Brand-value survey ranks Apple No. 1
5/23/2012LOS ANGELES -- For the second year in a row, Apple Inc. is the most valuable brand in the world, according to a study released Tuesday.
Apple increased its brand value 19 percent to $182.9 billion, according to the Millward Brown's annual BrandZ study.
It edged out International Business Machines Corp. by nearly $30 billion. Google Inc. traded spots with IBM and came in third. Microsoft Corp. landed in fifth place. McDonald's Corp. was the only nontech brand in the top five spots.
The study ranks brands based on value, analysis of their financial data, market intelligence, and consumer measures of brand equity.