Jobs well done: Apple overtakes Google as the world's most valuable brand

By Daily Mail Reporter

Last updated at 3:03 PM on 9th May 2011

Thanks to the success of the iPhone, iPod and of course, the iPad, Apple has overtaken Google as the world's most valuable brand, according to a new study.

Apple's victory ends a four-year reign by the Internet search engine.

The brand is now worth £94billion ($153billion), almost half its market capitalisation, the study by global brand agency Millward Brown, said.

Trounced: It's been four years but Steve Jobs' (left) Apple has now overtaken Eric Schmidt's (right) Google as the world's most valuable brand

Apple's portfolio of coveted consumer goods propelled it past Microsoft to become the world's most valuable technology company last year.

Peter Walshe, global brands director of Millward Brown, said Apple's meticulous attention to detail, along with an increasing presence of its gadgets in corporate environments, has allowed it to behave differently from other consumer-electronics makers.

THE WORLD'S TOP TEN

1. Apple - £93.9billion ($153.3billion)
2. Google - £68.3billion ($111.5billion)
3. IBM - £61.8billion ($100.8billion)
4. McDonald's - £49.6billion ($81billion)
5. Microsoft - £47.9billion ($78.2billion)
6. Coca-Cola - £45.2billion ($73.7billion)
7. AT&T - £42.8billion ($69.9billion)
8. Marlboro - £41.4billion ($67.5billion)
9. China Mobile - £35.1billion ($57.3billion)
10. General Electric - £30.8billion ($50.3billion)

'Apple is breaking the rules in terms of its pricing model,' he said.

'It's doing what luxury brands do, where the higher price the brand is, the more it seems to underpin and reinforce the desire.

'Obviously, it has to be allied to great products and a great experience, and Apple has nurtured that.'

Of the top ten brands in Monday's report, six were technology and telecoms companies: Google was at number two, at number three, Microsoft at number five, AT&T at number seven and China Mobile at number nine.

McDonald's rose two places to number four, as fast food became the fastest-growing category, Coca-Cola slipped one place to number six, while Marlboro was also down one to number eight. General Electric was number ten.

Mr Walshe said demand from China was a major factor in the rise of fast-food brands.

'The Chinese have been discovering fast food and it's such a vast market - Starbucks, McDonald's and pizza has hit China,' he said.

'The way McDonald's has reinvented itself, adapted its menus, added healthy options, expanding the times of day it can be visited, for example oatmeal for breakfast, that allied with growth in developing markets has really helped that brand.'

Fighting to get one: Ding Wencheng lies injured after being beaten by a man coming out of the Apple Store in Beijing, China as scores rushed to buy the iPad 2

Frenzy: People queued up outside Apple's Fifth Avenue New York store to get their hands on an iPad 2 in March

Nineteen of the top 100 brands came from emerging markets, up from 13 last year.

Facebook entered the top 100 at number 35 with a brand valued at £11.7billion ($19.1billion), while Chinese search engine Baidu rose to number 29 from 46.

Toyota reclaimed its position as the world's most valuable car brand, as it recovered from a bungled 2010 product recall.

The survey was carried out before the March earthquake that caused massive disruption to Japanese supply chains.

The total value of the top 100 brands rose by 17 per cent to £1.5trillion ($2.4trillion), as the global economy shifted to growth.

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