Best Brands was set up in 2004 by the Serviceplan Group, GfK - NIQ Company, Seven.One Entertainment Group, WirtschaftsWoche and the The German Brands Association (Markenverband). Since 2016 the weekly newspaper DIE ZEIT is also a partner of Best Brands, since 2017 RMS Radio Marketing Service and since 2020 Media Impact has joined as well. 

Serviceplan – as the originator of the Best Brands format – holds everything together, coordinates the partners and in tandem with Seven.One Entertainment Group delivers the creative output for the events. Seven.One Entertainment Group is also responsible for staging a show worthy of Hollywood, GfK, as midwife for the Best Brands idea, developed the study design and also conducts the annual research on which the ranking is based, WirtschaftsWoche produces the special issue for the awards show and the German Brands Association represents the interests of the brands.