Apple Unseats Coca-Cola as Most Valuable Brand for First Time in 13 Years

For the past 13 years,Coca-Cola has sat at the top spot of Interbrand's annual Best Global Brands report, which recognizes the 100 most valuable brands around the world. Coca-Cola's time at the top has finally fizzled as Apple rose to No. 1 on the list in its 14th year, followed by Google in second place, pushing the soda maker back to No. 3. IBM (No. 4) and Microsoft (No. 5) round out the top five spots.

"Every so often, a company changes our lives—not just with its products, but with its ethos. This is why, following Coca-Cola’s 13-year run at the top of Best Global Brands, Apple now ranks No. 1," said Jez Frampton, Interbrand’s Global Chief Executive Officer. "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."

Apple Store

When Interbrand published its first rankings report back in 2000, Apple was No. 36 on the list with a brand value of $6.6 billion. Fast forward to today and Apple's brand value is tallied at $98.3 billion, or 15 times the amount it was in 2000.

To determine the top 100 most valuabe brands, Interbrand focuses on three key areas. The first is financial performance of the branded products or service, followed by the role the brand plays in influencing consumer choice. Finally, Interbrand evaluates the strength the brand has to command a premium price or secure earnings for the company. According to Interbrand, its methodology was of the first of its kind to become ISO certified.