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Apple ousts Google in brand value

Perception versus reality

Apple is a more valuable brand than Google, according to rankings from marketeers.

Confusingly, Apple's brand is worth less than the stock market reckons and Google is also valued more highly by financial analysts than by the marketing department.

The "Brandz 2011" survey valued Apple's brand at $153bn, up 84 per cent on last year, and Google at $111bn, down two per cent. But this makes the stock market even bigger fanbois – Apple's market cap is $320bn while Google's is $172bn.

MillwardBrown, the global market research agency which makes the list, explained it looks at a company's earnings and works out what percentage is due to branding rather than other factors such as distribution.

The survey puts IBM in third place, with a brand value of $101bn, followed by McDonalds, Microsoft, Coca-Cola and AT&T.

Amazon.com comes in 14th place with a brand worth $37bn compared to its market capitalisation of $90bn.

Facebook comes in number 35 with a theoretical brand value of $19bn – up 246 per cent on last year, which makes it the year's fastest rising brand.

In the UK Vodafone comes out in top spot with a brand value of $43.6bn, followed by HSBC, Tesco (with a brand value less than half that of Vodafone), Shell, BP and in sixth place Standard Chartered Bank.

More on MillwardBrown's survey here. ®

feeling pessimistic for humanity's future.

"and works out what percentage is due to branding" I wonder how they do that?

I don't think it really matters; anyone who coins the name "Brandz" (presumably) with no implied irony, is clearly swivel-eyed, drooling and retarded. I'll treat their pronouncements in that light.

So there.

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Brandz 2011

If they think they are being cool by substituting the perfectly good letter 's' with a cutesy 'z', then they are sadly mistaken.

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Made up

It seems they have done something which basically involves making up numbers and calling it research.

All very Web 2.0.

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Confusing? Why?

Why is it confusing that Apple's (or Google's, coming to that) brand value is less than their Market cap?

Market cap is simply a measure derived from multiplying all the publicly tradable shares (not necessarily 100% of a company) by the share price. A good estimation of the value of a company. The brand value is just measuring 'good will' -- i.e. the intangible worth of the company once all tangible assets (buildings, data centres, licenses, etc.) have been discounted. It would be weird if this was the other way around.

Good will is really just a measure of a companies reputation and a measure of the likelihood of past and new customers doing business with the company based upon this. Market cap essentially includes good will.

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Anonymous Coward

@ Brandz 2011

Makes me think of the Bratz line of dolls and therefore something designed to appeal to little children.

Hardly an image to inspire confidence in their expertise.

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