Apple beats Coca-Cola as Most Valuable Brand

PanARMENIAN.Net - Apple has taken the top spot as 2013′s Most Valuable Brand, ending Coca-Cola’s 13 year streak as number one in the annual Best Global Brands report compiled by Interbrand, The Next Web reports.

Coca-Cola ended up third, surpassed by both Apple and Google this year.

Both Apple and Google are top risers in this year’s list, with the value of Apple’s brand estimated at $98.3 billion, a 28 percent increase from 2012. Google has an estimated value of $93.3 billion, which represents a 34 percent annual increase.

Technology companies account for five of top 10 brands this year: Apple, Google, Microsoft, Samsung and Intel. IBM would have been the sixth, but it is on the list as a business service brand.

Other keepers include GE at 6th and McDonald’s at 7th, the only other non-manufacturing brand in the top 10.

Samsung, one of Apple’s chief rivals, has managed to climb up by one spot from 9th to 8th, displacing Intel who went from 8th to 9th. Toyota rounds up the top 10 brands, with car manufacturing rivals Mercedes-Benz and BMW following not far behind, SlashGear says.

Interbrand, a corporate identity and brand consulting company owned by the Omnicom Group, has been compiling an annual list of top 100 brands since 2000. The list has been closely followed and used as a thermometer of the market perception and reception brands. The final figures in the list are based on numerous criteria, including financial performance and geographic coverage.