Superbrands has come to be recognised as an independent arbiter on branding. The organisation promotes the discipline of brand management and pays tribute to exceptional brands.

The Superbrand status is finally awarded by independent judging panels of experts called the Superbrands Council. Essentially the people on the council represent the finest brand management practices in the country and each has an outstanding record of creating and nurturing brands. Every country has its own jury.

The definition of Superbrands that the judges bear in mind when scoring is as follows:
" A Superbrand has established the finest reputation in its field. It offers customers significant emotional and/or tangible advantages over its competitors, which (consciously or sub-consciously) customers want and recognise."

Only brands that are scored highly by the council qualify for the status and those which accept the invitation to participate feature in the publication.

Several countries also run Business Superbrands, Luxury Superbrands and Cool BrandLeader programmes.

Council members do not score categories in which they have an interest.

The subjective nature of the judging process is necessary to be able to compare brands of different sizes and in different industries purely on brand strength. For example if we were to take data on market share, value of sales and market capitalisation between say a motor car manufacturer and a cooking sauce brand these will offer very different results not necessarily based on any difference in the strength of these brands but due to the dynamics of those sectors.

Through identifying some of the strongest consumer brands in a country, and providing their case histories, the organisation hopes that people will gain a greater appreciation of the discipline of branding and a greater admiration for the brands themselves.

In the UK the programme is endorsed by the Chartered Institute of Marketing, the Institute of Practitioners in Advertising and the British Brands Group.