In this weeks "The Most Ridiculous Marketing Podcast" we discuss the following.

• Amazon tops the BrandZ Charts and is the most valuable brand for the third consecutive year running.

• How Chinese brands are fast becoming some of the most valued brands in the technology space.

• Bumble gives their employees a week off due to everything that's happened during the last year, we discuss mental health in the workplace.

• Deliveroo, UberEats and Just-Eat are major food delivery services, but how much more expensive are they, than dealing with a restaurant directly? How much more are you spending and how much is the commission that these services take?

Amazon tops Kantar BrandZ’s list of the world’s 100 most valuable brands for the third year in a row, as a host of global businesses bounce back with a vengeance despite the trials of lockdown.

Apple follows in second place ($611bn, up 74%), with Google claiming third place ($458bn, up 42%) from now fourth-placed Microsoft ($410.3bn, up 26%).

For the first time this year, Chinese brands outnumber their European counterparts, with US and Chinese companies now accounting for 88% of the top 100. Furthermore, the domination of tech and its influence on retail, leisure and media continues unabated.

Tencent (0700.HK), China's biggest social media and video games company, was the People's Republic's top brand, in fifth place, while Alibaba (9988.HK), was in seventh place.

"Chinese brands are steadily and slowly progressing, and have made significant headway as more companies leverage their own technological developments and demonstrate their abilities to align with the major trends shaping China and the global market,"

Tesla, founded in 2003, was the fastest-growing brand and became the most valuable car brand, growing its value by 275%.

Top Chinese brands consolidated their lead over top European brands: China accounted for 14% of the top 100 brands, up from 11% a decade ago, while European brands accounted for 8%, down from 20% a decade ago, Kantar said.

Dating app Bumble closes for a week to let staff tackle 'collective burnout'

Bumble, the dating app where women make the first move, has closed its doors for a week to give its some 700 employees a "much-needed" break to destress.

Bumble experienced a hectic year, with growing user numbers and a stock market debut, as well as a pandemic which meant meeting up for dating purposes, wasn't realistic....unless you were sneaky.

More recently, dating apps including Bumble have started offering perks to users to help the government encourage young people to get vaccinated.

Among the bonuses are vaccination badges and stickers, as well as free "super" likes.

FOOD DELIVERY

According to research, ordering a takeaway via a food delivery app can be up to 44% more expensive than dealing directly with a restaurant.

The consumer organisation said prices on the apps are "generally set by restaurants", which may increase them to cover the service charge they pay the companies operating the apps.

The commission each restaurant take is said to be between 15-35%.