For the third year running, Apple is the world's most valuable global brand. The 2015 Interbrand Best Global Brands Report also ranks Google in second place in a top 10 that is decidedly technology heavy. Microsoft is in fourth place, IBM comes in fifth, Samsung is in seventh place, GE is eighth and Amazon rounds off the top 10.
And, when looking at the entire top 100 brands based on financial performance, customer influence and the power to command a premium for its products or services, the technology trend continues -- the combined financial value of the 24 tech companies in the list is 33.6 per cent of the entire list's value.
However, if one considers that companies at the forefront of consumer technology are the ones best servicing the modern consumer's needs, and therefore meeting their priorities, the table makes sense. In terms of value Amazon (up 29 per cent) is one of this year's biggest risers, and it is a company that prides itself on delivering -- whether it's a parcel, a service or an expectation.
"The Best Global Brands report examines what it takes for brands to succeed in today's hyper-fragmented world. As people demand immediate, personalized and tailored experiences, business and brands need to move at the speed of life," says Jez Frampton, Interbrand's Global Chief Executive Officer. "Many of the brands in this year's Top 100 are so intuitively aligned with people's priorities, that they are able to seamlessly integrate into their everyday lives."
Brands may be intangible but how they are perceived has never been more important for consumers as a means of understanding a product, a philosophy or the integrity of a product or service.
For example, over half (53 per cent) of Instagram's 400 million users actively follow brands, and 44 per cent of internet users globally say that they use Instagram as a means of conducting brand research.
Social media platforms in general are increasingly being viewed by younger users (i.e., consumers under the age of 35) as a virtual space for understanding, following and interacting with marques.
Half of Twitter users questioned as part of the latest Global Web Index (GWI) study said that they followed brands in their feed and for Pinterest and Tumblr it's 48 per cent.
In fact of the most popular social networks, the daddy in terms of global membership, Facebook, is one of the least popular for following brands (44 per cent) or for conducting brand research (36 per cent) -- a larger percentage of users turn to Reddit for both brand research (38 per cent) and to keep track of what brands are up to (46 per cent).
However Facebook can console itself with the fact that it's the biggest riser in this year's Interbrand list. It is the 23rd most valuable brand in the world and its value has risen by 54 per cent over the past 12 months. It is also the only social media network to make the cut for inclusion.
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