Google is the most valuable brand in the world, with a value of $245.6 billion, based on BrandZ’s annual listing of the most valuable brands in the world, according to a report published today by WPP and Kantar Millward Brown.
Technology companies dominated the top of the ranking, with four in the top five. Apple was second at $234.7 billion in brand value, followed by Microsoft ($139.3 billion). Facebook was ranked fifth with a value of $129.8 billion.
Amazon, which went public 20 years ago, ascended three ranks to the No. 4 spot. The retailer has a brand value of $139 billion.
Tencent, the Chinese internet portal, rose three ranks to jump into the top 10 at No. 8.
Adidas is the fastest-rising brand, increasing 58% in value, according to the BrandZ ranking, as consumers snapped up its retro sneakers and the brand made operational and marketing changes to bolster its U.S. business.
The top brands — Google and Apple — are worth more than the top 10 combined 12 years ago — $480 billion versus $409 billion.
Retail, the category most susceptible to business disruption, led the ranking in category value growth, climbing 14%, driven by e-commerce, with Amazon and Alibaba up 41% and 20%, respectively, in value.
Nine of the top companies are based in the U.S., and American brands now comprise 71% of the global top 100 value, partly because of the growth in the technology sector. Thirteen of the global top 100 brands are based in China, up from one brand 12 years ago.
The overall value of the BrandZ global top 100 rose 8% to $3.6 trillion, after increasing 3% from a year earlier.
BrandZ uses worldwide quantitative consumer research to rank global brands based on estimated value of the brand, rather than corporate operations. BrandZ’s valuation estimates cover 3 million consumers and 120,000 brands in 51 countries. Annual profit figures were obtained from each company’s most recent financial report. When a brand was part of a subsidiary, the net income and headquarters listed apply to that brand’s parent company. For non-U.S.-based companies, financial figures were converted to U.S. dollars.
50. NTT
> Brand value 2017: $20.2 billion
> Brand value % chg. 2016-2017: 3.0%
> Category: Telecom providers
> Annual profit: $9.0 billion
> Headquarters: Tokyo, Japan
49. Huawei
> Brand value 2017: $20.4 billion
> Brand value % chg. 2016-2017: 9.0%
> Category: Technology
> Annual profit: $5.3 billion
> Headquarters: Shenzhen, China
48. HSBC
> Brand value 2017: $20.5 billion
> Brand value % chg. 2016-2017: 1.0%
> Category: Global banks
> Annual profit: $3.4 billion
> Headquarters: London, United Kingdom
47. RBC
> Brand value 2017: $21.1 billion
> Brand value % chg. 2016-2017: 8.0%
> Category: Regional banks
> Annual profit: $7.8 billion
> Headquarters: Toronto, Canada
46. Oracle
> Brand value 2017: $21.4 billion
> Brand value % chg. 2016-2017: 10.0%
> Category: Technology
> Annual profit: $8.9 billion
> Headquarters: Redwood City, California
45. Subway
> Brand value 2017: $21.7 billion
> Brand value % chg. 2016-2017: 1.0%
> Category: Fast food
> Annual profit: N/A
> Headquarters: Milford, Connecticut
44. Intel
> Brand value 2017: $21.9 billion
> Brand value % chg. 2016-2017: 18.0%
> Category: Technology
> Annual profit: $10.3 billion
> Headquarters: Santa Clara, California
43. Movistar
> Brand value 2017: $22.0 billion
> Brand value % chg. 2016-2017: 0.0%
> Category: Telecom providers
> Annual profit (Telefonica): $4.6 billion
> Headquarters: Madrid, Spain
42. Pampers
> Brand value 2017: $22.3 billion
> Brand value % chg. 2016-2017: -3.0%
> Category: Baby care
> Annual profit: $10.5 billion (Procter and Gamble)
> Headquarters: Cincinnati, Ohio
1. Hermes Paris
> Brand value 2017: $23.4 billion
> Brand value % chg. 2016-2017: 18.0%
> Category: Luxury
> Annual profit: $1.2 billion
> Headquarters: Paris, France
40. Mercedes-Benz
> Brand value 2017: $23.5 billion
> Brand value % chg. 2016-2017: 4.0%
> Category: Cars
> Annual profit: $9.9 billion
> Headquarters: Stuttgart, Germany
39. Baidu
> Brand value 2017: $23.6 billion
> Brand value % chg. 2016-2017: -19.0%
> Category: Technology
> Annual profit: $1.7 billion
> Headquarters: Beijing, China
38. L’Oréal
> Brand value 2017: $23.9 billion
> Brand value % chg. 2016-2017: 2.0%
> Category: Personal care
> Annual profit: $3.5 billion
> Headquarters: Clichy, France
37. Samsung
> Brand value 2017: $24.0 billion
> Brand value % chg. 2016-2017: 23.0%
> Category: Technology
> Annual profit: $26.1 billion
> Headquarters: Seoul, South Korea
36. American Express
> Brand value 2017: $24.2 billion
> Brand value % chg. 2016-2017: -9.0%
> Category: Payments
> Annual profit: $5.4 billion
> Headquarters: New York, New York
35. BMW
> Brand value 2017: $24.6 billion
> Brand value % chg. 2016-2017: -8.0%
> Category: Cars
> Annual profit: $7.8 billion
> Headquarters: Munich, Germany
34. Zara
> Brand value 2017: $25.1 billion
> Brand value % chg. 2016-2017: 0.0%
> Category: Apparel
> Annual profit: $3.3 billion (Inditex)
> Headquarters: Arteixo, Spain
33. Budweiser
> Brand value 2017: $27.0 billion
> Brand value % chg. 2016-2017: -3.0%
> Category: Beer
> Annual profit (AB Inbev): $3.8 billion
> Headquarters: Leuven, Belgium
32. Accenture
> Brand value 2017: $27.2 billion
> Brand value % chg. 2016-2017: 19.0%
> Category: Technology
> Annual profit: $4.4 billion
> Headquarters: Dublin, Ireland
30. Toyota
> Brand value 2017: $28.7 billion
> Brand value % chg. 2016-2017: -3.0%
> Category: Cars
> Annual profit: $16.7 billion
> Headquarters: Tokyo, Japan
29. Louis Vuitton
> Brand value 2017: $29.2 billion
> Brand value % chg. 2016-2017: 3.0%
> Category: Luxury
> Annual profit: $7.9 billion
> Headquarters: Paris, France
28. ICBC
> Brand value 2017: $31.6 billion
> Brand value % chg. 2016-2017: -6.0%
> Category: Regional banks
> Annual profit: $41.1 billion
> Headquarters: Beijing, China
27. Vodafone
> Brand value 2017: $31.6 billion
> Brand value % chg. 2016-2017: -14.0%
> Category: Telecom providers
> Annual profit: -$2.2 billion
> Headquarters: Newbury, United Kingdom
26. Nike
> Brand value 2017: $34.2 billion
> Brand value % chg. 2016-2017: -9.0%
> Category: Apparel
> Annual profit: $3.8 billion
> Headquarters: Beaverton, Oregon
25. T-Mobile
> Brand value 2017: $38.5 billion
> Brand value % chg. 2016-2017: 2.0%
> Category: Telecom providers
> Annual profit: $1.5 billion
> Headquarters: Bellevue, Washington
24. The Home Depot
> Brand value 2017: $40.3 billion
> Brand value % chg. 2016-2017: 11.0%
> Category: Retail
> Annual profit: $8.0 billion
> Headquarters: Atlanta, Georgia
23. Xfinity
> Brand value 2017: $41.8 billion
> Brand value % chg. 2016-2017: 0.0%
> Category: Telecom providers
> Annual profit (Comcast): $9.0 billion
> Headquarters: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
22. Starbucks
> Brand value 2017: $44.2 billion
> Brand value % chg. 2016-2017: 2.0%
> Category: Fast Food
> Annual profit: $2.8 billion
> Headquarters: Seattle, Washington
21. SAP
> Brand value 2017: $45.2 billion
> Brand value % chg. 2016-2017: 16.0%
> Category: Technology
> Annual profit: $7.4 billion
> Headquarters: Walldorf, Germany
20. MasterCard
> Brand value 2017: $49.9 billion
> Brand value % chg. 2016-2017: 8.0%
> Category: Payments
> Annual profit: $4.1 billion
> Headquarters: Purchase, New York
19. General Electric
> Brand value 2017: $50.2 billion
> Brand value % chg. 2016-2017: -7.0%
> Category: Conglomerate
> Annual profit: $8.5 billion
> Headquarters: Boston, Massachusetts
18. Disney
> Brand value 2017: $52.0 billion
> Brand value % chg. 2016-2017: 6.0%
> Category: Entertainment
> Annual profit: $9.8 billion
> Headquarters: Burbank, California
17. China Mobile
> Brand value 2017: $56.5 billion
> Brand value % chg. 2016-2017: 1.0%
> Category: Telecom providers
> Annual profit: $17.0 billion
> Headquarters: Beijing, China
16. UPS
> Brand value 2017: $58.3 billion
> Brand value % chg. 2016-2017: 17.0%
> Category: Logistics
> Annual profit: $3.4 billion
> Headquarters: Atlanta, Georgia
15. Wells Fargo
> Brand value 2017: $58.4 billion
> Brand value % chg. 2016-2017: 0.0%
> Category: Regional banks
> Annual profit: $21.9 billion
> Headquarters: San Francisco, California
14. Alibaba Group
> Brand value 2017: $59.1 billion
> Brand value % chg. 2016-2017: 20.0%
> Category: Retail
> Annual profit: $11.1 billion
> Headquarters: Hong Kong, China
13. Coca-Cola
> Brand value 2017: $78.1 billion
> Brand value % chg. 2016-2017: -3.0%
> Category: Soft Drinks
> Annual profit: $6.6 billion
> Headquarters: Atlanta, Georgia
12. Marlboro
> Brand value 2017: $87.5 billion
> Brand value % chg. 2016-2017: 4.0%
> Category: Tobacco
> Annual profit (Philip Morris): $7.3 billion
> Headquarters: New York, New York
11. Verizon
> Brand value 2017: $89.3 billion
> Brand value % chg. 2016-2017: -4.0%
> Category: Telecom providers
> Annual profit: $13.6 billion
> Headquarters: New York, New York
10. McDonald’s
> Brand value 2017: $97.7 billion
> Brand value % chg. 2016-2017: 10.0%
> Category: Fast Food
> Annual profit: $4.7 billion
> Headquarters: Oak Brook, Illinois
9. IBM
> Brand value 2017: $102.1 billion
> Brand value % chg. 2016-2017: 18.0%
> Category: Technology
> Annual profit: $11.9 billion
> Headquarters: Armonk, New York
8. Tencent
> Brand value 2017: $108.3 billion
> Brand value % chg. 2016-2017: 27.0%
> Category: Technology
> Annual profit: $6.1 billion
> Headquarters: Shenzhen, China
7. VISA
> Brand value 2017: $111.0 billion
> Brand value % chg. 2016-2017: 10.0%
> Category: Payments
> Annual profit: $6.0 billion
> Headquarters: San Francisco, California
6. AT&T
> Brand value 2017: $115.1 billion
> Brand value % chg. 2016-2017: 7.0%
> Category: Telecom providers
> Annual profit: $13.3 billion
> Headquarters: Dallas, Texas
5. Facebook
> Brand value 2017: $129.8 billion
> Brand value % chg. 2016-2017: 27.0%
> Category: Technology
> Annual profit: $10.2 billion
> Headquarters: Menlo Park, California
4. Amazon
> Brand value 2017: $139.3 billion
> Brand value % chg. 2016-2017: 41.0%
> Category: Retail
> Annual profit: $2.4 billion
> Headquarters: Seattle, Washington
3. Microsoft
> Brand value 2017: $143.2 billion
> Brand value % chg. 2016-2017: 18.0%
> Category: Technology
> Annual profit: $16.8 billion
> Headquarters: Redmond, Washington
2. Apple
> Brand value 2017: $234.7 billion
> Brand value % chg. 2016-2017: 3.0%
> Category: Technology
> Annual profit: $45.7 billion
> Headquarters: Cupertino, California
1. Google
> Brand value 2017: $245.6 billion
> Brand value % chg. 2016-2017: 7.0%
> Category: Technology
> Annual profit (Alphabet): $19.5 billion
> Headquarters: Mountain View, California
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