Consulting and commercial services firm Deloitte has the strongest B2B brand in the world, according to recent research from Brand Finance.

The researchers calculated brand strength by looking at three pillars: equity (current brand perceptions based on market research), inputs (activities by the firm to actively support the future strength of the brand), and outputs (brand-related performance measures such as market share).

Deloitte received a perfect brand strength score in the analysis, as did fellow consulting and commercial services firm EY. Petronas ranked third in brand strength and was followed by PwC and Sberbank.

The researchers also looked at total brand value (the present value of earnings specifically related to brand reputation), which was calculated based on a range of factors, including brand royalty agreements and people's perceptions of brands.

The analysis found Microsoft has the highest B2B brand value globally, equating to $137.5 billion (72% of Microsoft’s total brand value). Amazon has the second highest B2B brand value ($70.6 billion), despite only 24% of its overall brand value being attributed to B2B services.

About the research: The researchers calculated brand strength by looking at three pillars: equity, inputs, and outputs. They calculated total brand value based on a range of factors including brand royalty agreements and people's perceptions of a brand. For the full methodology, see the report.