GLOBAL, 22 MAY 2013 – With a value of $185 billion, Apple continues to be the BrandZ Top 100 Most Valuable Global Brand for 2013. Google is second in the rankings, with a value of $114 billion, and IBM, valued at $112 billion, rounds out the top three.
Other firms in the top ten include McDonald’s ($90 billion), Coca-Cola ($78 billion), AT&T ($75 billion), Microsoft ($69.8 billion), Marlboro ($69.3 billion), Visa ($56 billion) and China Mobile ($55 billion).
The Cupertino-based company’s brand value grew only +1 percent in the year, compared to +51 percent enjoyed by its closest competitor, Samsung. The Korean firm, which according to Nick Cooper, Managing Director of Millward Brown Optimor, fuelled its boost in brand value by balancing innovation with growing market share, now enjoys a brand value of $21 billion and is now ranked 30th. However, Cooper added, despite heightened competition, Apple’s continued strength demonstrates that a strong brand brings top value to business.
The BrandZ Top 100 Most Valuable Global Brands study, which is conducted by Millward Brown Optimor and commissioned by WPP, is the only ranking that incorporates views of current and potential buyers of brands along with financial data to calculate its value. The study is currently in its eighth year.
Key findings include the fact that beer, the most widely consumed alcoholic beverage, was the highest growth category this year; high-value brands – stronger brands – can deliver better value to shareholders, and technology brands such as Facebook and Tencent continue to dominate the ranking.
