These are the most valuable brands in the world: Apple, Google, Microsft and IBM dominate in BrandZ 2015 ranking as tech triumphs
Apple has overtaken Google as the most valuable brand in the world, reassuming the top spot in an annual ranking in which technology dominates.
The value of the Apple brand grew 67 per cent, with an estimated worth of more than $245bn.
The stellar performance of Apple over the past year pushed Google into second place with a value of $173bn, up six per cent.
Microsoft climbed ahead of IBM in third place with a brand value of $116bn after growing by more than a quarter since 2014, according to the BrandZ most valuable global brands report published by WPP and Millward Brown.
The value of technology brands was up 24 per cent on last year – more than any other type of brand, including soft drinks and fast food.
The value of the top 100 most valuable brands topped $3.3tn, up 14 per cent on last year, and technology brands accounted for more than a third of that.
The biggest riser in the top 100 was Facebook, almost doubling its value thanks to huge growth, monetisation and the integration of WhatsApp and Instagram, ranking twelfth in the list.
Chinese e-commerce company Alibaba, which recently went public, was the highest new entry with a $66bn brand valuation ahead of US retail giants Amazon and Walmart, while fellow Asian brand Huawei also entered the list for the first time.
The value of a brand is calculated by the consultancy firm based on the views of potential and existing buyers of a brand as well as financial data.
"Apple continues to 'own' its category by innovating and leading the curve in a way that generates real benefits for consumers," said Doreen Wang, global head of BrandZ at Millward Brown. "It meets their rational and emotional needs, and makes life easier in a fun and relevant way. Apple is clear on what it stands for, and never stops refreshing its message to sustain the difference that makes it so desirable."
[infographic id="128"]