Apple retains top spot in Interbrand’s 2020 brand value ranking

Apple remains the world’s best brand for an eighth year in a row while a host of digital newcomers including Instagram, YouTube and Zoom have landed a spot in the top 100 for the first time ever, according to a new annual survey of global brands’ value from Omnicom-owned consultancy Interbrand. Behind the ever-dominant Apple, Amazon and Microsoft came in second and third place, respectively, with the latter edging out Google this year to reclaim a top three spot for the first time since 2017. The Interbrand report found Amazon to have the biggest year-over-year value increase of any top 100 brand, rising 60% since 2019 to a current valuation in excess of $200 billion. Apple’s brand value rose by 38% and Microsoft’s rose by 53% since last year. Meanwhile, Google, long a top-three stalwart, declined by 1%. “Leadership, engagement and relevance are three consistent themes we are seeing as brands try to navigate the rapidly changing business landscape,” Interbrand’s Global CEO Charles Trevail said of the survey, whose methodology considers customer loyalty, financial performance and future profitability to rank the world’s most valuable brands. The firm has published its Best Global Brands Report annually since 1999. Although the order has changed slightly in 2020, the 10 best brands remain unchanged from 2019; following Apple, Amazon and Microsoft, this year’s top 10 is rounded out by Google, Samsung, Coca-Cola, Toyota, Mercedes-Benz, McDonald’s and Disney. Social media and communications brands fared particularly well this year, the survey notes, with top digital names such as Instagram (No. 19), YouTube (No. 30) and Zoom (No. 100) appearing on Interbrand’s ranking for the first time ever. The research that informed this year’s ranking encompasses data from July 2019 to June 2020, thereby allowing for several months of pandemic-related brand shifts to influence the results. Interbrand notes the consequences of the “COVID effect,” which shuttered many brick-and-mortar retail operations earlier this year. Clothing retailers Zara and H&M both dropped at least six spots in this year’s ranking while all but one luxury brand—Hermes, coming in at No. 28—saw value declines of between 1 and 9%. Conversely, with a lockdown-induced online shopping boom, logistics and shipping companies saw an overall increase in their brand valuation, with UPS, FedEx and DHL all recording positive growth. Likewise, the “sudden shift to electronic as the primary payment method and the swift rollout of programs to support local business during pandemic lockdown” benefited high-profile payment companies, Interbrand said in a statement, with Mastercard, Visa and PayPal rising between five and 12 places in this years' rankings.

Apple retains top spot in Interbrand’s 2020 brand value ranking

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