Branding Trends in the USA

We notice that Coca-Cola which has had the highest "branding" ranking in the world for the past decade has been replaced by Apple as #1 and Google as #2.

What is a brand worth? Experts say the Apple Brand alone is worth $92,000,000,000. 

Apple dethrones Coca-Cola as top global brand

Brett Molina, USA TODAY

It seems technology companies have taken the fizz out of Coca-Cola.

Apple is this year's Best Global Brand, according to a report from marketing firm Interbrand, ending Coca-Cola's 13-year hold on the No. 1 spot. Google jumped to second, while the soft-drink giant fell to third.

Brand rankings are based on multiple factors, including how well the companys products or services perform financially and how well it influences consumers.

The accolade caps a big month for Apple. Two weeks ago, the company launched two new iPhones: the low-cost iPhone 5c and the iPhone 5s with an upgraded camera, processor and a fingerprint sensor. Apple sold 9 million combined iPhones during their first weekend of availability.

Overall, technology companies dominated this year's Best Global Brand list, snagging six of the top 10 spots. Joining Apple and Google in the top 10 are IBM (No. 4), Microsoft (No. 5), Samsung (No. 8) and Intel (No. 9).

Several other big tech names are among the top rising brands this year, including Facebook, which boosted its brand value by 43%. Facebook is the only social media company featured on the list.

Meanwhile, two former tech titans and brand leaders — Yahoo and BlackBerry — fell off this year's list.