Apple Dethrones Long-Reigning Coca-Cola As Most Valuable Brand In The World
September 30, 2013
A week after announcing its record-breaking first-weekend sales for the iPhone 5s and the iPhone 5c, Apple has scored yet another victory. According to Interbrand, the California-based tech company is the new most valuable brand in the world.
As noted by The New York Times, Interbrand is a corporate identity and brand consulting company that has been compiling an annual Best Global Brands report since 2000. And this year, it has identified Apple as the new best global brand.
Apple's being hailed as such is already big news. But as it turns out, a bigger news lies in the fact that Apple has dethroned Interbrand's only previous No. 1 brand, Coca-Cola.
Indeed, for the first time since the Best Global Brands report's inception, Coca-Cola is not at the top spot. In its stead is former second placer Apple, which Interbrand acclaims in its report thus:
Every so often, a company changes our lives, not just with its products, but also with its ethos. This is why, following Coca-Cola’s 13-year run at the top of Best Global Brands, Interbrand has a new #1—Apple. Few brands have enabled so many people to do so much so easily, which is why Apple has legions of adoring fans, as evidenced by the record-breaking launch of the iPhone 5c/5s. For revolutionizing the way we work, play, and communicate—and for mastering the ability to surprise and delight—Apple has set a high bar for aesthetics, simplicity, and ease of use that all other tech brands are now expected to match, and that Apple itself is expected to continually exceed.The report estimates the value of the Apple brand at $98.3 billion and the value of the Coca-Cola brand at $79.2 billion. “What is it they say, ‘Long live the king’?” Jez Frampton, global chief executive at Interbrand, asked in an interview. “This year, the king is Apple.” Note, though, that Coca-Cola didn't drop to No. 2. Rather, it dropped to No. 3, as Google, previously in fourth place, claimed the second top spot. It's also worth noting that half of this year's top 10 Best Global Brands are in technology. In addition to Apple and Google, the tech firms in the top 10 include Microsoft, Samsung, and Intel. Apple also leads the BrandZ list of this year's top 100 most valuable global brands, which was released by Marketing Week four months ago. The iDevice maker tops the list for the third consecutive year. It first hit the annual list's No. 1 position in 2011 when it displaced Google.
