Apple, Amazon, Facebook Gain Significantly In Brand Value

Apple remains the biggest, winning for overall brand value in Interbrand's 100 most valuable brands in 2015. The company didn't change its overall No. 1 position in ranking, but its brand value rose 43%, contributing $170.3 million to its overall revenue, according to the study.

Google ranks No. 2 on the overall brand value list. While its brand contributes $120.3 million to revenue, the overall gain from the prior year sits at a mere 12%, per the Interbrand Best Global Brands 16th annual report released Monday, which identifies the world's 100 most valuable brands.

Overall, the list rose by more than 7.1%, with a net worth of $1.7 billion compared with the prior year. Interbrand bases the ranking on a combination of factors that contribute to a brand's cumulative value. It includes the financial performance of the branded product and service, the role the brand plays in influencing customer choice, and the strength the brand has to command a premium price or secure earnings for the company.

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Amazon enters the Top 10 for the first time in the history of the report, up from No. 15 in the prior year. Its brand value rose 29% in the 2015 study to nearly $38 million. The company has been honing its focus, testing a variety of contextual advertisements on its site, as well as pulling TV devices from competitors like Google. The company's Web services and products appeal to businesses and consumers.

Microsoft moves up to No. 4 in overall brand value -- ahead of IBM, which drops to No. 5, as a result of its focus on being more open about software prices and release dates, says Antoine Velize, chief experience officer at Interbrand North America. "There wasn't a lot of love for Microsoft's customer experience a couple of years back, but I think they became more in tune making customers more responsive," he says.

The value of Facebook's brand, described as this year's "fastest riser," rose 54%, landing at No. 23 on the overall list this year, up from No. 29 in the prior year. Velize says those rising in the ranks offer consumers distinct experiences that hook and keep them. For the brands that fell in the ranking -- such as Gucci, Caterpillar, and Shell, among others -- the experience for their customers becomes much less clear.

Five new brands entered the ranking this year, including Lenovo at No. 82, with the brand contributing $5.4 million to revenue -- the second Chinese brand to enter the ranking -- followed by Huawei, the first, which entered in 2014. PayPal comes in at No. 97, with a brand value of nearly $4.3 million. Mini, Moet & Chandon, and Lenovo round out the top five spots at Nos. 98, 99, and 100, respectively. 

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