Apple named world’s No. 1 brand

Google takes second place as Coca-cola slips to third after 13 years on top

LONDON— Apple has unseated CocaCola as the world’s No. 1brand, as the company founded by Steve Jobs is a leader in design and performance, according to a study of the Top 100 brands by Interbrand Corp.

Apple Inc.’s brand value jumped 28 per cent to $98.3 billion and Google Inc.’s rose in second place at $93.3 billion. The Coca-Cola Co. name slipped from the top spot after 13 years to third place at $79.2 billion.

“Every so often, a company changes our lives — not just with its products, but with its ethos,” Jez Frampton, chief executive officer at New Yorkbased brand consultancy Interbrand, said in a statement. Current Apple CEO “Tim Cook has assembled a solid leadership team and has kept Steve Jobs’ vision intact — a vision that has allowed Apple to deliver on its promise of innovation time and time again.”

The annual study, closely watched by the industry, determines a brand’s value by examining its financial performance, role in influencing consumer buying and ability to secure earnings.

Technology names were among the biggest climbers — and the biggest decliners as well. Google’s brand value rose 34 per cent and Samsung’s advanced 20 per cent. Meanwhile, Nokia dropped to 57th place from 19th with the largest decline in brand value in the history of the 14-year study. BlackBerry, which placed 93rd last year, fell off the rankings altogether, as did Yahoo.

The shifts in many of the brands’ placements reflects the turmoil in the technology industry over the past year. Nokia Oyj — which had the largest share of the mobile-handset market until it was overtaken by Samsung Electronics Co. in 2012 — was split this month when Microsoft Corp. agreed to buy the Finnish company’s phone business for € 5.44 billion. New names on the Interbrand list include Discovery, Duracell and Chevrolet. The fastest-rising brands were Apple, Facebook, Prada, Google and Amazon.