“A strong brand name is an incredibly valuable asset. Consumer companies in particular devote huge chunks of time and resources to solidify and expand their brands,” Kurt Badenhausen reports for Forbes. “‘A valuable brand delivers a return for the company on two dimensions,’ says David Rubenstein, professor of marketing at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School. ‘Either it allows the company to charge a premium price or it adds more volume or market share.'”
“When it comes to charging a premium price and moving product, no one does it better than Apple,” Badenhausen reports. “The Apple brand is worth $124.2 billion and almost twice as much as any other brand in Forbes’ annual study of the world’s most valuable brands. The value of the Apple brand is up 19% over last year. Apple’s strong brand and innovative products allowed it to redefine four industry categories over the past 13 years with the launches of the iPhone, iPad, iPod and iTunes. The next industries on Apple’s hit list are smarthwatches with the Watch and financial payments with Apple Pay.”
“Microsoft ranks second with a value of $63 billion,” Badenhausen reports. “Microsoft inked a five-year, $400 million with the NFL last year. The pact includes Surface tablet computers on the sideline in 2014 that download high-def photographs of plays as they occur. Microsoft has witnessed the power of the Apple brand with the sponsorship, as announcers and players repeatedly refer to the Surface tablets as iPads and one player called them “knockoff iPads.” Microsoft is still a bit player in tablets and phones.”
Badenhausen reports, “Google shoots up two spots to No. 3 among the top brands with a value of $56.6 billion, up 19%.”
Read more, and see the full list, here.