Apple replaces Coca-Cola as ‘world’s most valuable brand’

Coca-Cola, which has held the number one position for the 13 years that Interbrand has been running the report, has been pushed down to third place – with Google occupying the second place.

The Best Global Brands report aims to rank companies on the financial value of the brand by looking at three criteria – the financial performance of the brand’s products or service; the role the brand plays in influencing consumer choice; and the strength the brand has to command a premium price.

For 2013, Apple has been given a brand value of $98 billion – an increase of 28 per cent from last year. Google is valued at $93 billion, up 34 per cent from last year, while Coca-Cola is valued at $79 billion, up just 2 per cent.

Interbrand attributes Apple’s success to its ‘seamless omnichannel experience’ and says it ‘breaks new ground in terms of both design and performance’.

Interbrand global chief executive Jez Frampton says, ‘[Apple chief executive] 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.’

Discovery, Duracell and Chevrolet are new entrants to the chart this year, while Facebook, Google, Prada, Apple and Amazon are the top risers.

Nokia, whose devices and services business was bought by Microsoft at the start of the month, has seen the biggest decline in brand value – plummeting by 65 per cent.

Intel, HP, Canon, Nescafé, Sony, Thomson Reuters, Heinz, Dell, Nintendo, Morgan Stanley, MTV and Santander also saw their brand value decline.

You can read the 2013 Best Global Brands report in full at www.interbrand.com. You can see the 2012 results here.