Apple overtakes Google as most valuable brand

Jumps over Google

Market researcher Milward Brown has pubished his Brandz Top 100 for the tenth year in a row. The list ranks the world’s largest companies based on their brand value and Apple has regained first position after a 67 % brand value increase in the past year (from 147.9 to 246.99 billion dollars, some 226.83 billion euro).

The electronics concern already led the pack from 2011 to 2013 and has now bumped Google back to the second spot despite a 9 % brand value increase (to 159.49 billion euro) itself. From 2007 to 2010, Google ranked first.

Apple’s high valuation is mainly because of the “grand” iPhone 6, which has turned out to be a sales hit, and the high-profile release of the iWatch. Google had to deal with its Google Glass ‘flop’, its futuristic augmented-reality glasses that are no longer for sale.

Microsoft (third), Coca-Cola (9th) and McDonald’s (9th) are also in the list, but the highest new entry is Chinese internet giant Alibaba. Jack Ma’s company enters the list at 13, valued at 66.375 billion euro, just ahead of Amazon (66.292 billion dollars). Both internet giants are the largest retailers in the list and confirm that companies and brands are increasingly moving towards digitization and technology.

Value increased fifteen-fold in 10 years’ time

For this anniversary edition, Milward Brown also calculated the value increases over the past 10 years, a ranking that Apple also tops. The company had a 1,446 % value increase, with telecom company AT&T second (+ 1,240 %) and internet department store third (+ 941 %).

Fast food chain Domino’s Pizza is placed fourth (+ 900 %), technology giant Google seventh (+ 364 %), fashion giant Zara eighth (+ 331 %) and luxury concern Hermès tenth (+ 292 %). It goes to show that there are plenty of retail brands in this particular top 10.