Apple and Google brands both worth over $100bn

APPLE AND GOOGLE are yomping all the way to the popularity bank, according to the Interbrand Best Global Brands 2014 ranking tables, and both have brands valued at more than $100bn.

Interbrand said that the firms have stayed in their lofty first and second positions for two years now, and have both increased their value over the past 12 months.

Apple, which is worth $118.9bn, increased its brand value by 21 percent, and Google, which boasts a $107.5bn value, shot up by 15 percent.

Interbrand said that the high ranking is down to the strength of their respective brands, which is all rather apposite.

'Apple and Google's meteoric rise to more than $100bn is truly a testament to the power of brand building,' said Jez Frampton, Interbrand's global CEO.

'These leading brands have reached new pinnacles in terms of 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.'

Coca Cola, which we understand makes a sweet tasting beverage, is third with a $81bn brand. IBM, a brand with very long legs, has reached $72.2bn, and Microsoft is fifth with $61bn.

Other technology companies pop up in the list, and the next highest ranker is Samsung which says hello at seventh place with a $45bn value.

The next hardware company to show its face is new entrant Huawei, which is the first Chinese outfit to make the list. It is 94th with a $4.3bn value.

If you are looking to play some sort of brand ranking trumping game then you should know that Nokia and Nintendo plunged down the tables with brand value drops of 44 and 33 percent respectively. Both have a brand value of around $4.1bn.

Adobe pushed itself up by nine percentage points to $5.3bn, and Facebook shot up by 86 percent to 29th position with $14.3bn.

Frampton said that there is money in people data, though in a much more florid manner.

'As consumers and devices become more connected and integrated, the data being generated is creating value for consumers, for brands, and for the world at large,' he explained.

'As a result, brands from all categories and sectors will get smarter, with products and devices working in concert with one another, across supply chains, and in tandem with our own individual data sets.

'Brands that seek to lead in the forthcoming 'Age of You' will have to create truly personalised and curated experiences, or what we call 'Mecosystems', around each and every one of us.

'Such brands will have to rehumanise the data, uncover genuine insights, and deliver against individual wants, needs and desires.'

We have already learned that Apple is a cool firm, and that as a business it has no interest in personal data at all. µ