Apple may be one of the most recognizable brands in the world, but what’s that brand’s actual value? Market brand consultancy Interbrand and business publication BusinessWeek have posted their fourth annual listing of 100 Best Global Brands, listed by dollar value. Apple is the biggest mover on this year’s chart, up 24 percent in brand value. The consultancy attributes Apple’s showing to strong sales of the iPod and high brand loyalty.
Apple ranked 43rd overall, up from 50 last year. Interbrand indicates that Apple’s brand value for 2004 totalled $6.851 billion, up from $5.554 billion, or a 24 percent annual rise. Overall, Apple ranks in the same vicinity as motorcycle maker Harley-Davidson, food company Heinz, fashion company Louis Vuitton, financial institution UBS and video game maker Nintendo. Coca-Cola, Microsoft Corp., IBM, GE, Intel, Disney, McDonald’s, Nokia, Toyota and Marlboro made up the top ten list of best global brands.
Interbrand calculates the global brand value of these companies as the net present value of the earnings that the brand is expected to generate from July 1, 2003 to June 30, 2004. The 100 most valuable global brands were determined by whether they produced significant earnings in global markets and if there was sufficient marketing and financial data publicly available to prepare a reasonable valuation.