Technology as a whole continues to perform well in such estimations. Maintaining its third place was IBM. And fourth was Microsoft. AT&T was eighth, two places above Amazon, which still has to pass Marlboro. The most surprising presence was Chinese Web portal Tencent at Number 14. Facebook was 21st and Samsung 29th.
You might be wondering how Millward Brown calculates these various positions. Well, it uses a tool called Optimor. This, of course, is a proprietary tool whose ingredients are closely guarded. The data is allegedly culled from "150,000 interviews with consumers from around the world."
The company revealed in its Top 100 Most Valuable Global Brands Report that the value of the world’s most important brands has increased by 12 percent.
Millward Brown believes that what is unique about its approach is "the recognition that in all markets a small number of consumers account for a large proportion of sales. Loyal consumers are more valuable to a brand than occasional users, a crucial factor when analyzing brand value."
Those who favor Google will clearly believe that the marauding bands of those wearing funny glasses are loyally proving just how far Google’s brand value has soared. Even when they antagonize restaurant owners and get into fights in bars.
Those who favor Apple will be perplexed because, in their estimation, no brand gets hordes of loyal fans sleeping in the streets, waiting to buy the latest Apple gadget.