Apple, Google top Interbrand's Best Global Brands List Again

Five new brands, including Huawei, DHL and Hugo Boss, enter the list this year.

Global brand consultancy, Interbrand, has released the 15th edition of the Best Global Brands Report. Apple and Google have been named the No 1 and No 2 brand in the world for the second year in a row.

While Apple valued at $118.9 billion, increased its brand value by 21 per cent, Google, valued at $107.43 billion, increased its brand value by 15 per cent. This makes it the first time that two brands have each earned brand value exceeding $100 billion.

The popular report analyzes the many ways a brand benefits an organization - from delivering on customer expectations to driving economic value. This is done by examining three aspects that contribute to a brand's business: the financial performance of the branded product and service, the role the brand plays in influencing customer choice and the strength the brand has to command a premium price or secure earnings for the company.

Meanwhile, Chinese telecommunications and network equipment provider Huawei stood at No.94 and is the first Chinese brand to make it to the list. It currently is the third largest smart-phone manufacturer in the world - just behind Samsung and Apple. The Chinese brand is one of five new entrants to enter the Best Global Brands ranking this year, the others are DHL (No 81), Land Rover (No 91), FedEx (No 92) and Hugo Boss (No 97).

"Apple and Google's meteoric rise is truly a testament to the power of brand building. These leading brands have reached new pinnacles, in terms of both their growth and in the history of Best Global Brands - by creating experiences that are seamless, contextually relevant and increasingly based around an overarching ecosystem of integrated products and services, both physical and digital," said Jez Frampton, Interbrand's Global CEO.

Social networking site Facebook continued to exceed expectations and ranked No 29. The company recently reported that revenue from advertising on mobile phones exceeded half (53 per cent) of all its advertising for the quarter. E-commerce player 'Amazon' - often called the world's most customer-centric company - was ranked No 15 as it continued to grow its core business through services such as Amazon Prime, which, at one point, garnered more than a million subscribers in a single week.

In automobiles, Volkswagen stood at No 31 after the recent debut of its XL Sport model. Audi was at No 45 - becoming the top rising auto brand this year - after selling the maximum number of cars in its history, and having achieved an operating profit of more than $6 billion. This year, the collective brand value of the automotive brands appearing on the Best Global Brands ranking increased by 14.6 per cent.

The technology sector leads as the most valuable category overall. The value of financial services brands has experienced steady growth in recent years. All 11 financial services brands appearing on this year's Best Global Brands ranking increased in brand value. Leading luxury brands continue to embrace digital platforms. A new era of exclusivity is paving the way for personalisation and curated brand experiences.

Ashish Mishra, managing director, Interbrand India, says, "The 'Age of You' era that is upon us will enable micro-segmentation, absolute customisation and personalisation - notions hitherto considered impossible."