Brand consulting firm Interbrand released its annual “Best Global Brands” study for 2012 and Apple is number 2. They are right behind reigning champion Coco-Cola.
Apple’s brand value increased 129% over the last year to reach an estimated $76.5 billion. This is the most growth shown by any of the top 100 companies on the list. They leaped over other companies such as Intel, McDonalds, GE, Google, Microsoft and IBM to go from 8th place in 2011 to 2nd place this year. Since 2009, Apple has jumped up 18 spots.
Interbrand’s methodology boils down to measuring three key aspects.
- The financial performance of the branded products of services.
- The role of brand in the purchase decision process of customers.
- The strength of the brand relative to the competition.
Basically, it is how well is the company doing? How important is the name in the decision to buy their products in relation to other factors (eg. Price, Features, Usability)? And how strong is the brand in relation to competition (eg. Customer loyalty)?
Rounding out the rest of the top 10: 3. IBM 4. Google 5. Microsoft 6. GE 7. McDonalds 8. Intel 9. Samsung 10. Toyota.
Apple, who won the best brand and design studio of the last 50 years award, had also been branded the UK’s coolest brand.