"Things go better with Coca-Cola" went the old slogan, but as of a closely watched annual report by Interbrand (via the New York Times) issued on Monday, not as good as with Apple.
Reportedly, for the first time in the history of the ranking, Coca-Cola has been dethroned as the world's most valuable brand. It's not even no. two. Instead, both Apple (no. one) and Google (no. two) are ahead of it.
Here are the top five valued brands, according to Interbrand's report:
- Apple $98.3 billion
- Google $93.3 billion
- Coca-Cola $79.2 billion
- IBM $78.8 billion
- Microsoft $59.5 billion
In last year's report, Apple was no. two, Google was no. four, while IBM was third and Microsoft was fifth.
Notably, in this year's report, Samsung -- Apple's big rival that has the global no. one spot among cell phone shipments, not just smartphone shipments -- came in at no. eight, up from last year, when it was no. nine. It's brand is valued at $39.6 billion.
Interbrand uses a three sets of criteria to judge their rankings:
- The financial performance of the branded products or service
- The role the brand plays in influencing consumer choice
- The strength the brand has to command a premium price, or secure earnings for the company
In a press release, Jez Frampton, Interbrand’s Global Chief Executive Officer said:
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 #1.
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.
Among the top five, Apple and Google were the only double-digit gainers, with Apple's brand value rising 28 percent and Google's 34 percent -- which could mean another change next year. Meanwhile, Coca-Cola rose only two percent, and IBM and Microsoft rose only four and three percent, respectively.
Samsung, on the other hand, rose 20 percent from last year.
