintaining their high rankings. While export-oriented companies have weakened due to the economic downturn, food companies, which are largely domestic demand-oriented, have not been greatly affected by economic ups and downs in their brand reputations.

The brand survey has been conducted annually since 2003. There are two surveys, a business version and a consumer version, and each covers five items related to the brand (business version: corporate attractiveness, uniqueness, business usefulness, premium, intention to recommend; consumer version: attachment, uniqueness, personal necessity, premium, intention to recommend).