Apple has innumerable accolades to show for its electronics and software chops, but today it can boast the distinction of being most valuable brand. The news comes courtesy of Interbrand, which has been compiling an annual report of Best Global Brands since 2000, and notes further that the former champ, Coca-Cola, has fallen from the top spot to third for the first time in 13-years.
According to The New York Times, the data compiled by Interbrand includes the likes of “financial performance” but also everyday application and consumer engagement.
Jez Frampton, global chief executive at Interbrand, told the Times, “Brands like Apple and Google and Samsung are changing our behavior: how we buy, how we communicate with each other, even whether we speak with each other. They have literally changed the way we live our lives.”
Speaking of Google and Samsung, they too made the list of most valuable brands, evidence enough that tech manufacturers, electronics makers, and software developers have a hand in much of what we do in our day-to-day lives, whether it be to contact friends and loved ones, look up directions, or pay the bills.
Rounding out the top five brands are Apple, Google, Coca-Cola, IBM, and Microsoft. Samsung and Intel came in at eight and nine respectively, while perpetual inventor GE sat solidly at six. Facebook is registered at no. 52 while Nokia has tumbled to 57. BlackBerry completely fell off the list.
Rounding out the bottom of the list were notables like Chevrolet, showing the rejuvenation of the General Motors brand and the American automobile industry as a whole.
Alan Batey, global head of Chevrolet at G.M., told the Times in a telephone interview “It feels good to hit the list for the first time. It’s a great first step, but we’ve got a long way to go. There are a lot of big brands in front of us.”
The report indicates that Apple’s brand is estimated to be worth $98.3 billion, a roughly 28 percent rise from 2012 when it was ranked no. 2, and third place Coca-Cola to be $79.2 billion up 2 percent leading Frampton to consider that it was only “a matter of time” before Apple regained such prominence.
[Image via Mac Rumors]
