The Most Valuable Brands according to Millward Brown

Apple, with the release of this year’s Millward Brown Most Valuable Brands list,has usurped the position of most valuable brand from Google. The value of Apple’s brand rose by a remarkable 66% to nearly a quarter of a billion dollars. During the last year, Google’s value increased by a steady 9%. The rankings are determined from a number of factors including the consumer perception and how each company performed financially. Apple John Partilla

Other notable movement includes the fall of McDonald’s to the number nine position. McDonald’s has experienced a downturn in recent years as competitors such as Chipotle and Wendy’s have stolen some of its once dominant market share. According to these rankings from Millward Brown, the value of the fast-food giant’s brand fell by five percent to $81 billion. McDonald’s previously held the fourth and fifth position in 2013 and 2014, respectively. IBM was the only other brand who earned a top ten position that experienced a decline in brand value. The tech-behemoth still sits in the fourth position, but its brand value did decline by more than ten percent according to the BrandZ rankings.

Google and Apple have been battling for the top position the last few years. Apple owned the number one position for both 2012 and 2013 before surrendering to Google in 2014. However, Apple with the release of the iWatch and the continued success of the iPad and and iPhone have regained the number one position.

Facebook did not make the top ten list despite nearly doubling its brand value over the last year. With a value of around $70 billion, it took the twelfth position. Chipotle’s brand value increased by an impressive 44% and finished fifth in the fast-food category. Alibaba, which wasn’t even on the 2014 list, earned the 13th position placing ahead of other giant retailers such as Walmart and Amazon. Alibaba represents just one of the fourteen Chinese brands that are on the list. The number of European brands has dropped by eleven since 2006.