Interbrand: Apple retains No. 1 spot as world’s ‘best’ brand
U.S. tech giants ranked among the top global performers in a study of brand value.
Apple took the top spot in global brand consultancy’s Interbrand’s Best Global Brands 2024 report, followed by Microsoft, Amazon, Google and Samsung. Apple entered the top quartile of the world’s 100 most valuable brands for the first time in 2008 — ranked #24, with a brand value of $13.7 billion. (A list of the 25 most valuable brands is at end of article.)
Within five years, Apple claimed the top, which it has retained ever since. In 2024, at $488.9 billion, the Apple brand alone is worth almost as much as the cumulative value of every brand ranked #50 through #100, noted Interbrand. (Interbrand deploys three key components to its brand valuations: an analysis of the financial performance of the branded products or services, of the role the brand plays in purchase decisions and of the brand’s competitive strength.)
“While others rushed into AI, Apple has taken a more deliberate path to ensure its AI releases matched its values,” said Greg Silverman, global director of brand economics, Interbrand. “This slower-moving act of leadership has put long-term trust ahead of short-term revenue gains. Following these brand moves, Apple’s stock has moved up 20% year to date and we anticipate that Apple’s value will increase in the 2025 rankings.”
New entrants this year to the top 100 are Nvidia (#36), Pandora (#91), Range Rover (#96) and Jordan (#99). Jordan is the first personality brand to make it onto the table, noted Interbrand.
“Jordan is a brand that has globalized on classic sports values of hard work and winning on and off the court,” said Silverman. “It has cleverly capitalized on the role social media has played in creating demand. Customers find themselves connected to the Jordan brand at many emotional levels allowing it to perform well financially and carve out a global position separate from the Nike corporate brand.”
Interbrand said its analysis shows that the most successful companies across the ranking treat their brand as a revenue generator as opposed to a cost center. They use their brand to build deeper, more meaningful and more equitable relationships with their customers – which drives loyalty and advocacy and creates more permission for these brands to be more present in consumers’ lives, the company said.
Other highlights from the Interbrand report are below.
•Ferrari (#62) captured this year’s spot as the top-rising brand, with a 21% increase in brand value growth.
•Louis Vuitton jumped three places (#14 to #11) with Hermès (#22) and Prada (#83) being two of the biggest luxury brand risers this year, seeing brand value growth of 15% and 14% respectively.
“Louis Vuitton had a remarkable year last year with notable achievements across domains,” said Manfredi Ricca, clobal chief strategy officer, Interbrand. “Demonstrating its ability to sell culture not just handbags, the brand opened a series of restaurants and cafés around the world. It’s a rare accomplishment that a corporate holding company brand conveys a rich, varied house of brands while also resonating as a brand within its own right.”
•Luxury’s brand value continued an upward trajectory (rising 7%, up from up 6.5% last year), extending relevance by creating new consumer experiences and expanded digital touchpoints, demonstrating powerful creativity that taps into the human condition.
“Luxury is no longer about purchase alone, it’s about the experience that surrounds it,” said Ricca. “Luxury brands are continuing to show how innovation and customer experience can lead to premium growth. “
•Fourteen of the top 100 brands of 2024 are automotive, making up more than any other sector in the ranking. Three auto brands — Toyota (#6), Mercedes-Benz (#8) and BMW (#10) — appear in the top 10. But not all auto brands have achieved such success. Tesla (#12) has one of this year’s largest declines in brand value (down 9%).
The 25 top brands in the Interbrand report are below.
- Apple
- Microsoft
- Amazon
- Samsung
- Toyota
- Coca-Cola
- Mercedes-Benz
- McDonald's
- BMW
- Louis Vuitton
- Tesla
- Cisco
- Nike
- Disney
- Adobe
- Oracle
- IBM
- SAP
- Hermès
- Chanel
- YouTube
- J.P. Morgan.
