Apple is the most powerful brand in the world.

It was concluded by BrandZ and reported by CNN that Apple was considered the top brand worldwide overtaking many of the other global and consistently powerful brands.

This conclusion is not solely based on technology and the era in which we live, it’s more about global awareness. Brands with grand scope such as Marlboro and McDonalds this year weren’t strong enough to rank in the top spot. Only 1 year ago Apple was valued at a bit over 83 billion dollars and this year, the value has almost doubled!

The top 10 most valuable brands in 2011 shaped up as follows:

1. Apple - 153 Billion.
2. Google - 111 Billion.
3. IBM - 100 Billion.
4. McDonalds - 81 Billion.
5. Microsoft - 78 Billion.
6. Coca-Cola - 74 Billion
7. AT&T - 70 Billion
8. Marlboro - 68 Billion.
9. China Mobile - 58 Billion.
10. General Electric - 50 Billion.

As a Comparison, 2008 saw the list shape up as follows:  1. Google, 2. GE, 3. Microsoft, 4. Coke,  5. China Mobile, 6. Marlboro, 7. Wal-Mart, 8. Citi, 9. IBM, 10. Toyota.

Aside from the estimated brand value, another surprising fact is that Apple as a tangible company is worth more than Microsoft yet has a lower turnover. This means that their brand value is actually realised right now in actual dollar terms. My take on this is the amount of trust Apple has in the marketplace equates to a huge amount of ‘potential’. However this potential has a physical dollar value today without ‘time to realise potential’ being a factor. A level of trust as high as Apple has huge benefits, one in particular is that Apple can harvest innovation with it being a certainty that it will thrive. And in the fast moving, ever changing ‘technology’ industry this is more valuable than anything else power brands can quantify.

Touch phones were done and dusted until Apple launched the iPod touch and iPhone. To be fair, tablets as a market were also largely abandoned until Apple redefined this entire computing arena with the launch of the iPad. They can be as innovative as they like, breaking the rules and yet people trust it.

News In a Box reported “In contrast with last year’s top, Apple overtook both Google and IBM, placing each of them one spot lower. McDonalds jumped two places from 6 to 4 this year. Coca Cola changed place with McDonalds. AT%T wasn’t even in the Top 10 in 2010. It eliminated Vodafone and climbed to the 7th spot."

Within 1 year Apple managed to raise its value a massive 84%! This was a factor towards the dethroning of Google, which incidentally held the top spot since 2007. Market specialists and analysts attribute this value increase somewhat directly to two very 'cool' and innovative products: the iPhone and the iPad. Whenever Apple evolved and launched a product from this category, people would go absolutely crazy, forming never-ending lines into and outside the Apple locations.

Expert Milward Brown from WPP made mention of Apple gaining through its carefully thought out out and brilliant strategies combined with powerful marketing and the introduction of products that no other company sells:
“Apple continued quietly developing a cloud and loudly discovered an empty space in the computing category that it filled with a new device – the iPad” he said and added that in the last months of 2010 Apple sold more iPads than computers. In effect he outlined the need for the new and exclusive. Products founded on desire and strong enough in their purpose to gain a heavy following. There are some other companies that tried to compete with these Apple products ( like Samsung ) but didn’t quite make it. 

Successful brands usually become successful from one of two main qualities. Either they are an innovator, or they are a leader. It is rare and extremely powerful if like Apple you are both.

Brands That Almost Made It To The Top 10? Among the highly popular brands that didn’t quite make it, but still, they are in the Top 20, we mention Vodafone, Verizon, Amazon, Walmart, UPS, Hewlett – Packard (HP) and Visa.