Apple tops the list of global brands again

Apple has again topped the charts in the of the Top 100 rankings of the most valuable brands with four Australian companies also making the list.

In fact, technology companies held the top three positions.

Apple were followed by Google in second place while IBM came in third on the list which was created after a study conducted by Millward Brown Optimor.

The Australian companies to make the list were Commonwealth Bank (ranked 48 and valued at $US17.7 billion), ANZ Bank (52 and $US16.6bn), Woolworths (80, $US11bn) and Westpac (88, $US10.1bn)

“Australian brands are fast gaining prominence as emerging overachievers, having added a further three brands to the list in 2013 since Commonwealth Bank’s debut in 2012,” said Johnny Panagiotidis at Millward Brown Optimor in Sydney.

“The four Australian entrants are a testament to the relative strength of our economy and our increasing ties with Asia. The rise of the Australian dollar also lifted the relative value of the brands.

“Australian banks’ expansion into Asian markets was again evident this year with two new entrants to the list in ANZ and Westpac, as well as a significant jump in Commonwealth bank’s brand value and placing.

“The increased prominence our largest retailers, Woolworths and Coles, was in line with the global trend for retailers in which their overall brand value grew 17% following a decline of 5% a year ago,” Panagiotidis said.

Valued at a whopping $US185 billion, Apple’s growth in 2013 was just one per cent while rival company Samsung – valued at $US21 billion – enjoying a 51 per cent jump and coming at No 30.

The No 2 brand in the list, Google, grew by five per cent in 2013 with a value of $US114 billion.

“Vying for leadership in the smartphone market, Samsung fuelled its huge increase in brand value by balancing a remarkable period of innovation with growing market share – it spent $US1.6 billion more on advertising in the last year,” said Nick Cooper, London-based managing director of Millward Brown Optimor.

“Despite a more competitive marketplace and other challengers nipping at its heels, Apple’s ability to maintain its no.1 position demonstrates the value that having a strong brand brings to business. People still love the brand regardless of its stock price.”

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