Apple has secured the top rank in the list of the most valuable brands in the world once again. This is really commendable for a company which many say is fading and has lost its sense of innovation. Google, with its strong rise in market value, is narrowing the distance, and so are some German companies.
Google and German firms catching up fast
Branding consultancy Interbrand revealed its list of the Best Global Brands 2016, and once again Apple secured the top spot. The brand gained 5% in value since last year, according to Interbrand’s calculations. Google too saw growth, but it ended up at the second spot with 11% growth.
For the last four years, Google and Apple have been at the top two positions, with Coca-Cola being third and Microsoft at fourth. Toyota, IBM, Samsung, Amazon, Mercedes-Benz and GE are next in the list.
The brand value of Germany’s Mercedes went up 18%, bringing it back into the top 10. It secured the ninth position on the list, while luxury automaker BMW secured 11th place after its brand value went up 12%. The 2016 ranking is dominated by automotive and technology companies, said Interbrand. However, the most growth was seen in the retail sector, followed by the sporting and luxury sectors.
What does Apple do to be at the top?
People may be curious to know how Interbrand arrives at these rankings and makes such subtle conclusions. The firm takes several aspects into consideration in determining the rankings, such as the financial performance of the brand’s products and services, the role that brands play in attracting consumers, and the strength a brand has to be able to charge premium prices for its products, CNET explains.
For these reasons, Apple managed to reclaim the top spot on the value tree. The brand has been able to maintain enough consistency as it expanded all over the world. Despite its fading popularity, Apple always succeeds at doing enough, and competitors manage to falter with uncanny regularity. The U.S. firm considers real human beings with a touch deeper and more nuance that many other brands do, and this is one of the elements that keeps it at the top, believes CNET.
In a statement, Interbrand Global CEO Jez Frampton said, “It’s clear the best global brands are not just weathering change, but driving it. They look inward and outward, expand into new markets and create better experiences to grow their brands and businesses.”
