Millward Brown

Was a global leader in brand equity measurement and advertising effectiveness research, operating across 55+ countries before being absorbed into Kantar.

Millward Brown was one of the world's foremost market research and brand consultancy firms, renowned for its expertise in advertising effectiveness, brand equity measurement, and consumer insight. Founded in 1973 in the United Kingdom, the company built a global reputation through proprietary methodologies such as BrandZ — the world's largest brand equity database — and Link, its advertising pre-testing system. These tools helped some of the world's largest advertisers understand how their brands were perceived and how their advertising investments were performing across markets. The company was acquired by WPP in 1989 and became a cornerstone of the Kantar group, WPP's data, insight, and consultancy division. In 2018, Millward Brown was officially rebranded as Kantar Millward Brown, and subsequently the Millward Brown name was phased out entirely as Kantar consolidated its portfolio of research brands under a unified 'Kantar' identity. The BrandZ brand valuation rankings, one of Millward Brown's most celebrated outputs, continued under the Kantar brand and remained a widely cited annual benchmark in the marketing industry. At its peak, Millward Brown operated in over 55 countries and served hundreds of the world's leading advertisers, media owners, and agencies. Its work spanned brand strategy, media effectiveness, digital analytics, and neuroscience-based research. The company's legacy lives on within Kantar's Brand Guidance and Creative Excellence divisions, which carry forward the methodologies and talent that made Millward Brown a defining force in marketing science and advertising research.