Apple Retains Its Place As The World's Top Brand And Most Valuable Company

Apple has done it again, it has retained its crown of being the world's number one brand according to Millward Brown's BrandZ Top 100, which estimates that its brand value is now a whopping $182.95 billion smackeroos!

As you can see from the opening chart, Apple is in pretty good company with the likes of Microsoft, Coca Cola, Google and IBM, which is second with a brand value of $115.985 billion. Google and Microsoft, though still in the top ten bracket, actually lost some brand value over the past year, shrinking some -3% and -2% respectfully.

What I didn't expect to see, on the technology side, however, was the fact that Samsung, Intel and Cisco where much farther down the list than I would have expected. None of them, for instance, cracked the top-ten list in the tech sector, let alone the overall brand section. Samsung, for instance, came in at number 13 on the list while Intel and Cisco, on the other hand, came in at number 12 and 14 respectfully.

When it comes to calculating a brand's value, AppleInsider wrote:

"In order to calculate brand value, Millard Brown calculates the earnings of the brand in question and then multiplies it based on projected earnings to arrive at an estimated financial value of a brand. The methodology also takes into account a brand's contribution, or its ability to "stand out from the crowd, generate desire and cultivate loyalty." Brand contribution is calculated as a percentage that is then multiplied by financial value to determine brand value."

Not only is Apple still on top as far as being the world's top brand, it still remains, in spite of recent and brutal stock loses, the world's most valuable company, and by a long shot. Just as Facebook continued to fall after its second day of trading, and down by as much as 11%, Apple's stock is beginning to rise once more. At the end of the trading day yesterday it was, at one point, up over $30 per share! This sees Apple sitting not only on the top, market cap wise, but by a considerable margin. The world's second most valuable company, oil giant Exxon, for example is only worth some $382 billion vs Apple's $534 billion. In fact, of this writing Apple's stock is up by another $9 dollars in early morning trading.

In conclusion, they say that "you can't keep a good man down" and apparently that saying now also applies to companies as well just as much as we mere mortals.



And that's my 2 cents 4 this cloudy, warm Tuesday, May 22, 2012

Chart via: AppleInsider