Apple has overtaken Google to reclaim the title of ‘world’s most valuable brand’ in the 2015 BrandZTM Top 100 Most Valuable Global Brands.

In the rankings,released by WPP and Millward Brown, Apple has increased its brand value to US$247 billion, a rise of 67 per cent year on year. Google, now in second spot, also grew, but by just nine per cent, to reach $173.7 billion. Microsoft, now worth $115.5bn, is the new no. 3, rising one position with value growth of 28 per cent.

Though the AppleWatch has proved extremely popular, it is the success of the iPhone 6 that has been the main driver of Apple’s brand value growth. The contribution of China to the Apple success story is significant with iPhone 6 sales in China rivalling those in the US.

Doreen Wang, Millward Brown’s global head of BrandZ, observed: “Apple continues to ‘own’ its category by innovating and leading the curve in a way that generates real benefits for consumers. It meets their rational and emotional needs, and makes life easier in a fun and relevant way. Apple is clear on what it stands for, and never stops refreshing its message to sustain the difference that makes it so desirable.”

The total brand value of the Top 100 now stands at $3.3 trillion, a 14 per cent increase on 2014 and a 126 per cent growth over the 10 years since the ranking was first launched.

David Roth of WPP said brand values have risen substantially despite a disruptive decade.

“This is a pivotal moment for brand builders. We’re at the threshold of a new normal, and a changing consumer. The past 10 years of valuing brands proves that investing in creating strong, valuable brands delivers superior returns to shareholders.”

Highlights and key findings from this year’s BrandZ Top 100 study include:

• Technology is the fastest-growing category — up 24 per cent in the last year, the tech brands in the Top 100 are worth more than $1 trillion, nearly a third of the value of all brands in the ranking. China now has three technology brands in the top 100, with Tencent (up 43 per cent) and Baidu (up 35 per cent) increasing their brand value faster than global average, and Huawei coming in as a new entrant to the rankings as No.70.
• Facebook is the fastest riser, with 99 per cent growth achieved through its successful strategy of acquiring and integrating other social apps such as Instagram and WhatsApp, and an understanding of how to monetise and cross-sell its platforms. However, Tencent (brand value US$ 77 billion) continues to rank ahead of Facebook (brand value US$ 71 billion).
• E-commerce boosts retail brand value as Alibaba enters ranking and overtakes Amazon — Chinese e-commerce leader Alibaba entered the retail ranking at $66.4bn, helping to grow the retail category ranking by 24 per cent and overtaking both Amazon and Walmart. The most valuable retail brands Alibaba and Amazon, which lack physical stores, are now worth more than Walmart, which has 11,000 stores worldwide.

The BrandZ Top 100 Most Valuable Global Brands is now in its 10 year. Analysis of the 10-year trajectory of the brands in the ranking has revealed that:

• Europe’s brand powerhouses stagnate as Chinese brands grow and US brands make a comeback. The number of Chinese brands continues to grow with 14 brands in the Top 100, up from one in 2006, and an increase of 1004 per cent in value. The value of US brands grew by 137 per cent in the last 10 years (up 15 per cent in the last year) compared to just 31 per cent in Europe (down 9.3 per cent in the last year). There are now just 24 brands from Europe in the ranking (down from 35 in 2006). This represents a shift from West to East; most of the brands that have been ‘pushed out’ of the Top 100 by China were from Europe.
• High value brands provide faster bottom-line growth and shareholder value. In the last 10 years, a measurement of the strongest brands from the Top 100 as a ‘stock portfolio’ shows their share price has risen over three times more than the MSCI World Index and almost two thirds more than the S&P500.

Deepender Rana, CEO of Millward Brown Greater China said the rise of Chinese brands demonstrated the country is moving fast from being a manufacturing powerhouse to the next stage of economic evolution, with value creation happening through strong branding.

“We anticipate more Chinese brands will truly go global with a greater share of their brand value coming from their presence outside China, and their contribution to a strong ‘Brand China’ overall.”

Carried out by WPP’s marketing and brand consultancy Millward Brown, the BrandZ Top 100 Most Valuable Global Brands study is the only ranking in the world that uses the views of potential and current buyers of a brand, alongside financial data, to calculate brand value.

The BrandZ Top 100 Most Valuable Global Brands report and rankings, and a great deal more brand insight for key regions of the world and 14 market sectors, are available online here. A new suite of interactive smartphone and tablet applications is available for free download for Apple IOS and all Android devices from or search for BrandZ in the respective iTunes or Google Play app stores.