Apple passes Google as world's most valuable brand
CBC News | Posted: May 9, 2011 3:02 PM | Last Updated: May 10, 2011
Apple Inc. has surpassed Google Inc. to become the world's most valuable brand, a leading international ranking says.
The iPad and iPhone maker used the popularity of those devices to leapfrog to the top spot on Millward Brown's BrandZ ranking.
The Top 10
| BRAND | VALUE | Percentage change |
|---|---|---|
| Apple | $153 billion | +84 |
| $111 billion | -2 | |
| IBM | $100 billion | +17 |
| McDonald's | $81 billion | +23 |
| Microsoft | $78 billion | +2 |
| Coca-Cola | $73 billion | +8 |
| AT&T | $69 billion | N/A |
| Marlboro | $67 billion | +18 |
| China Mobile | $57 billion | +9 |
| General Electric | $50 billion | +12 |
Millward Brown, a subsidiary of advertising firm WPP, says Apple is now worth $153 billion. That's an 84 per cent increase compared to last year. Google was in second place at $111 billion, a two per cent drop from last year.
Third place was computer pioneer IBM Corp., who's brand is worth $100 billion according to the survey, a 17 per cent increase from last year.
Although recognizable names like McDonalds, Coca-Cola, Marlboro and Walmart stilll rank highly, technology names are starting to dominate, with six of the top ten slots. Cupertino, Calif. search giant Google dropped to No. 2 in the rankings after spending four years in the top spot.
Tellingly, online seller Amazon.com muscled ahead of retailer Walmart. The website is ranked 14th at $37.6 billion, just ahead of Walmart's $37.2 billion in 15th place. The value of the former increased by 37 per cent while the latter declined by five per cent.
The rankings are based on a subjective consideration of how much the brand name contributes to earnings, along with what consumer's perceptions of the brand are and how much they're expected to grow moving forward.
Apple has now increased its brand value by more than nine times since the 2006 ranking, before the first generation iPhone was launched.
Canadian brands crack top 100
Four Canadian brands made the Top 100 list. BlackBerry was ranked 25th at $24.6 billion (a 20 per cent drop from last year). RIM's signature device was followed by the names of three Canadian banks. RBC was ranked 39th, at a little over $17 billion.
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TD was in 42nd place, at a little under $17 billion, and Scotiabank was ranked 87th in the world. Their brand was valued at just over $10 billion.
Oil multinational BP was hit hard by its Gulf of Mexico oil spill and took a 27 per cent hit to brand value. The BP icon was deemed to be worth $12.5 billion, good for 64th place.
The list showed many geographical shifts. While eight of the top 10 brands are U.S. based, China is now home to 12 of the Top 100 — up from only seven a year ago. China Mobile was deemed the world's ninth most valuable brand, at a little over $57 billion.
And seven of the 11 newcomers to the list hail from so-called "BRIC" countries — emerging markets of Brazil, Russia, India and China.