Coca-Cola, which was the world’s most valuable brand for 13 consecutive years, has been bumped down to number three in the Interbrands Best Global Brands report – with Apple as the new top brand, followed by Google at number two.
This year, the total value of all 100 Best Global Brands is $1,5-trillion – an 8,4% record increase over the total value of the 100 Best Global Brands in 2012.
Apple has appeared on Interbrand’s Best Global Brands ranking since 2000, when the ranking debuted. In 2000, Apple ranked number 36 and had a brand value of $6,6-billion. Today, Apple’s brand value is $98,3-billion – almost 15 times the amount of its brand value in 2000.
Apple’s meteoric rise in brand value can be attributed to the way it has created a seamless omni-channel experience for customers. By keeping consumers at the centre of everything it does, Apple is able to anticipate what they want next and break new ground in terms of both design and performance.
With 72-million Macs in use and record-breaking sales of both the iPhone and iPad, Apple has made history by unseating Coca-Cola and becoming Interbrand’s most valuable global brand of 2013.
“Every so often, a company changes our lives—not just with its products, but with its ethos. This is why, following Coca-Cola’s 13-year run at the top of Best Global Brands, Apple now ranks number one,” says Jez Frampton, Interbrand’s global CEO.
“Tim Cook has assembled a solid leadership team and has kept Steve Jobs’ vision intact – a vision that has allowed Apple to deliver on its promise of innovation time and time again.”
Interbrand’s Best Global Brands methodology was the first of its kind to become ISO certified. It analyses the many ways a brand benefits an organization, from delivering on customer expectations to driving economic value.
When determining the top 100 most valuable global brands, Interbrand examines three key aspects that contribute to a brand’s value:
* The financial performance of the branded products or service;
* The role the brand plays in influencing consumer choice; and
*The strength the brand has to command a premium price, or secure earnings for the company.
In addition to identifying the top 100 most valuable global brands, this year’s Best Global Brands report also examines the evolving role of leadership as it relates to brands. Interbrand contends that leadership must now be shared. CEOs, CMOs and consumers all have the power to drive the value of the brands they manage or admire.
“In today’s global and social media-obsessed marketplace, brand leaders recognize the need to be highly collaborative,” notes Frampton.
“The top 100 most valuable global brands are unlocking their value by participating, listening, learning, and sharing – and not just with leaders from within their organisation, but with consumers too. Brands that learn to think differently about the role they play in consumers’ lives – and how to fulfil that role – have an opportunity to change the world in ways they never imagined.”
Out of this year’s top 10 brands, seven hail from the technology sector. In addition, four tech brands make up this year’s top five rising brands: Facebook (number 52, up 43%), Google (number two, up 34%), Apple (number one, up 28%), and Amazon, (number 19, up 27%).
Technology brands continue to dominate Interbrand’s Best Global Brands report – underscoring the fundamental and invaluable role they play in consumers’ lives.
Due to its commitment to product innovation and its massive marketing spend, Samsung (number 8, up 20%) has surpassed Apple in smartphone sales and appears to be leading the technology sector in terms of connectivity and home automation. Samsung, which had one of the strongest increases of absolute brand value this year, continually anticipates what consumers will desire next.
Despite the strong performance of many brands in this sector, a number of technology and consumer electronic brands did not rise, or even earn a position, on this year’s ranking.
Most notably, one-time category leaders, Yahoo! and Blackberry fell off this year’s ranking entirely, while Nokia (number 57, down 65%) experienced the largest decline in brand value in the history of Best Global Brands. Nintendo (number 67, down 14%), and Dell (number 61, down 10%) also experienced a decline in brand value.
In the fast-changing world of mobile, digital, and social media, these brands have struggled to articulate their respective attributes and deliver meaningful and seamless experiences across all platforms and touch points.
The full list of the top 100 brands, in order, is: Apple, Google, Coca-Cola, IBM, Microsoft, GE, McDonald’s, Samsung, Intel, Toyota, Mercedes Benz, BMW, Cisco, Disney, HP, Gillette, Louis Vuitton, Oracle, Amazon, Honda, H&M, Pepsi, American Express, Nike, SAP, Ikea, UPS, eBay, Pampers, Kellogg’s, Budweiser, HSBC, JP Morgan, Volkswagen, Canon, Zara, Nescafe, Gucci, L’Oreal, Philips, Accenture, Ford, Hyundai, Goldman Sachs, Siemens, Sony, Thomson Reuters, Citi, Danone, Colgate, Audi, Facebook, Heinz, Hermes, Adidas, Nestle, Nokia, Caterpillar, AXA, Cartier, Dell, Xerox, Allianz, Porsche, Nissan, KFC, Nintendo, Panasonic, Sprite, Discovery, Morgan Stanley, Prada, Shell, Visa, Tiffany & Co, 3M, Burberry, MTV, Adobe, John Deere, Johnson & Johnson, Johnnie Walker, Kia, Santander, Duracell, Jack Daniel’s, Avon, Ralph Lauren, Chevrolet, Kleenex, Starbucks, Heineken, Corona, Pizza Hut, Smirnoff, Harley-Davidson, MasterCard, Ferrari, Moet & Chandon and Gap.
Pictured left is the iPod, the iconic Apple device that helped to propel it into the top spot.
