The following list of the top 10 global brands was just released by the brand management firm Interbrand. The rankings are based on 3 key factors:
- The brand’s financial performance over the last year.
- Their role in influencing customer buying choices (don’t be shocked to see Apple somewhere in this list!)
- The brand’s ability to command a high price point for their product or service.
I was shocked to see that tech companies still only make up less than 30 percent of the top 100 brands in the world. One has to wonder just how much, if at all, this might change in the coming years. I suppose we all still need and want a lot of things that don’t have a website or touchscreen attached?
If any of you expect to see Facebook on the following list, you’re going to be sadly disappointed. The social media giant did improve their overall brand value this year by 54 percent and were considered the top mover on the list. However, Zucks and company are still far outside the top 10 rankings at number 23 in the world.
10. Amazon (valued at $37.9 billion)
Awesome priced merchandise, book readers, free two-day shipping and a massive list of some of the worst freelance authors the world has to offer! Amazon is awesome and they certainly don’t shy away from innovation. If they ever decide to accept PayPal as a payment method, they might just give Apple a run for their money!
9. McDonalds (valued at $39.8 billion)
This brand will never die. But it will continue to contribute to the deaths of people all over the world, slowly strangling all who consume it with loads of fat, carbs and meat filled with ingredients that most of us are incapable of pronouncing. But they will live on. I predict the burger giant will drop out of the top 10 next year. With other food franchises like Taco Bell rising out of the ashes with preservative-free food and other interesting innovations, Mcdonalds’ time at the top is limited.
8. General Electric (valued at 42.3 billion)
Lights, nuclear reactors, computing, mergers/acquisitions and wind turbines! These guys have their hands in everything and have been going strong since their inception. GE was one of the original 12 companies to be listed on the Dow Jones Industrial Average when it came out in 1896.
7. Samsung (valued at $45.3 billion)
Oh thank you guys so much for your constant innovation in IPS technology! Have any of you purchase one of their monitors in the last few years? Can’t think of another brand that offers such marvelous viewing angles and picture clarity all in one product. That’s it for my take on Samsung, I don’t purchase their phones or other tech items, but they are sitting at #7 for a reason, right?
6. Toyota (valued at $49 billion)
I am surprised these guys beat out Honda for a top 10 spot. However, Toyota did revolutionize the auto industry with the first Hybrid Prius back in 1997. The 4-Runner is a classic foreign-made vehicle that has an aura of Americana surrounding it wherever it goes. And the Land Cruiser is a force to be reckoned with on any off-the-beaten-path driving excursion.
5. IBM (valued at $65.1 billion)
Does anyone know what the heck these guys are even doing these days? When I think of an IBM, the last time they were really notable for anything was the old Thinkpad platform, before Lenovo bought the rights to it.
4. Microsoft (valued at $67.7 billion)
Not much to say here. The software giant continues to dominate the marketplace, despite how truly awesome the many open-source Linux OSes out there are now. And I have to admit that Windows 10 appears to be much better than any of its predecessors. Next to Google, their enterprise solution cloud platform is probably the best out there.
3. Coke (valued at $78.4 billion)
Coke is a mainstay in the top 3 global brands. If you noticed, they’re one of only two non-tech brands to make this list. For me, a company that force feeds sugar and/or aspartame into the guts of children in adults, in the face of a global diabetes epidemic, should be anything but a top dog in the world of business brands. However, the Coca Cola Foundation is a force to be reckoned with in the world of philanthropy, so I suppose I’ll give them a pass.
*Now we make the jump into heavy hitter territory! I’m shocked that Coke was so close to Google. In fact, the same value separation exists between numbers 2 and 3 as does that between Google and Apple. Wow!
2. Google (valued at $120.3 billion)
What can I say about Google that hasn’t already been said? They took a simple concept (building a highly intuitive search engine) and turned it into an online advertising giant! They’ve mapped out the entire world and put it just a click away from all of us. You can literally spy on your neighbors using Street View, not to mention they’re giving Elon Musk a run for his money with their (terrible-looking) self driving car. I’m not going to mention their acquisition and ultimate destruction of the Android platform. Who am I to criticize?
1. Apple (valued at $170.3 billion)
Who among us can be shocked that Apple is the most valuable and influential brand on the planet right now? Some would feel that Google’s the top dog, but this company is all about tangibles whereas Google has most of their marketshare staked up in cyberspace. Still, Apple better keep at it with innovations like Apple TV and iPad Pro if they want to keep the search engine mogul at bay.
What do you guys think of the list? Any brands you’re happy to see here? What about those that you aren’t excited about?
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